Hi there!
I’m Heather, a mid-forties active wife and mother living in Central Florida. (You may know a little bit about me already from Totally Tailgates.)
My September 22, 2017 mammogram was fine.
On October 27, 2017 I was diagnosed with borderline Stage 2 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma- a type of breast cancer that does not present itself in lumps.
My double mastectomy on February 20, 2018 revealed that I actually had Stage 3A breast cancer….the cancer was in my lymph nodes.
Guess what?
- I did not find a lump.
- My annual mammogram was ok….it just showed dense breast tissue…that’s it!
- The girls were in fine shape, if I do say so myself.
- There are 2 types of breast cancer:
1) Ductal, which is the traditional “I found a lump” – this affects approximately 90% of all bc patients
2) Lobular, which does not usually form a nice, tidy lump. It spreads and lurks…it is hidden by dense breast tissue.
This affects approximately 10% of all bc patients. I’m the 10%.
After my mastectomy we learned that my breast cancer
was already at Stage 3A.
It was only because I was starting a new job that I actually booked and showed up for my annual mammogram.
Reality: I could have had 500 mammograms in 2017, and the results would have been the same. No lumps, just dense tissue.
The type of breast cancer I have grows silently with few indicators of its presence until is is advanced.
Lobular breast cancer does not form typical form “lumps”.
Let’s talk about dense breast tissue: I had a mammogram, a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound. No definitive mass was found – just dense breast tissue. My biopsy revealed cancer.
I started Totally Tatas for three reasons:
- To keep my family and friends updated on my progress
- To let other women know that you don’t have to find a lump to have advancing breast cancer! And, mammograms can MISS breast cancer if you have dense breast tissue.
- To serve as a positive, Christ centered messenger for other breast cancer beginners
When I scoured the internet after diagnosis, I wanted to see what other women were doing as they progressed through surgery. Many of the blogs on breast cancer were just down right depressing and offered me little solace or encouragement. Especially those that touched on the dreaded “C” word….chemo.
I was looking for positive narratives on breast cancer, not gloom and doom. Finding none that really met my needs, Totally Tatas was born.
Welcome! I’m so glad you are here. Feel free to follow me on Instagram right here for almost daily updates!
Hugs,
Heather
P.S. – I have a Totally Tatas board on Pinterest
