Welcome to my Young Breast Cancer Survivor Site!

I'm a young breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005 after my first child was born. I've decided to start a blog to share my store with all the women around the world and give hope to those who are fighting with breast cancer. I first noticed a lump in my left breast in 2002 at the age of 28. My doctor at that time sent me to a well known facility in my hometown to have a mammogram and ultrasound done. After the tests were completed, the radiologists determined it was a benign tumor. A biopsy was not done and a follow up was not recommended. Today I believe the doctors didn't feel a biopsy was necessary due to my young age, but as you can see cancer is not limited to age. I finally had the lump looked at again right after my son was born because I had a hard time breast feeding on that side. I still remember like it just happened yesterday. Six days after my son was born, my ob/gyn asked my husband and I into her office. At first I didn't think anything of it since I knew the mass was benign, but the news weren't good at all. She informed us it was cancer. Tears started to run down. Our happiness turned into a nightmare. Being young and becoming a new mother, I knew I had to do everything necessary to stay alive for my son. Cancer doesn't happen to women in their 40's or 50's anymore. We as young breast cancer survivors need to speak up so all the doctors out there will perform all the tests necessary to make sure a woman is diagnosed properly. If I can share one thing with you, it is to make sure you get your doctor to perform a biopsy if you have a hard mass. Your life is depends on it!

I also started an on-line breast cancer store. I carry everything you will need for after surgery and during treatments. Please stop by!

Thank you for your support!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Choosing the right surgery - Lumpectomy or Mastectomy

Choosing the type of surgery is a very difficult decision. At first, I was adamant about saving my breast. I didn't want a mastectomy, let alone saying that horrible word. Because I had cancer for 3 years and the cancer was invasive, my doctor recommended a mastectomy. However, since the tumor reduced in size after chemotherapy, my doctor allowed me to choose a lumpectomy. There were two things that helped me with my decision of a mastectomy. 1 - I was so sick from the chemotherapy that I didn't want to take a chance of getting cancer again. 2 - I met several breast cancer survivor that had a lumpectomy and then the cancer came back. Due to my age and wanting to have more kids, I decided to reduce my chance of re-occurrence by choosing a mastectomy. I'm very happy with my decision today. Depending on the type of cancer and stage of the cancer, it's best to discuss the best options with your doctor.

Posted by Gina A. at 3:20 PM 0 comments

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