Patient Success Stories - Gail's Story
I’m pleased to have an opportunity to share my breast cancer and healing journey with others. I’ll start by saying that I told this story just four days after my last reconstruction surgery – which was only a few days ago – and I feel really good. I say this to encourage other women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and who have made – or might make – the choice for breast reconstruction. It’s a long process, but in my opinion it’s all worth it. I have a wonderful life, and I hope that, by being able to share my experience, you’ll be encouraged.
I know how much it’s helped me to learn about other women who have gone down the same path and come out the other side into the sunshine again. I realize how fortunate I am. Know this: whatever you decide to do, it’s your decision and you have the right to make choices. I was given that right, for which I’ll always be grateful.
Who I Am
I’m a 60-year-old woman living in Houston, where I’ve been since 1978. I have two terrific sons, who are 38 and 36. My husband died nine years ago and I’ve lived on my own ever since. That’s worked out well for me because I’ve always been independent, so making the adjustment to being on my own wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. My life is full, with work, people, and activity. When I have free time, I love to read, go to the movies, and meet with friends or family for a nice dinner and good conversation. Most of all, I love seeing my sons. It’s a good life.
A Bit About My Background – Family, Friends, and Work
I grew up in upstate New York in a small town near Corning, the 3rd of 7 children raised by my parents and I guess you could say I was a good kid – quiet and well-behaved…a cheerleader and a typical American girl.
I’ve been working ever since I graduated from high school, when I moved to Rochester, NY. That’s where I met my husband. I’ve always been interested in the medical field and I’ve worked in it throughout my career. I started out as an office worker in a family practice. Later, I made the shift to an ophthalmology practice and I discovered early on that I really like contact with patients. I still do, after all these years. I’ve been working in a cardiology practice in Houston for the past three years, talking to patients and scheduling outpatient procedures for them. It’s a good job with good people and I’ll probably be here until I retire someday.
I Was Always Healthy
I’ve been healthy all my life up until I found out I had breast cancer. As a matter of fact, I can’t recall being sick at all until a year and a half ago. My mother had breast cancer later in life – she’s 83 now – and she was well into her 70’s at the time. No one in my family has ever really been sick, so even after I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had this feeling of optimism about my health. I just didn’t think I would die; instead, I assumed that, like my mom, I would do what needed to be done and eventually I would be fine. My husband had kidney cancer and the doctors felt they had caught it early and got it all. But t was still there and over time it spread to other parts of his body. Eventually, he died. Still, even with that difficult experience behind me, I’ve continued to feel like no matter what happened, I would be fine.
All of a Sudden, Things Changed
I was doing a self-exam and I found a lump in my right breast. Naturally I was concerned, so I went in for a mammogram and they saw it right away. It was near the top of the breast and wasn’t at all painful to the touch. I told myself it was a benign cyst and then I just went about my normal routine hoping for the best.
After a few days, I hadn’t heard anything so I called the breast-imaging center and asked them to fax the results of my biopsy to the cardiology practice where I worked. One of the doctors I work for saw the report when it came in and he was the one who told me that it said I had a malignancy. I was stunned… and I cried a little when I heard the news. I mean, other than a broken bone in my wrist when I was 4 or 5 years old, I’d never had a medical test that was abnormal. I didn’t know what to think.
Then…Cancer
I decided that I wanted a second opinion and so I went to see a doctor who happens to be the son of the doctor I worked for in the family practice. I had known him personally for years, and I liked him and trusted him. I went in for a consultation with him and we talked. He looked at my report and the ultrasound pictures and he ended up doing another ultrasound – and a biopsy – on the spot, before I left his office. Then I went home and waited to hear from him.
When I did, he told me that he had scheduled an exploratory surgery for me, so that he could determine what was going on. He said he would decide during the procedure whether a lymph node needed to come out and that, at any rate, he would likely remove one node. We would proceed from there, based on what he found. I agreed and went in to have this done, but once the surgery was underway it turned out that he needed to remove 4 or 5 lymph nodes…I’m not exactly sure. Suddenly I was facing the prospect of chemotherapy and breast cancer surgery. It all happened so quickly.
Chemotherapy
I started chemotherapy soon after that – once a week for about 3 hours each time, for a total of about 7 weeks. Luckily, I was able to have the treatments right in the medical building where I worked. There weren’t many people there when I went – mostly I was the only patient there, but that worked out well. The staff people were super to me; they really kept me going and they were always supportive. I didn’t experience any discomfort during the treatments and I didn’t have to go through it alone. One of my sons was able to come and stay with me a few times, my other son came when he could, and a close girlfriend was there for me the rest of the time. We talked and laughed and it was a good distraction.
Nowadays, they really know a lot about how to keep chemo patients comfortable. I benefitted from that because I had no nausea, thanks to medication that prevented it…so I didn’t feel sick at all. What I did feel was fatigue; boy, I was extremely tired after chemo. I also lost about 10 lbs. during that time because while you’re going through chemotherapy you can’t really taste anything for a period of time; consequently you just don’t eat much.
A Wig, A Lot of Support, and Yard Work
After five weekly chemo treatments, I lost all of my hair, including my eyebrows and lashes. One of my daughter-in-laws worked with wigs, so that turned out to be a good thing. I got a wig, and went back to work as usual. I can’t say enough about the people I work for, by the way. They were just so supportive and they’ve been wonderful. By the way, I don’t want to give the impression that losing my hair was no big deal: it was, but I needed to accept it because it was happening and there was nothing I could do about it, so I did. I didn’t look in the mirror much during that time. It was easier that way. People who know me said I looked just fine with the wig and I’m sure others I encountered along the way didn’t even know I was wearing a wig. I was able to go about my business without feeling self-conscious and – for me – that was helpful.
During the weeks of chemo, my blood counts were being monitored regularly and they came out fine each time, even though I felt so tired. I was still working full time, as usual…and I took care of my yard, too! Then my hair grew back, along with my eyebrows and eyelashes. The lashes are thinner now, but they’re there where they belong.
Meeting Dr. Basu
After chemotherapy ended, surgery was scheduled to remove the cancer. That was done last June [2009] and I met Dr. Basu before the surgery took place. In fact, I met him not long after I was diagnosed. My cancer surgeon referred me to and I had heard from more than one doctor that Dr. Basu is well known and highly respected for the breast reconstruction surgeries he performs. I had gone to see another plastic surgeon before I met him so that I could make a choice, but I wasn’t comfortable with the other doctor.
When I went to Dr. Basu’s office for my consultation, I liked him right away and we had a good visit. While I was there, I watched a video about the surgery, and I decided I would have the extenders put in by Dr. Basu during the surgery in case I decided to have breast reconstruction later on.
Double Mastectomy and Radiation Therapy
What can I say? Both of my breasts were gone, but the surgery went well. It’s just that being sick hasn’t been pleasant for me, since I’ve had no experience with illness, I guess. It seemed like I had such a long way to go, and it got me down at times. Some days were hard…but I told myself, ‘Don’t be a wimp’ and I got through it.
Radiation treatments for my right breast started in August last year and they went on through the end of September. It was 10 or15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. There was no discomfort…it wasn’t anything, really. The hardest thing about radiation was taking time out of so many workdays to go and have the treatments.
A New Right Breast…and I Got A Tummy Tuck Out of it, too!
I did decide to have breast reconstruction surgery, as it turns out. I met with Dr. Basu to discuss it, and he explained the process to me in detail. I decided it was the way to go. There would be two separate surgeries: the first one for my right breast (where the cancer was discovered) and the next one for my left breast. After radiation, you can’t have an implant put in, so Dr. Basu did the surgery on my right breast doing what’s called a DIEP flap procedure. He would make an incision in my abdominal area and remove enough excess skin and tissue to create a new breast for me. That way the breast would only be adjusting to my own natural body tissues and it’s the safest way to go.
The first breast reconstruction surgery – on the right breast and including removal of skin and tissue from my abdomen – was done this March (2010) and the whole thing went smoothly. I was home for two weeks afterwards to rest and recover, and my sister came from California to keep me company. She took good care of me and helped me with whatever I needed. Then my mom and another one of my sisters came until I was able to return to work. My sons live nearby, so I got to see them too, which was great. Things were moving forward…and looking up. I had a new breast, and got a tummy tuck out of it, too! It just went really well, and everything went like Dr. Basu said it would go.
Reconstruction of my Left Breast
I just had my left breast reconstruction surgery five days ago [from the time of this interview], and Dr. Basu used a silicone gel implant for that one since silicone looks and feels most like natural breast tissue. The surgery was last Thursday and I was back at work on Monday. The whole thing went fine; I have no complaints. I’ll be going in for my follow-up visit with Dr. Basu in two days and I couldn’t be happier.
I know my positive attitude has helped me and I know that the care I’ve gotten from Dr. Basu has been a big part of holding onto that attitude. And of course my family has been there for me through the whole thing – always loving and supportive.
My Doctor: I Can’t Praise Him Highly Enough
What can I say about Dr. Basu? He’s intelligent, he has a charming personality…and he explains everything you need to know and responds to whatever you ask so patiently. He always understands and he’s always thorough. But for me the most important thing of all is that Dr. Basu is compassionate. I’m so impressed with him – as a plastic surgeon and as a person – that I can’t praise him highly enough. The staff that works with him is wonderful, too. His patient care coordinator is the person I’ve been around most often. She’s really nice and I always enjoy her company. She’s upbeat and, like Dr. Basu, she’s very understanding. She’s said it all along the way, “Call me anytime.” And she means it.
My Life Now
I don’t want to give the impression that my experience this past 18 months has been easy. I’ve been through a lot and it’s been stressful at times. Before the breast reconstruction surgeries were done – when I was still trying to decide if I wanted to have them done – I felt like the bride of Frankenstein at times – big scars, and a different body it took awhile to adjust to. At times, I’d find myself wondered if I’d done the right thing…made the right choices. But in the midst of all that, I came to realize I wanted to have breasts again and that reconstruction was a good choice for me. It’s definitely been worth it. I look normal and I feel much better about doing what was needed to have a body like the one I have now.
I still have a decision to make about whether or not I want to under nipple reconstruction. At this point, I’m saying no; I just don’t want any more surgeries. But I might change my mind at some point; time will tell. For now, I’m good with things the way they are.
What I Want to Say to Women
To other women facing – or going through the breast cancer recovery process – I would say this: it’s a long process, but it’s worth it. I believe that each woman has to make her own decisions and do what she thinks is best for herself. It’s your body, and it should be your decisions that dictate whether or not you have reconstruction. Having doctors who listen to you and friends and family who will support you and check on you – these things make all the difference.
Make sure you find the best plastic surgeon – someone who specializes in breast reconstruction – if that’s the choice you make after you’ve had breast cancer surgery. There were no surprises with Dr. Basu. He was always prepared and he made sure I was thoroughly prepared and fully equipped (with the right instructions and the necessary supplies) so I could go home and recover feeling safe.
My 60th Birthday
I recently had my 60th birthday and it was a time of true celebration – for my life, and for all that I have. My mom, my sisters, my nieces, and I went to Palm Springs and it was just fantastic. I’m often asked if I’ve changed as a result of all that’s happened to me. I have to say that I’m more grateful now about all that I have…and more aware. I no longer take anything for granted. I’m just glad to be able to live and work and be with people I care about. I feel blessed.