My Story - Connie
 

I was dx'ed with cancer June 4th 2002 at 38 years old. My symotoms began as I was breast feeding my 4th baby--I noticed a reddened area the size of a quarter next to my areola. I then called my OB and was treated with 1 week of antibiotics for a possiable mastitis. After the week of antibiotics my red area was still present and also my nipple was beginning to retract. I went to my family MD and he said it could be a mastitis but there is a rare form of breast cancer called ""inflammatory breast cancer"" (IBC) that we should rule out. I then once again began a high dose antibiotic but also had a mammogram and breast ultrsound. The mammogram came back clear but the ultra sound was suspicious. I then had a lumpectomy that came back definately cancer. (a 4X5cm tumor was found" removed but with (+) margins ER/PR (-) and her2neu +++). This is when my world began to turn up-side-down!

*CT MRI and Bone scan (-) for metastitis
*began Adramycin/Taxotere X4 rounds (every
three weeks). This combo was not de-
creasing my visable signs of cancer. (rash
and peau d'orange).
*had a skin biopsey which showed cancer
cells in my skin and dermal lymphatics
which confirmed the DX of IBC.
*began Hercepton/Navelbine weekly for 12
rounds which began to fade my visable
symptoms.
*had a left mastectomy Dec 20th (showed a 3
mm tumor remaining 1 lymph node out of
nine (+) and widely scattered cancer in
my skin).
*began 25 rounds of daily radiation (got
really ouchy skin about one week out of
radiation that took about a month to
clear).
*post treatment scans remain negative
(scanned every 3 months for now).
*travel to Memorial Sloan Kettering New
York for second opinions.

Trying to think less about cancer beginning to consider reconstruction--but not until next fall and life goes on!

Connie