“My message for all the women that may be affected by breast cancer: Live your normal life, do everything (of course with some limitations) but don’t give up!”
–– Carla Amorim
–– Carla Amorim
Today’s post is a guest post from Carla Amorim, a 35 year old breast cancer survivor from Portugal. I’ve never met Carla face to face but we connected a few years ago when I was working on a newsletter for a client. She sent in her story about her experience with breast cancer for publication in the newsletter and because of the many similarities with my own experience, I felt an immediate connection to her. She and I became Facebook friends, and I recently asked her if she wanted me to share her story with my readers and she graciously accepted. There are several reasons why I think this story is important. The first is that Carla is very young; she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 35, five years before she would have gotten a mammogram in the US. There are many women who can benefit from her experience; be aware of changes in your body even if you think you’re too young to experience breast cancer. I have read many instances of woman younger than 40 who have been diagnosed and it’s important to know what to look for. The second is that Carla identified the symptoms of her breast cancer herself, which is similar to my own experience. And finally, I found it inspirational and incredibly moving to read of Carla’s love for her young son and how he helped motivate her to keep her spirit and strength throughout her ordeal.
Many thanks to Carla for sharing her story; she is an inspiration to me and many others. Below is her story in her own words. You can also visit Carla on her personal blog – Live with Breast Cancer.
The discovery
I was always a healthy person. In 2006, at 34 years, I had a son, who I breast-fed for around 10 months. In August of 2008 I woke up on morning and noticed that I had a yellowish discharge from my chest. I found that strange and I drove myself to the hospital.
After a small wait in urgency room I was called at gynecology. I explained to the doctor what happened, and she began to observe me, and when I looked at her face I perceived clearly that something was wrong. She scheduled me a mammography for the next day. I left the hospital with the clear sensation that something was not well. I arrived home and went on to the Internet and after some research I found that my symptoms were typical of Breast Cancer.
On the next day I drove to the hospital for the mammography and ultrasound. I remember that when I entered the exam room, the technician started the exam and she asked me to wait a few moments because she needed to call the doctor. These few minutes were like years.
The Doctor appeared and said we will do now the ultrasound. When he was doing the ultrasound he said that they found something and in the next day I have to do a biopsy. I left the hospital in a panic; I have to call to my husband to pick me up. The next day I did the biopsy. Even with local anesthesia, I had a lot of pain. As the doctor started the exam, he looked at me and said, “You know what is?” I answered “Yes, It’s Cancer, isn’t it?” He answered me we have to be certain by the analysis but it appears that it is certainly cancer.
I was expecting that result, I didn’t cry, but I had a small tear in the eye. In the day after I was working normally and my colleagues couldn’t believe that I was there and that I was reacting so naturally. Three days after I received the confirmation it is Cancer In Situ l Level III.
Next week I went to the first medical appointment in the hospital, and there the news was the worst, not just that I had cancer but I would also have to have my right breast removed. Now imagine a person of only 35 years suddenly knowing that she had to remove her breast. Even so, I left the hospital and again without crying. My parents and all the remaining family were devastated. To see my family like this gave me more strength to continue and be positive. A few days passed, I did the preparation exams for the operation.
I don’t know where I got so much strength but I believe it was because of my son. I did everything I can for him so that he wouldn’t notice what is happening
I have a fantastic family that gave me all the support I needed. My husband is also a spectacular person, always on my side. My friends, colleagues and the company also gave me a lot support. I am lucky to be surrounded by such fantastic people.
The surgery
In the space of 15 days my life was turned upside down. It started the day of the operation. In the day before the surgery I entered the hospital around lunch time to begin the preparation for the next day. I felt confident that everything would go well. I slept very well, and was very calm. I woke up in the morning and began to be prepared for the surgery. When they were transporting me to the surgery room, my family was waiting to give me a big hug.
The surgery took longer than predicted because they found a second tumor hidden. But not everything was bad, as the doctors said my tumors were in a restricted zone and had not metastasized. During the operation they inserted a temporary reconstructive prosthesis. When I woke up after the surgery, I was transported to a recovery room. My family was waiting, but I was so nauseous that I asked them to go home, tomorrow we would speak. I passed a horrible night, every time I tried to change position I had a lot of pain.
In the next morning the nurses help me to rise up, but it hurt, when I tried to move my arm. During this day my pains grew better. The next day, I was already able to take my bath alone. I passed 5 days in the hospital, and then come back to my home. Although I felt very uncomfortable, it was good to come back to my place and next to my family.
In this moment as I began to feel low and demoralized, it was necessary to have a family that supported me. In the hospital we don’t have mirrors, in home the reality is another one and when I saw my chest for the first time, my world collapsed. I feel that they had taken away my femininity, feel very smaller.
The Prosthesis fills
Remember I said that during the operation they put in an expander. Yes they put, but this expander is not in their final size and weekly we would go to the hospital where they filled it with saline until the chest size becomes more appropriate. This expander is replaced with a real implant 8 months after the end of radiation. Weekly, over a month I went to the hospital to fill the expander. When they insert the saline, it doesn’t cause pain, the problem is when I raise up. The sensation when I rise up is absence of air, something is compressing my chest, it is horrible and each session at least for me was come back to the day of the surgery. The first two days hurts, and then I began to feel relief.
During this period I didn’t work as I had around a month and half medical leave. When I finished the expansion process, I came back to work and already there was not a big difference in my chest. It is clear that I had a small difference because I had a big chest.
Next, I had a medical appointment in the hospital where they explained to me that I will need to do chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The worst notice was that I couldn’t have more sons.
When the doctor was explaining me the secondary effects of the chemotherapy, he said that they will give me another medical leave until the end of treatments. I asked him not to do it, as I wanted to continue to work and live my normal life as much as possible. I didn’t want to be sitting at home as I wanted to maintain an active life. If I remain active, my mind is busy.
My message for all the women that may be affected by Breast cancer: Live your normal life, do everything (of course with some limitations), but don’t give up.
Chemotherapy
I scheduled my chemotherapy sessions on Fridays, every 21 days, to be able to recover during the weekend and in the beginning of the week. I stayed the weekend and the first two days at home. After these two days I went to work normally. In the first day the anxiety was big, the fear and how I will react. The chemotherapy session in itself is nothing. The nurse puts in the catheter and in the space of an hour injects all the drugs. I left extremely well but towards the end of the day begin to feel a little nauseated but nothing more. I went to bed, and I fell asleep. I woke up the next day a little better. This sensation of nausea without throwing up is around three days and then began to feel better. In this same week on that Friday as they told me in the hospital, my hair began to fall out. The second session of chemotherapy was very similar as the first, but this time I threw up. The rest of the session was very similar to the first one.
Radiation
The first session was during the morning, they explained to me how I have to put my arms. I have to stay in that position around 3 minutes which is the time that it takes to deliver the Radiation. I thought that I was going to feel something when the exam began, but no, I did not feel anything. I finished the treatment and I came back to work. I scheduled the remaining 32 sessions during lunch time and this way I wasn’t out of the office a long time.
During this period the company gave me all the possible support, for which I thanked them. After 33 sessions I finished the treatment and I now had to wait around 8 months to be able to do the reconstruction.
The surgery of reconstruction
In January of 2010, I was called for the hospital to do the plastic surgery. The objective of this surgery is a similar procedure to remove the left breast and remove the expander and put in the silicone implant. I entered the hospital on the day of the surgery, and I was in the surgery room for around 16 hours. Waking up after the surgery was not as hard as the first time. I progressed very well from this surgery, the only problem is that now I had both breasts operated on and this complicated my mobility.
After 15 days I removed all the bandages, and finally I can use blouses with regular necklines, and normal swimsuits, and I’m so happy. A new life started during 2010 as I gradually recuperated my life. With the change of the expander to silicone, the pains began to pass. I move my arm practically normally and without big limitations. Of course, I continue to have some limitations but I’m alive.
I want to give a big thank you to all of the health professionals that watched over me in the hospital. Also, I’d like to thank all the love, affection and support that my family gave me and a very big kiss to my beautiful son. I cannot forget also to thank all my work colleagues and friends that helped me in these moments.
Now I have to take the leading anti-cancer drug every day for the next 5 years. Afterwards we will see what the medical indications are. I hope that my history can help many other women.
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