Hi, my name is Angi.  For those of you that don't know me, I'm the one PJ refers to as the Reconstruction expert.  I'd hardly say that I am an expert, though I have been around the block a few times.  I'm currently 35 and a two time breast cancer survivor.  Since finding my lump I have undergone a total of 9 different breast surgeries, and I'm preparing for surgery number 10 in the near future. 

Why have I had so many procedures done?  Well, when I was diagnosed in 2005 I was told I needed a lumpectomy.  When the lumpectomy failed to obtain clear margins I was told I had to have a modified radical mastectomy.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time.  Had I known or been given a choice, I likely would have had a bi-lateral mastectomy done in the first place.  One of the biggest mistakes I made was rushing through the information and decisions.

When I found the lump, something inside me just knew it was cancer.  I can honestly say that I never really did regular self exams.  In fact, I stumbled upon the lump by accident.  It was on my 31^st birthday, just weeks after I had lost my 4^th child.  We were getting ready to go out to dinner, when I told my husband that it seemed everything was going back to normal as I ran my hands over my breasts.  It was then that I felt this hard, marble like lump.  Immediately I knew it wasn't normal.  Yes, I can be a bit pessimistic at times - but given my history of miscarriages, infertility, and poly-cystic ovary syndrome, I knew the odds weren't in my favor. 

I made an appointment to see my OB/GYN who agreed that I should have a mammogram and ultrasound done.  During my mammogram I was given a pamphlet that explained the basics of the procedure.  As I waited to get my ultrasound done, I read over the brochure very carefully.  It was at that time the Radiologist interrupted.  He wanted to discuss my films with me.  He put them up on the light board and that's when I saw it.  Clear as day was this big white spot with little crackle edges resembling a sun or a crab.  He said the words that made my heart sink.  He recommended that I get a biopsy done immediately.  I thought rather than get a biopsy done; I would just have it removed and get it over with.  I already had a hysterectomy scheduled later that month, so I just went out and found the first surgeon that could do it at that time and that was that.  I didn't stop or slow down to ask questions or absorb the situation.  I felt this urgency to have it removed.  Little did I know that cancer doesn't grow overnight.  I had never even bothered to inform myself. 

Days after my lumpectomy, I followed up with my surgeon.  It was at this particular juncture, I had made the mistake of coming alone.  I was told that I had cancer and I had to have a mastectomy.  The surgeon had already scheduled the procedure for the following week.  Dazed and confused I didn't know what to do.  I was pressured into believing that we had to act fast due to the aggressiveness of my cancer.  Not once did I obtain a second opinion, not once did I question anything I was being told.  It was when I woke up in the hospital in agonizing pain that I realized I should have asked about the procedure - that my doctor should have explained it in detail to my family and I.