Hello Everyone,

I am creating this thread to provide support and insights into my journey with breast cancer at a very young just of 31 and how I underwent treatment and finally recovery.

During my diagnosis and treatment, I looked for Nigerian resources and a group that I could go to and find people that I could talk to, ask questions and people who understand what I'm going through but it turned out to be a very lonely journey with family and friends that could only provide support to the best of their ability.

I am less than a year past treatment and I thank God that my results are great. There has been a nudge to get this going for a while but I've been hesitant and I've been unable to find the time to do this.

Hopefully, someone can get some help and support through this thread.

I believe in miracles and that God is the ultimate and there is nothing beyond Him. I also believe that everyone should have access to great care during this scary journey.

I will be dropping some insights from my discovery of a lump through treatment and recovery. I am more than willing to answer your questions and any other information you might require.

Please send this link to people that might benefit from this thread and health professionals that deal with cancer-related issues are also welcome �

Nice one. You are not alone as there are so many people going through this on nairaland.

Thank you ☺️

olasaad:
Nice one. You are not alone as there are so many people going through this on nairaland.

After Christmas in 2020 during the holidays, I was sitting in front of the TV and placed my hands across my chest. I felt a hard mass and examined it further, there was a dimple-like area around my right nipple.

I knew what it might mean but of course, that shouldn't be my first thought. So I asked my husband if he noticed anything and he said he has and it's been there for a while. I got angry and asked him why he never mentioned it, he said he didn't feel it was a big deal. Anyways, I made the mistake of Googling the symptoms and the results were mostly cancer-related except for some few instances where they advised a conclusion couldn't be reached and it could be benign (non-cancerous) and I held on to those and tried to live like nothing was there.

Unfortunately, every time I had my bath and stood in front of the mirror, it reminded me that something could be wrong with my body and that ignorance wasn't bliss. I also knew that the earlier I started dealing with it, the better for me.

So, I called a friend and a relation in the medical field and I was advised to see a Dr and we could go forward from there.

I booked an appointment with a general practitioner and he examined my breasts and told me it was possible it was a sign of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) and that I should come back after my period for the month of January 2021. That was a gleam of hope that this could be good and I also looked forward to not feeling this mass again, intensified my prayers and even fasted.

My period came and went, the mass remained there. The mass was a hard one that attached itself to my chest wall, it didn't move around at all. At the time, it felt like the size of a grape.

I went back to the Dr and I was asked to do a scan and the results came back that they couldn't say what it was but there was in fact a mass and they recommended a biopsy. We went back to the Dr and he told me that he thinks it's benign because of my age and every other factor being:

1. My age- 31. It doesn't typically occur in young women
2. I started having children early enough and exclusively breastfed both
3. Avoided sugars and chemical products most times
4. Never smoked and at that time, I've not had up to 4 glasses of alcoholic drinks in my life
5. No family history and I started menstruating late around 15 years.

To clarify, these doesn't cause cancer but they increase ones risk of having cancer.

The Dr recommended that I should "kill 2 birds with a stone" by doing a lumpectomy instead i.e removing the mass and doing a test on the whole thing rather than a biopsy. His reasoning was that he felt it was benign and that a biopsy might miss important tissues that indicated what was really going on inside.

It felt like a good option at the time, I was hoping for a negative result and I wanted to get rid of the mass because they said it is never advisable to leave a mass whether benign or cancerous. In hindsight, I think we should have gone a different direction and you will likely see why I said this soon

Thank God and the doctors for your healing. Afflictions shall not rise again. Congratulations!!!

vic3overcancer:
The Dr recommended that I should "kill 2 birds with a stone" by doing a lumpectomy instead i.e removing the mass and doing a test on the whole thing rather than a biopsy. His reasoning was that he felt it was benign and that a biopsy might miss important tissues that indicated what was really going on inside.

It felt like a good option at the time, I was hoping for a negative result and I wanted to get rid of the mass because they said it is never advisable to leave a mass whether benign or cancerous. In hindsight, I think we should have gone a different direction and you will likely see why I said this soon

The removed lump was so massive, looked like a fibroid but worse and I was surprised such a huge mass was within my body- to say it was scary was an understatement. The wait for the results was the worse part at the time.

We kept praying and believing God that it'd be benign until we received a call and everyone was trying to be nice and they were treating me like egg, that was when I knew there was a problem. They kept hiding the results to me and referred us to a consultant. I Googled him and saw he was an oncologist, I just knew and I told my husband I knew. He was trying to avoid the conversation.

Anyways, we got into the dr's office and he started dancing around the bush, I just asked him straight and he didn't have a choice but to spill it. I didn't feel anything, I just zoned out and kept thinking about how my life was going to change. He told me to thank God we found out early and that it was a stage zero but that I needed to go through another surgery because everything wasn't removed- excision margins were positive and that we needed to do several scans and tests just to be sure it hasn't spread.

My Dr was pushing for another surgery to make a bigger excision, save the breast because of my age and I'll finish off with treatment but I wasn't going to take a chance and risk reoccurrence. I met some other doctors, did some research and they advised a mastectomy- remove the breast and that was the option I went with.

I did 3 neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, mastectomy and another 3 rounds of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. I am alive and I am not taking health for granted anymore. I am intentional about staying healthy these days and on my way to recovery. I believe I am done with cancer and this is the first and last time I'll see it in my life.

God saved me, I had an amazing medical team and my family and loved ones rallied around me, that's the only thing I have to say because this journey of almost 1.5years is a lonely, money guzzling, emotional and physical demanding experience.

It’s so good to know you beat the demon. It’s rather unfortunate there is little to no support group. Such a lonely road. My mum starts chemo tomorrow and I am even more terrified yet no one to talk to.

mzkomsy:


It’s so good to know you beat the demon. It’s rather unfortunate there is little to no support group. Such a lonely road. My mum starts chemo tomorrow and I am even more terrified yet no one to talk to.

If you do not want your mother to go through hell .... do not let her start chemotherapy. .... regardless of how much money was paid or arrangements finalized.
Do you really know what is chemotherapy? ... and how it works?
What would you say if you have worms and I advise you drink half of a teaspoonful of sniper in a glass of water twice a day? The reason being ... the sniper will poison all the worms and when they all die you will be worm free. Doesn't this make sense? When tests show no signs of worms wouldn't you be really worm free? Do you believe all the worms will be killed? It is highly likely all will not be... and after a time ... the ones that survived ... eggs... very young ones ... some that withstood the poison level.... would after a period of time multiply again and become a problem.... the worms have returned.

Chemotherapy is basically the same approach ..... poison the body with chemicals in the hope that all the cancer cells will die. What are the chances?... when cancer cells be roaming the body? Would you believe chemo will kill all of the cells? If no ... then like with the worms ... the cancer will return. Find out for yourself from those who received chemotherapy... if anyone remained cancer free after 5 years or they had a relapse. Find out ... after 5 years... how many are alive.... and if alive ... their health status. The older the person... the quicker their health will deteriorate. Most of these persons die as a result of the chemotherapy poisoning.... not the cancer.

Chemotherapy is a treatment ... not a cure.

What is the cure? There are several.... natural remedies. Google cancer alternative treatment and you will see a lot. I'll recommend "soursop" ... it's easily available and I know as fact ... not believe it works ... I know it works. Draw the leaves ... drink as a tea... may sweeten with natural honey ... can drink at least three times a day or as often as possible. Six months later... let her go for a check up ... don't be surprised if they do not mention cancer.

In 5 years 95% of chemotherapy patients die.
In 5 years 90% of patients using alternative treatments survive .

Just sharing what you may not have heard about.