The Journey Of Managing The Knowledge That My Wife Had Breast Cancer
The ultimate fear people have over cancer is that it is not located while in the early stages. That when the cancer is diagnosed the cancer. For example, with cancer of the breast this means that one already has breast cancer metastasis In those cases, the woman’s probability that she will continue to be alive 5 years beyond diagnosis declines drastically. Even with intense treatment the majority of women will die from that advanced a cancer.
When my wife was told she had breast cancer it was like time had stopped. The most difficult part was waiting to learn just how far her cancer had progressed. Though she had no symptoms my main worry was that she would have stage 4 breast cancer. Thankfully, her cancer was found while in the early stages. She had no lymph node involvement and the mass was fairly small. Yet she had to undergo 3 attempts at a lumpectomy. Each time the margins were found to be positive for the cancer. After the third time the surgeon recommended a mastectomy. This was more significant surgery and breast reconstruction. Plus after that 5 years of hormonal therapy. In many ways she was lucky. Hers was not advanced breast cancer. She did not need chemotherapy because her cancer responds better to hormone therapy instead of chemotherapy. My wife doing wonderfully today. This is an experience, though, that I would not wish on anyone else. I am not able to imagine what families must go through if the diagnosis is one of stage 4 breast cancer. I wish only the best for anyone touched by this breast cancer.
Like with cancer of the breast there are other cancers which can be detected early, giving one a chance to beat the cancer with correct treatment. For example, there are screening tests available for men with prostate cancer , for women with cervical cancer and for both men and women with colon cancer . By following the recommended screening guidelines one can greatly improve the chances of detecting the cancer early, before it spreads.
The above is not meant as medical advice. It is merely for generic informational purposes. Please consult with a physician concerning your health issues and before accepting any medical advice.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 at 4:03 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.