The Dreaded "C-Word"

 

Cancer Journey

The dreaded C-word,

It’ll never happen to me-word,

It comes without warning to get its prey,

It devours unknowing victims each and every day,

So why am I so shocked to learn,

That it has now become my turn?

Why am I so precocious,

When the C-word is now my diagnosis?

Silently dwelling, stealthily growing,

All this time without me even knowing,

There is a definite time of disbelief,

Followed by a helplessness time of grief,

Waiting for the pathology report to reveal,

The extent of the invasion is a really big deal,

It takes patience and trust, and hope to endure,

Anticipated treatment that is loomingly unsure,

I am blessed to find that my cancer was contained,

The joy of this news is not easily explained,

This is how it all began,

(Be your own advocate, like me, if you can),

I felt a sore spot on my breast while taking a shower,

Each time I shrugged it off, it was not within my power,

To assume anything, as my February mammogram had been clear,  (Feb 4)

But as time passed, it persisted and so did my fear,

In August, I went to my primary care, (Aug 17)

I needed to make my doctor aware,

The breast exam he did gave him no concern,

But he sent me for a diagnostic mammogram to discern,

Images of the diagnostic mammogram showed nothing unusual,

An ultrasound was performed to prove I wasn’t delusional, (Aug 25)

Finally, the ultrasound showed the cause of my pain,

A biopsy was suggested to try to explain, (Aug 29)

What looked to the expert as something benign,

A mass, but of no concern; I was led to think I was fine,

I waited a week before pathology confirmed,

What no one had suggested, yet cancer was affirmed, (Sept 1)

The dreaded C-word: It’ll never happen to me-word,

A breast surgeon was referred, and I went on my way,

Waiting two more weeks for an appointment to say,

We need to take out this mass and do radiation treatment, (Sept 18)

Not knowing what type of cancer, as the biopsy was indeterminate,

Outpatient surgery was scheduled, and another waiting period ensued,

Lymph nodes would be taken since the cancer type was misconstrued,

Surgery, yes, I had two,

But before, a special marker at the mass’ location was needed,

Using mammographic imagery, a radioactive wire was seeded, (Sept 25)

First a lumpectomy/lymph node surgery, but who knew? (Sept 27)

The margins were not clear, so another decision was due, (Oct 8)

The lymph nodes were negative which was excellent news,

The next step in treatment was for me to choose,

I chose to have a mastectomy, removing my left breast,

Without reconstruction, I thought that was best,

Only three weeks had passed, but back to surgery I went,

Outpatient surgery at 7:00, and home at 11:00, I was sent, (Oct 17)

Another pathology report was another week away,

Pathology was good and no further treatment was expected, (Oct 30)

But an appointment with oncology was necessary with all data collected,

November 10 was a very memorable day, (Nov 10)

I met with an excellent Duke oncologist, who had a wonderful way,

Of letting me know that chemo and radiation were not required,

When my incision healed completely, my cancer journey was expired.

One in eight women will be faced with breast cancer, as I was,

It will rock their world, as it always does,

Some journeys will be much worse than mine,

Some will be fatal, that’s the bottom line,

My cancer was mammography occult,

If I had waited, it would have been a different result,

Mammography resolution is only so good,

Do regular breast exams, as you should,

Catching the C-word early is the key,

To survive the dreaded letter “C”.

The dreaded C-word:  It’ll never happen to me-word.

That’s what I thought,

But now the C-word I have fought!

I was blessed and am so very thankful too,

But I am now concerned for you.

Tammy Harvey

12/1/2023