Hello guys! I want to share my cancer story.
Exactly 4 weeks ago, I went to my GP doctor to ask him about a lump I found in my right breast. Wala akong pain na nararamdaman, except nakapa ko lang sya. So nag breast exam si Doc, and although feeling nya cyst lang yung lump, he referred me to the hospital breast clinic for a mammogram just to be sure.
So the following day, nagpamammogram ako, pero since suspicious yung lump, diniretso nila sa ultrasound and needle biopsy ( Later, after I got the actual result report, sa mammo pala, nilagay na na BIRAD 4, suspicious for malignancy).
After two days, I went back to the hospital, and nakita ko na yung appointment list ko is Onco Nurse with Onco Surgeon. So alam ko na agad na malignant. Ayun nga during the meeting sinabi ng doctor na Adenocarcinoma, 2.3 cm, Grade 1, Hormone positive, HER2 negative. Sinabi ng Onco surgeon na ang best treatment plan namin is oncoplastic lumpectomy with sentinel node, followed by radiation and possibly hormone therapy. Since relatively bata ako, nirequest nila na mag genetic testing ako to check yung risks ko for cancer, although the genetic testing is after surgery na. Nag-set agad ng tentative surgery schedule in 3 weeks' time.
Nakakashock and ambilis nag-escalate ng pangyayari from healthy but overweight to cancer patient. So last week, nagsurgery ako, combined lumpectomy, breast reconstruction and sentinel node operation ang ginawa nila.
And today, exactly seven days after ng surgery, I got the patho results. Yung sentinel node ko is clear from cancer (hindi pa kumalat yehey!), and yung tissue surrounding the tumor na tinanggal has clear margins (natanggal lahat yung tumor). Yay! Next week pa yung face to face session namin nung onco (itinawag lang sa akin result, then chineck ko online sa medical file ko), pero nakahinga ako ng maluwag. Hindi pa tapos ang cancer fight though, magradio therapy pa ako and genetic testing, and hindi ko pa naconfirm kung mag hormone therapy pa ako and depende daw sa genetic testing, kung magchemo ( sana nooo!) but step by step, makakarating din tayo sa dulo.
In some ways, naging wake-up call ko yung cancer diagnosis. Sobrang taas ng work stress ko the past two years (gusto ko kasi mapromote eh, ayan high responsibilities and super high stress), and napabayaan ko ang self-care (i.e. di nageexercise, laging takeout or delivery ang kinakain na foods, then since stressed nga, naging stress relief yung pagindulge sa mga sugary, carb-laden food). Sa isip ko, bata pa ako kaya pa ng katawan ko yan, pero ayan na nga. So now, priority ko is self-care, clean eating, exercise (although walking lang ako now habang nagpapagaling ako ng sugat from surgery).
At super thankful ako na nandito ako sa Europa nung nadiagnose ako, kasi wala akong binayaran sa treatments ko ( maliban sa own risk ko na 300 euros so more or less 18k in pesos). At dahil pantay pantay ang access sa treatments at hindi iniisip ng mga doctors kung maafford ba ng pasyente o hindi , yung mga doctors wala silang paki sa dami ng tests na ipapagawa sa iyo kung yun ang kelangan. Tapos mabilis ang scheduling nila ng treatments. Ang hope ko, sana one day, ganito din sa Pinas. Yung easy and fast access to tests and treatments for life-threatening diseases like cancer para makagaan sa buhay ng mga patients, kasi yung alam mo nga lang na may cancer ka, nakakastress na. So sana, yung cancer patient, ang role na lang is magpagaling, matanggal na sana yung added stress ng financial strain. Optimistic ba masyado? :-)
