It's been eight months since I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma and had the mastectomy (removal of my right breast).
I've kept count of each month as it passes by.
Do I celebrate the year mark?
Or do I just keep counting.
Thirteen months, fourteen months, fifteen months and so on.
Yesterday was my second Skype consult with my oncologist in Victoria. I had lots of questions for her.
The most important to me was:
"Is it normal for my chest bone above the incision to still be so sensitive?"
She told me that yes, it is quite common for women to suffer from chest bone sensitivity for months or possibly longer after a mastectomy. The surgeon removed my breast along with the tumour. He went through flesh, muscles etc. My pectoral muscles were affected. It will take time and exercise to heal them.
My chest is now concave on the right side. I had envisioned being flat chested but not concave. Being concave also affects how the pectoral muscles move and how they recover.
Being concave also affects my posture. I have to be aware that I sit and stand straight to keep from slumping in on the right side. If I slump my back muscles ache and I don't breathe deeply. The physiotherapist tells me my pectoral muscles will shrink and become tighter if I slump. I can feel it happening when I've been sitting around too much and not moving my arms enough.
So many people think that breast cancer is one of the easy cancers to get. I'm here to tell you that NO CANCER IS EASY. It's not just the knowledge that I had cancer but the treatments, the side effects, the pain, the surgery, the continued doctor's appointments, the fear and stress associated with those appointments, the continuous exercises, lifestyle changes, the reminder of cancer every time I look at my chest in the mirror or in the shower and the effort it takes to "be strong, look forward to the future, get on with life".
Now I can get on with my day feeling good that I spoke out and hopefully I'll have great news about no pain above my chest bones. Thanks for listening. xo
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