Kristen is 39 and lives in Denver, Colorado, with her fiance Josh.
In January 2023, my partner Josh noticed something that would change my life forever.
While I was changing, he noticed an indent on my breast. I had never seen it before and the first thing I did was call my Obstetrician-Gynecologist. I sent her a photo and she said to come in and see her asap. When I got to her office the next week, she had three providers in the room taking a look. She said, “If that is breast cancer, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack.”
I had gone through a full breast exam, and I did not have any lumps, bumps, and there were no other indentations. My skin was not the hard orange peel they say that can happen. They looked symmetrical so I just thought my bra was too tight.
She ordered a mammogram to be on the safe side, and by the time I could get in on 9 February, that indent was GONE and it NEVER returned.
The mammogram turned into, “Let’s get an ultrasound.” After the ultrasound, the doctor came in, put her hand on my hand and said, “Honey, I need you to get a breast tissue biopsy.” It’s in that moment I knew something was going on.
I went in for the biopsy on 14 February and I got the results two days later. My Obstetrician-Gynecologist called and said, “It is not the news I want to deliver, but all that matters is that I have a plan.” I don’t even think she said the words ‘breast cancer’ on that call.
She suggested getting a second opinion and within 45mins, I got a call from the Oncologist’s office, who is the Director of Oncology in the Denver area, at UC Health. I had an entire care team put in place, appointments were set up, and full body scans were ordered. Shortly after that, I had an appointment with the IVF clinic set up as I was only 36.
I was sad but I was not scared of hearing I had breast cancer. I was about to start a journey that people understood, people studied, treatments are available, and most importantly, I didn’t have to do this alone anymore.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Stage 2, ER/PR +, Her2 -, Grade 2/3 Tumour. They thought my tumour was 11mm or almost a half inch and said it had 2-3 lymph nodes impacted. These markers also give an insight on how your treatment plan will go. The good thing about my cancer is that it was 99% hormonally driven and my her2 protein was negative.
Four days before my chemo treatment was due to start, Josh proposed to me. I told him he’s crazy for doing this as we had no idea what life was about to look like. He just said, “You’re not walking this path alone.”
My treatment plan included 4 infusions of Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide and 4 infusions of Taxol. The nurses came out in hazmat suits to administer the drug. It’s a slow push into the port and you don’t feel anything at the time. We were told not to share a toilet, or exchange fluids for 72 hours after it’s been administered because of how toxic this drug is. My infusions were every 2 weeks. The biggest silver lining of chemo was that my previous health issues started to disappear within the 2 weeks of my 1st infusion.
I had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in August 2023. I chose to do a double mastectomy, through consultation with my doctor, and immediate reconstruction because the other options that were made available were not right for me.
Following chemo, I had radiation and 2 weeks after treatment I immediately started an aromatase inhibitor or AI called Anaszstrole. I will need to be on these for the next 10-15 years.
Life after treatment has been a whirlwind and filled with things I love. The first thing I did was go to Disney World! I’ve swam in the ocean again, I’ve gone to concerts and danced again,
I’ve been to baseball and football games, I’ve seen friends get married and I’m planning my own wedding.
My advice to anyone who has been diagnosed with Lobular Breast Cancer is to advocate for yourself. To all women, check your breasts and check for any visual changes – not just lumps and bumps. If you’re told that you have dense breasts, ask for an MRI.