My story

Greetings, gentle reader:

Breast cancer is my fourth cancer in twenty years. In 1985, when I was 21, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease. After several surgeries and a spleenectomy, I had 48 radiation treatments. The cancer came back in 1986, paralyzing me from the chest down. After spinal surgery, I began nine months of chemo (MOPP and ABVD) while learning to walk again. I also finished up my college degree at home during the treatments. I was done with my treatments in March of 1986, and finished my B.A. degree in May.

I went back to work as a teacher's aide, and decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I went to night school, did my student teaching, and was hired in 1993 as a full-time English and speech teacher. I went back and earned my master's degree in 1996.

I had been in remission since March of 1986...and then in November of 2004, my partner found a spot on my back. The dermatologist determined it was skin cancer, and I had it removed. Right about the same time, my partner also found a lump in my right breast. I had a mammogram, ultrasound, and a needle biopsy in January of 2005, and learned I had invasive ductal breast cancer. After meeting with the surgeon, I decided to have a double mastectomy, a sentinel node biopsy, and reconstruction. I didn't want to worry about the cancer migrating from the right breast to the left one.

I had my surgery on March 2, 2005. Luckily, the tumor was self-contained in the right breast. My onco and I decided to do a course of taxol as a preventative measure. I began that on March 29th, and finished my twelfth and final treatment on June 28th.

I had many problems with the taxol, side effects the doctors had never seen before. Also, three days after I finished my treatments, I was in the emergency room with high fevers, a racking dry cough, and an infected finger. I was hospitalized for twenty days. I had blood transfusions, cultures for fungi, bacterias, and viruses, CT scans, a bronchoscopy, an echocardiogram, an ultrasound, and finally, a VATS procedure where my right lung was collapsed in order to obtain tissue samples. Finally, it was determined that the taxol caused me to develop BOOP, a bronchial pneumonia. I'm on steroids now, and will be on them through Halloween.

I will have my reconstructive surgery done later this year. First and foremost, I need to heal up from the BOOP. I'm heading back to work soon, after being off from school since the end of February. I'm nervous about it, but looking forward to being with the kids again. I teach high school, and I love it.

Even though I've had some bad experiences, I wouldn't trade my life for someone else's. I have a loving partner, a great family, and supportive church and colleagues, and a wonderful job. These are the things that keep me going when I get in a funk about my illnesses. And I always remember that there are people out there who are dealing with far worse than what I'M dealing with.

Should you wish to contact me, please email me at: maestraprice@yahoo.com

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read my li'l missive.

Adios! Stay positive, and remember cancer is TREATABLE. It's not a death sentence; in many ways, it's a LIFE sentence, causing you to reassess your life and your priorities.

Maestra
:-)