My Story
Retired RN, Library Assistant
Suffolk, VA
2 years, 7 months since her MammoSite treatment.
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The night before my yearly mammogram, I jokingly told my husband “It’s been about 3 years since my last biopsy, so I’m due to have another one.” Since 1994, I’ve had a few open biopsies for lumps due to Fibrocystic Breast Disease. They’d always been benign so, truthfully, I never worried when another one showed up. After all, no one in my family ever had breast cancer. I’d been on an estrogen patch for several years for menopausal symptoms because I felt I was at a low-risk for cancer.
The mammogram went like all the others except with this one, my doctor read the preliminary report and went over it with the radiologist the same day instead of my having to wait weeks to get a report. When he came into the room, he told me that I had some “calcium deposits that could be nothing or could be cancerous.” He wanted to do a biopsy that week. Over the next couple of days, I read a lot about them because this was new for me since I’d always had lumps never calcium deposits. This time I just “knew” it was cancer. Still, when I got the call from my doctor the Saturday before Christmas, I was still surprised. I’m an RN so instantly I started thinking clinically, as if we were discussing someone else. This was probably a defense mechanism. My doctor who is an oncologist & surgeon explained my options - a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy. I felt that since the cancer was small (DCIS), a lumpectomy would be the best choice for me. It was at that time he mentioned MammoSite. If I qualified, there was no question as to whether I’d choose the five-day option vs. the traditional route. It made sense to target the cancer itself instead of my entire left chest.
The MammoSite treatment was the easiest part of the entire ordeal. Usually rather than drive twice a day for radiation, I would stay at the large mall nearby until time for the second one. I would read, window shop, and eat the “picnic lunch” my husband had packed for me. The worst part was having a catheter in my breast for several weeks because I ended up having to have two surgeries before I could start treatments. During the actual treatment, I felt no discomfort and used guided imagery and relaxation to visualize the radioactive seed attacking the cancer. In the weeks following the treatments, I occasionally had a slight burning sensation at the site, but it really wasn’t bad. I would definitely make the same choice again. I was also advised by my doctors to take the Tamoxifen, but I chose against it because of my family’s strong history of cardiac and vascular diseases. This was a personal choice.
I was fortunate to have a compassionate, knowledgeable doctor who has a great staff. Also our church, neighbors, friends, and family were there for my husband and me each step of the way providing meals, cards, and calls-anything we needed. I am truly blessed to have them in my life! My husband was and is “my rock”, and I am forever grateful to him for his love and ongoing support. Last night at a Relay for Life fundraiser, he even did seventeen laps for me!
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This profile is solely the words of the person who received MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy to treat breast cancer. Note that this profile is specific to this particular person, and experiences will vary.
