Monday, April 3, 2017

Just Breathe

Happy Monday!  It will probably be Tuesday when most of you read this....so Happy Tuesday as well!  Aside from the fact that I have been so tired most of the day, I can barely function...it's been a good day.  I got all of my binders organized for Holy Week, so I can stop stressing about that craziness (until it gets here).  I had dinner with a wonderful friend, and I got APPLE PIE BARS at Fayze's!!  Oh....and I don't have cancer. ☺️

I wasn't going to even write about this....but I have to believe it happened for a reason, and am feeling compelled to get this "out there" since it was something I had never heard of.
For the past month or so, I have had this strange "itching" sensation in one breast.  At first, I assumed it was just my bra irritating me.  Then I realized that not EVERY bra I owned could be irritating me in the same place, and why was it still driving me nuts when I wasn't wearing one? 🤔
I would lay in bed at night, and that little voice in my head (there are several....this one is my voice of reason, I think) kept saying "I wonder if something is going on in there...because this just doesn't feel right."  It was an itch that no amount of scratching could relieve....it was on the inside...and it was really annoying.
Fast forward to last Thursday.  So, I record all the TV I watch.  This is why I never know what's going on in the world, nor do I know what people are talking about when they say "did you see that commercial?"  I skip over all of that, and just watch the show.  That's a lie.  I play the show in the back ground, and look at Pinterest or Facebook on my iPad.  Anyway, in a very rare turn of events, I watched Grey's Anatomy on the night it aired.  (This NEVER happens)  I paid little attention to the show, but happened to catch the PSA at the end about inflammatory breast cancer.  (I had never heard of it.). Some symptoms were redness, swelling and rash.
That night I was changing for bed, and caught my reflection in the mirror.  I had a horrible rash covering the area that had been driving me crazy for the past month.  I started researching this type of cancer, and found out that itching was another symptom, and found a pictures to compare to, and one was identical to my rash.  This form of cancer is often misdiagnosed, is very rare, and fatal.  Of course, I was terrified.
I went in the next morning, and my nurse practitioner was equally concerned.  She wanted a biopsy done immediately.  However, the breast surgeon wanted to do a scan first, which I had today.
Luckily, it came back clear, and all is well.  My rash started clearing up also, and the itch that has been bothering me for weeks suddenly went away.  I have no explanation for it.  The doctor had no explanation for it either.  I had lots of people praying for me....and I like to think that amazing things happen when prayers and positive thoughts are put into action.
I was wondering tonight, why did all of this happen?  I mean, why did I hear about those symptoms, then find that rash, and learn about this form of cancer I had not been aware of...yet come out just fine?  I have no idea....except maybe that I was supposed to tell the story, in case someone else was experiencing the same thing, but didn't know what to look for.  My friend told me that her co-worker had inflammatory breast cancer, and died within six months.  It's not something to mess around with, and it doesn't present the "usual" symptoms.

So, there it is.  My Monday excitement.  I'm so thankful it all turned out for the best, and I don't need to add "try to stay alive" to my "to-do" list right now.  I mean, I WILL try to do that, but at least I won't have a disease attempting to make that a lot more difficult for me!
I just have to say, I have gone through many days where I have felt so very alone over the past several months.  Days when I just lay on the couch, and wonder if I will ever be able to fill that emptiness inside.  Over the past week, since writing about all of my current craziness, and also something as simple as asking for prayers and positive thoughts....I have felt more love and support than I can begin to describe.  I finally realize that if you need something....you just have to ask.  (I'm a slooooow learner!)
So, thank you, to everyone who has reached out to me with your kind words, your prayers, well-wishes.....everything.  It means the world to me. ❤️

5 comments:

  1. So thankful that you were diligent in getting this checked out and that all is well. Very good information for all who may read this - you might save a life Beth!

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  2. Very thankful that everything turned out ok! Thanks for sharing and being brave enough to share your stories :)

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