Last March I had a mammogram and breast ultrasound that showed “ significant architectural distortion." That was the radiologist told me at that appointment . Getting the appointment was a bit of a headache in and of itself, I have a family history of breast cancer, and also had very dense breasts that required ultrasound for definitive imaging , and my NP, did not want to refer for me for ultrasound , despite that being the recommendation of my previous doctor, who had passed, as well as the breast health clinic, and I had presented to her with a weird feeling in my armpit. I had to request an ultrasound referral from rocket doctor ( which I wholeheartedly disagree with, but you gotta use the tools available to you ) .
The radiologist referred me for a diagnostic MRI within 4 weeks of my mammogram appointment. My mamm was on March 26, 2025. The appointment I was given for the urgent MRI was in the middle of July, almost 16 weeks past the time of my original mammogram. The MRI confirmed structural abnormalities, and I was referred for a biopsy, high thankfully was within 10 days. The imaging from the MRI showed a mass that was 10 mm by 7 mm.
The biopsy returned with a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma, grade 3.There was no evidence of lymph node involvement at this point. I was referred for surgery. My surgical consult was in the middle of September. I opted for a double mastectomy and reconstruction, and was told I will be called with a surgical date shortly. At my surgical referral they told me that the size of the tumor was small enough that with a double mastectomy, I would likely only need to take tamoxifen after.
My surgery was booked for November 5. From original discovery to surgery my wait was 8 months. After the surgery was completed, the final pathology report came back. The tumor they removed was 10 cmx 7cm x 10 cm, 2 lymph nodes were also removed and were positive for invasive cancer as well. My diagnosis quickly moved from stage 1 cancer to stage 3 cancer. The margins were poor because of the spread of the tumor. In January of this year I began 7 months of chemotherapy, and also completed 30 rounds of radiation. I have been off work since the end of October last year. I had originally taken EI sick leave because I was told I would be able to return to work within 6 months. When my EI ran out in May, I have not been able to find alternative financial supports. I am a single parent to 3 children, one of whom is currently a college student. I was fortunate that I had mortgage insurance as well as a personal critical illness policy that has helped me to keep my head above water. My radiology oncologist does not want me to return to my very physical job until the new year because of the damage the radiation treatment does to my body, but I will likely have to return to work within the next month or two just to be able to pay bills. There is no supports for rural cancer patients, and the government support that is available would require me to liquidate my children college funds, sell my home, and my vehicle, as well as have my 18 yr old find her own place to live because her income would be included in my household income.
I count myself as very very lucky, I am relatively young, I am strong, I had built a strong safety net for myself, and I was able to withstand the effect of treatment fairly well. My cancer team was incredible, they provided me with so much support, but when I did need extra support locally I was up shit creek. My town’s a shortage of doctors, and has recently undergone a recruitment drive to import new doctors from out of country, and their treatment was …… less than helpful. Two times I developed dangerous infections and was abandoned, and needed to drive to the cancer clinic to receive accurate diagnosis and treatment. Our local healthcare workers were doing their absolute best, but they were woefully understaffed to the point where they could not provide adequate care until it reached a crisis point and that care was outsourced to a larger center. I do believe that the doctors I encountered were doing their best, but the language barrier made understanding the situation impossible, even with a letter of treatment plan from my oncologist. I was accused multiple times of having a tummy tuck, and was prayed over. That did not help the sepsis that was overtaking my body.
Anyways. That’s my experience. I was lucky, it was mostly easy, just a lot of waiting. I’m fortunate that I got the chance to wait, there are many people who expired before their wait was up.
K.
