Newbie

Hello Everyone. I am new to this board. Spent much time on the ovarian board when my Mom was going through things. Now I guess it's my turn. My story is not as much sad as it is about hope. I had never had a mammogram in my entire life..I am 53. It just seemed that between working and being the family caregiver there was not much time left to do much of anything else. This past October, one of our local hospitals held a 24 hour mammomarathon. I went at 1:30 in the morning. Most of the ladies at my workplace described in tortured detail how much it was going to hurt. Well it hurt a little...for five minutes. A few days went by and I got the call that it did not look right. Well two more mammo's, a sonogram, and a biopsy confirmed things. Breast cancer. I have already had the lumpectomy. And soon I will have my CT and tattoo, then start 7 weeks of radiation....five days a week, 35 treatments. It was two different types of early stage 1, and my prognosis is good. The doctors feel that it has been caught in time. I will have to be on a pill for 5 years, but that is a small price to pay. Now I tell those same ladies at work .... would you rather have 5 minutes of pain or a lifetime away from your loved ones. I am blessed to be here in so many ways. I have great doctors and great fiends. I am the last of my family living so I call myself a survivor of sorts. Yes, I know that there is always a chance that the beast could revisit me. But I cannot live that way..there is so much out in the world that is wonderful yet. So much to be lived. To all of you here who have much harder fights than mine, I am sending you a hug. Cindy