For those of you who follow CancerGirl on FaceBook know that she just recently finished recieving the ACS (AntiCancerSerum) to kill her Ovarian Cancer. She defeated the EvilMelanomaMan and was finally able to take a breath ad relax a little..... That is until she woke up the day after her birthday with a sore on her breast. For about 2 weeks CG had a scaly itchy spot on her breast. She didn't really think much of it, figured with all the chemo and such, she probably just had some dry skin. When she woke up the day after her birthday and in the place where it was itchy and scaly there was now a large (well large to CancerGirl, SuperOncologist said it was relatively small) purpley sore that was red and painful. be breast cancer. CancerGirl didn't think of Breast Cancer, she had never heard of Breast Cancer being on the outside, she does Breast Self Exams every month, gosh she just had A LOT of Chemo, it couldn'tSuperHubby sent CancerGirl off to see SUperOncologist, because well, he was concerned.
Super Oncologist said "It is a sore, it is not cancer, it is possibly from all the chemo, it is possibly just a boil, we will keep an eye on it". CancerGirl was satisfied with that answer, she trusts SuperOncologist explicitly. A few more days went by and it began to hurt a little more and got harder and it was beginning to hurt radiating from the sore. CG began to do something she tries her best to refrain from doing when it comes to health related stuff concerning herself, she RESEARCHED. It made sense to do so. We are on iGive and CG figured what the heck, why not do some research and earn a penny a search!!!! She began with the site Women's Fitness where they said on their site : Possible symptoms of breast cancer include:
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A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
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A change in the size or shape of the breast.
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Thickening, swelling, distortion, or tenderness of the breast
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Skin irritation or dimpling
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Nipple pain, scaliness, ulceration, or retraction.
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A change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels (for example, warm, swollen, red, or scaly).
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Swelling or lump in armpit.
Breast pain is commonly due to benign conditions and is usually not the first symptom of breast cancer.
OMG, red, scaly, ulceration!!! I have those!! How far of a reach is it really that after finding cancer 2 places in the last 2 years, there is also Cancer in my breast.
But, as all good researchers know, you cant make a decision based on ONE source, better check this out....off to the Breast Cancer Page on Cedars Sinai :
Symptoms
The signs of breast cancer include:
- Lump or thickening that does not go away or that changes.
- Swelling, puckering or dimpling of the breast
- Skin irritation
- Pain or tenderness of the nipple
The first symptom men usually notice is a painless lump. Other symptoms might include nipple discharge (possibly bloody), nipple retraction and skin ulceration. Ok, the ulceration is under CG breast, not the nipple, but still. SO said that it would come to a head and would discharge once the pressure of the infection breaks through, or he could try and nick it with a scalpel and see if that releases some of the puss. He suggested hot compresses but they just made it hurt worse afterward. Now that CG was freaking out nice and good, she decided to get her friend Pam Uziel on the horn. Pam is one of Hats For Happiness BreastCancerSuperHeroes. She asked her if she was crazy for being now convinced that she has breast cancer?? Pam gave a resounding NO!! That I was not crazy to be worried about it and freaked out, that probably for quite some time every little thing that hurts or happens CG brain will think it is Cancer. CG made another trip to SO office, she was freaking now, what if he is wrong?? People are wrong all the time, CancerGirl was wrong just the other day in fact!!! SuperOncologist calmed CG fears, promised her it wasn't cancer, and said he could prove it to her right there. That the purple was in fact PURPLE not BLACK (CG had convinced herself that what was two days ago purpley was now black, and black means Cancer, everyone knows that!!!).
SuperOncologist went and got a needle and poked the sore right in the center of the black and OMG so much icky yucky stuff came out, and after about 5 minutes of is squeezing and pressing and stuff coming out, it wasn't black (or purpley) as much, and the pain was greatly reduced. No, it wasn't Breast Cancer, THANK GOD, for CG it was a huge relief.
For many though, it is not a relief, for many it is a reality. Right now, somewhere in this country someone somewhere is with a Super Oncologist who instead of relieving those fears, are confirming them for woman. CancerSuperHeroes are being made EVERY DAY!!!! CancerGirl is HONORED to be a CSH, but she wishes that no one will ever get to join that clan again. She wishes that there were NO CancerSuperHeroes AT ALL!!!! Until that happens though, CG will continue to fight, standing in front of other CSH when they are too weak to defend themselves, standing next to them in their strong moments, saying "You can do this, you know you can defeat that EvilMelanomaMan, you don't need me to defend you now, you go get em" and standing behind every one of them, there to catch them and hold them when they can't stand anymore, when the fight has been too hard, when they just need to rest, they can rest in the loving arms of CancerGirl, because CancerGirl is strengthened by the SuperPowers of Love, Happiness, and Joy.
As you can see, although he was having trouble staying in his tube, he still looked to be having fun. It is definitely the water that makes people HAPPY!!!! Here he is again in his tube, much happier as you can see. I don't know what made him happier, being in the water and the sun, or seeing how happy I was to be there. I don't think I laughed so much in a long time. It was wonderful for both of us. It is important that as SuperCareGivers, your mental and physical health is looked after also. So often everyone is worried about the CancerSuperHero (not like it is necessary, I mean we are after all SUPER
