introduction and looking for people to connect with
Hey everyone! I have been in this "journey" for quite a few months now and have been feeling increasingly isolated. I was diagnosed at 25 and am currently 26 years old. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in the fall after a long journey to be seen properly for the lump I found. Once I was officially diagnosed, things moved very fast. I started chemotherapy in literal days after my first appointment with my oncologist. We did the usual routine of breast MRI, CT, Bone scan, and a PET scan, luckily my liver and bones were clear! Unluckily my lungs have nodules in them. This is still terrifying for me to this day. We did a biopsy of the nodules and they came back negative for cancer. We continue my treatment in the hopes and with the idea that it is not metastatic. For this reason I have not been officially staged due to the hesitance of my care team, which is completely understandable. I have almost finished my chemotherapy treatments with only one cycle left! I will be continuing my targeted therapy for about a year still. I have my surgery booked with I believe I will be going forward with a double mastectomy after a lot of thoughts and discussions surrounding what would be right for me. I do not know if I plan to have reconstruction as of yet due to needing radiation after surgery. I just figured I can take more time to think about that part of my future. Now this is a lot of just hearing my cancer "journey" and there is more to it when I think about my fears and hopes as this was all surface level! But cancer is not the only thing I am, nor the only thing any of you are. Even though it is a huge part of our lives it does not define us, but I think connecting with others who understand this huge and difficult parts of ourselves is incredibly important. As a person though, I like to say that I am empathetic and caring. I love going on adventures, both solo and with friends. Camping and hiking are one of life's greatest pleasures and really grounds me. Nature is huge and important to me, and not having the energy or motivation to go out this winter has been a bummer. I also love to do crafts and be creative! I love taking photos, learning new hobbies and keeping myself a little busy in that way! I constantly have too many things on the go, right now it is a cross stitch stocking, a punch needle kit, scrapbooking a trip and lego! With many other kits ready for me to do. I also love to read, but have been to exhausted as of late to read properly, but I had a physical tbr of at least 200 books! I hope to hear from some of you soon !
Amanda
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Amanda, you are not alone. There are thousands of people on Breastcancer.org who share the same journey as you. God willing, you will recover and continue doing the things you enjoy.
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Hi Amanda, @mln_12! We’re so glad you found your way here, though we’re truly sorry you’ve had to at such a young age.
Since you love to read, we thought you might find these articles especially meaningful: Why Are So Many Young People Getting Breast Cancer? and What I Wish Others Knew About Being Diagnosed Young With Breast Cancer. They speak directly to the unique challenges of being diagnosed young.
We’re so glad you’re here. Keep posting. You'll be in good company here!
Warmly,
The Mods
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