Completely benign!

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anneshirley
anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
Completely benign!

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  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    I just got the call from my dermatologist's office, from her wonderful assistant Lisa, that the strange looking thing they removed from my breast (right over the original tumor bed) is completely benign.  I have been sick over this for about seven weeks.  In fact, my next to last visit to my doctor I didn't even mention it, as I didn't want to bring trouble on myself.  But I spend most nights in the bathroom, door closed, not wanting to wake my husband, checking it out.  I'm sharing this because I imagine that so many of you go through this every day, so scared that anything new and different is cancer.  I have another six months before I'm two years out, and because I'm HER2 positive, I always think the worst.

    Two days ago, I made a resolution that if this was okay I would never, ever again jump to conclusions and that I'd also stop looking at every article I can find on the internet.  The irony is that I really do have skin cancer on my face and it doesn't even make me blink--what's a few scars I think, particularly at my age.  

    If anyone were to ever ask me what I thought the worse thing about having BC is, I would have to say the constant fear of recurrence or spread, that the treatments although not easy are, in fact, the easiest part.  Anyway, I'm now off to the drug store to pick up Efudex, so I can start treating my skin cancers.  And to find something for Lisa--chocolates probably.  The first thing she said when I picked up the phone was "great news."  She didn't make me wait to hear her name, and she made me repeat the news after her, "completely benign."  The unsung heros in this--the nurses and PA's. 

  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 4,484
    edited March 2008

    Yayyyyy!!!! I'm so thrilled for you!!!!!

    (and think I'm about to PM you for the name of your dermatologist...)

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2008

    Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!!!!   Her2+++ makes us more fearful of recurrance. I am supposed to have my mammo this month and it scares me since I always seem to find something in there that I think is another lump.  I've said before, I have rushed into the dr with a lump only to find it's part of my rib bone!!!

  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Thanks both of you.  I'm still laughing about the rib bone.  Since January, I've had bone mets (inflammed cartilage), leukemia (bruises from taking aspirin), skin mets (pimple that took longer to heal), and breathing problems (get off the couch says the doctor). I'm my own worst enemy.  Thank goodness, I have such good doctors and nurses, who don't put me down for my fears but try to relieve them as quickly as possible. I have a whole new respect for the humanity of the medical profession that I didn't have before my diagnosis.

  • ADK
    ADK Member Posts: 2,259
    edited March 2008

    Congrats, Anneshirley.  Your post caught my attention because I am going to the surgeon next week for a strange growth on my back.  I am two years out, but you still worry.  Surprised

  • sccruiser
    sccruiser Member Posts: 1,119
    edited March 2008

    Yeah! I'm so happy for you. And I hear you about the reoccurence business. BC sucks. I, too, always dread to yearly checks. And then again, if I didn't have them I would worry that something won't get caught soon enough.



    I'm glad yours was B9 and you can have that deep breath of whooosh!!



    grace

  • Fitztwins
    Fitztwins Member Posts: 7,969
    edited March 2008

    awesome news sweetie!!

    Janis

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2008

    Ann, thanks for the pm ....... and your post just made me really laugh out loud ... I've had skin mets and lung mets, too!!

  • ijl
    ijl Member Posts: 897
    edited March 2008

    Ann,

    I m glad to hear all is well. You are right we are afflicted with this nagging fear. I recently had a liver mets scare. The radiologist saw that on brest MRI, I had to beg my ultrasound techician to tell me before an upcoming weekend. First she of course refused to tell me but then she took a pity and said that I was OK and the MRI radiologist thought that  a part of my gallbladder was a liver tumor . 

  • anneshirley
    anneshirley Member Posts: 1,110
    edited March 2008

    Inna--nice to talk away from political thread, which does tend to make us all rather violent at times, when really we're all very nice folks with different views.  I tend to let sarcasm lead too often, so please forgive me for that.

    I hope I'm reading your post here correctly and that all is okay. Those are the technicians you can really shoot.  I had a scare when after my PET they found something on my back.  I had mentioned over and over that I had a long-standing cyst on my back, even gave them the exact mesurements before my test, and still they came back and reported it and put the fear of G-d in me.

    Glad we're all doing okay, only now my completely benign biopsy is not healing.  I can't complain to my husband or he'll brain me for sure. 

  • ijl
    ijl Member Posts: 897
    edited March 2008

    That's OK to be "violent" on political thread. it shows that we are not just pre-occupied with this stuff, which is good.

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