Brenda L. of Ohio: Breast Cancer
“Eight years ago, Brenda was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was in stage I when they found it. She underwent the lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy.
A lumpectomy is where just the tumor is removed as well as the normal breast tissue that closely surrounds the tumor. Sentinel node refers to the first lymph node(s) that drains from the breast tumor area (found by injecting a radioactive dye).
“They shoot radiation into your breast and they follow it up to the nodes to make sure that you don’t have cancer in your lymph nodes. And I did not, so all I had to have was radiation…and hormone therapy. Because my cancer was fed by the estrogen.”
Tamoxifen is used to treat certain types of breast cancer that require estrogen to grow. It’s often used following surgery and radiation. (Drugs.com can provide more information on this line of treatment.)
“That’s the drug from Hell, too…the hot flashes were like a hundred times worse. I mean you just break out into a sweat all over. For no reason. I mean 25, 30 times a day. And the radiation…it was..I don’t know…it was a weakening. It didn’t hurt. It was completely painless. You wonder, what are they shooting through your body? But you…can’t feel it. But you can afterwards.”
