Myth #4: When breast cancer shows up, it may have been in your body for 6-10 years
Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 20:54 Oh, how true. I can attest to this.
My well meaning, but wildly off the mark surgeon in Reno, when he first saw my mammogram, told me that all was just ducky, since it had been caught really early. The real news came during my workup at The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. They told me that the cancer had been in my body “at least two to three years”. And at Stage IIIa, it had most certainly not be caught early.
Here’s my takeaway message on this: Yes, at your date of diagnosis, you’ve been living with cancer much longer than you may want to think. But this very fact should help you understand why you don’t need to be rushed into a ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ or even ‘next month’ decision on a course of treatment. Don’t let your emotions run the show.
For crying out loud, you’ve had it this long. Take the time to understand all the ramifications, get an accurate diagnosis and the right course of treatment. You get one chance to get it right. There are no ‘do-overs’ in cancer.