My Story with Cancer
- allthingsnewhealth
- Jan 20
- 19 min read
Updated: Jan 25
TIMELINE: My Story
May 2024
HOW IT STARTED
In May, I woke up randomly in the middle of the night and felt a lump in my left breast. I had never been one to do breast self exams or even think much about this part of my body, and I attribute it to God prompting me and getting my attention to take care of this, and catch it early. From there, I made an appointment for an ultrasound at OC Breast Wellness in Fountain Valley. The results from the ultrasound were “a highly suspicious mass” measuring 13.4 mm, and a biopsy was recommended.
By this time in my life, I had been dealing with various chronic health issues related to mold exposure and poor detoxification for over a decade. Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, leaky gut, candida, SIBO, gut dysbiosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, long covid syndrome, and Ehlers Danlos hypermobility syndrome were just some of the diagnoses I had been given or worked to manage. I was not a stranger to the the healing journey, and with a medical background as a licensed occupational therapist (2002) and a certification as a functional health coach since 2020, this new chapter in the story felt like anything I else had gone through, and I went straight to “work” taking care of myself as usual, albeit with a little more urgent concern!
I would pray, ask God for wisdom and guidance, gather information, and trust Him, taking one step at a time.
Trust that God will lead.
As I gathered information on next steps, I decided it was best to avoid the recommended needle biopsy, which could potentially spread the cancer. I learned that manipulation of an intact tumor with needle biopsies is associated with an increased risk of metastasis or spread of the cancer. I knew that the mammogram was not the most ideal way to screen for cancer either, since it exposes you to 500x the radiation of a chest x-ray and also compresses the breast. Thus I opted for an ultrasound, and found OC Breast Wellness center in Fountain Valley, which I was able to pay out of pocket and get it done as soon as possible. Then, after some research, I also found a surgeon, Dr Nina Behdin, who was willing to do an “excisional biopsy”- take the entire lump out, and then test it. She had agreed to do the excisional biopsy even though it was “against the algorithm.” I was very thankful.
August 23, 2024
SURGERY FOR THE EXCISIONAL BIOPSY
Glendale Adventist Hospital. This was my first surgery, and I was so grateful to be at this wonderful hospital and have such a kind and skilled surgeon. I thank God for sustaining me with His peace, and everything worked out smoothly. I had some nausea the day of, and I recovered enough to feel pretty normal the next day! A sweet friend made me a huge portion of chicken potato soup that nourished and lasted me the entire weekend.
September 3, 2024
FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENT
I had a follow up appointment with Dr Behdin about a week after my surgery, with my husband John at my side, and found out that the mass had cancer cells. It would be another 2 weeks later until I found out the exact type of pathology results, which was ER-(weak)/PR-/HER2+. I’ll admit, I wasn’t shocked to find out that it was cancer-I just had a feeling something was off in my body. What did concern me though, was that it was HER2+ which is one of the more aggressive types of breast cancer. I was extremely thankful to God that I got it out when I did. The mass that was removed was 1.8 cm. It had grew since I first discovered it on my ultrasound in May (it was 1.3 cm back then)!
September 30, 2024
LYMPH NODE SURGERY, CANCELLED!
The next step that my surgeon recommended was a sentinel lymph node biopsy to check if it has spread to the lymph nodes, and also to re-excise the surgery area to remove some precancerous cells (DCIS) in the margin. I was hesitant about the lymph node surgery because I know that people can have lymphedema and problems with range of motion with that arm after lymph node surgery. I proceeded cautiously, but did schedule to have this for 9/30/24.
I was all set and prepared to have surgery, but a few days before this I caught a virus and needed to postpone. I called to postpone the surgery, and the surgery scheduler was out of office until 10/14, so I ended up waiting longer. In the meantime, I set up an appointment with an oncologist.
October 29, 2024.
FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH ONCOLOGIST
The oncologist said that HER2+ is typically treated with chemo first, and then surgery, so lymph node surgery would not make sense. Instead, she recommended that I get an MRI and PET scan to stage/check for if the cancer has spread, and she educated me on the next steps after that which involved chemotherapy and the drugs herceptin and perjeta. With that information, I decided to cancel my surgery.
She also explained how HER2+ is the second most aggressive type of cancer (Triple negative breast cancer being the most). As alarming as it was to hear that, I reminded myself of what I read in Dr Jenn Simmons’ very helpful book The Smart Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer. (2024);
“YOU ARE NOT YOUR BREAST CANCER, so try not to identify as such. YOU are NOT hormone positive, triple negative, or HER2 positive. The findings in your pathology are only describing a small part of you-the tumor. These characteristics, along with your overall health, medical history, and preferences are used to develop your PERSONALIZED treatment plan. Remember that the vast majority of women survive breast cancer…The thing you need to prepare most for is LIVING.”
November 7, 2024.
QT SCAN
Even though an MRI was recommended, I declined it and opted for a different technology called QT scan.
I have been very cautious about MRI’s because the contrast solution used for the MRI contains a toxic heavy metal called gadolinium, which does not leave the body and potentially causes many problems. In the past I had gotten MRI’s on my head, neck and heart. I did not know until years later when I got a urine toxin test with my functional medicine doctor, that the Gadolinium used for those MRI procedures was STILL IN MY BODY, YEARS LATER.
I was thankful to God that a newer, safer, screening technology called QT was available in my area, so I proceeded with that and ultimately the result was negative for anything abnormal. I thank God!
November 18, 2024
PET SCAN. GOOD NEWS!!
I will admit that the day of the PET scan, I was probably the most anxious I have ever been throughout this entire journey. This test determines the extent of cancer in the body using an injected radioactive sugar solution. Since cancer has 10x more insulin receptor sites compared to healthy cells, the cancer cells gobble up the sugar solution first and results in an image with lights glowing in areas of the body with cancer. Just imagining cancer spreading in my body was enough reason to panic. I also wasn't too excited about having a radioactive solution injected in me, but I was very grateful to follow this before/after detox protocol using high dose melatonin to assist my body in mitigating any harmful effects.
As I sat in the waiting room waiting for my the sugar solution to move through my body before the scan, I meditated on the following Psalms:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalms 57:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:5
After the scan, my results came back quickly with a favorable result. The oncologist left me a message and said "It actually looks really good, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THERE IS ANY ACTIVE METABOLIC ACTIVITY."
A blood panel and follow up appointment also showed that my blood markers for inflammation and cancer were in the normal range.
I was so relieved! I know I am not completely out of the woods and there is a lot of work to continue to heal completely. But I thank God for being my shield and refuge throughout this whole process. And I thank God for allowing a path for me to heal from cancer without having to go through another surgery, chemo, radiation or harsh drugs.
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