Cancer: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Pt 1

About a year or so ago I had felt a lump in my right breast. I remember thinking, "hmm, that's new," and I went about my day like I would have normally. Didn't really think much of it.

About 6 months later I had realized the small lump seemed to be getting bigger. I remember thinking then, "hmm, perhaps it's a cyst." Again, I didn't think much of it as I eat cleaner than the average, filter my water, filter my air, and am extremely conscious about what I put on and in my body. "No big deal, it'll go away."

Fast forward to now, another 6 months later. I had just met a good friend of mine for coffee and mentioned I was awaiting the results of a biopsy I had done due to an abnormal ultrasound I had done. I was told the results would come back in a couple of days and Thursday, November 7th was a couple of days after the procedure. It was also my dad's birthday, so I was really hoping for good news.

My friend had left and I stayed back, writing some thoughts I was having about the entire situation. You see, in all honesty, I'm not a medical model fan. I believe it's a sick care system, not a health care system. I personally had turned down mammograms offered and I always feel it's a bit of a fight when I speak to a doctor because the options are generally surgery or a pill. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely a time and a place for medical care. And everyone I interacted with was very nice. It's just a little difference of opinions most times.

Anyways, back to the cafe. I was sitting there when I checked my email. I had gotten a new test result. "Well, here we go" I thought as I clicked the email to open it. I was really anxious and I remember feeling a bit sick to my stomach when I read the words "Invasive Ductal Carcinoma." Carcinoma. I knew that word and I knew it meant I did in fact have breast cancer. I called my partner and told her the news. She immediately started crying. I couldn't believe the words coming from my mouth and it was somewhat like an out of body experience. Like...this isn't happening - it's a bad dream I'll wake up from, right? How the hell did this happen?

On the way home I called my parents to wish my dad a happy birthday. I wasn't going to bring it up but my mom asked if I'd heard anything and I wasn't going to lie to her. I explained what I read and what I knew about what I read, but was awaiting a call from the doctor to find out more.

You see, my breast cancer is something called triple positive. Triple positive refers to estrogen and progesterone receptors in addition to the Her2 protein. It's a hormonal cancer from what I understand and is more treatable than something called Triple Negative breast cancer. That's the good news. The bad news- it's still cancer. I'm only 37 years old, so I'm young for this type as it's mainly seen in older women going through perimenopause/menopause.

Being in the holistic health field, I recently learned about genetic testing. While genetics only play about a 5-10 percent role, something called epigenetics are the other 90-95%. You may have heard, "Genetics are the gun, epigenetics pull the trigger." Epigenetics are lifestyle factors like diet, stress levels, toxic load, health of your gut microbiome, etc. Genetic testing is helpful because it can now identify something called SNPs. SNPs are essentially mutations in the genetic code. For example, 50% of the population now has a mutation in the MTHFR gene. If I have this mutation, perhaps I need some help when it comes to methylation and I need to eat more foods rich in folate. Genetic testing can help us more specifically with the epigenetic piece, which accounts for that 90-95%.

FYI - the MTHFR gene mutation combined with a diet lacking in folate can actually be just as serious as the BRCA genes that are so vividly talked about. I have learned this with the research I've dove into. Thankfully, being a practitioner, I can order genetic testing for others and for myself, so I'm awaiting those results to help me navigate the epigenetic road ahead :)

As I continue to share my journey through this diagnosis and my decisions ahead, I hope perhaps this may help someone else going through this journey too. It has been crazy to me how many women have been diagnosed with breast cancer around me that I never knew about. This is becoming more and more commonplace. But this is not normal. We must talk about it, bring light to the topic, and advocate for ourselves.

One in four. One in four women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Your sister, your cousin, your mother, your daughter, your friend. We must work to change this <3