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Detecting breast cancer

An abnormality seen on a mammogram before a woman or health care professional can feel it is usually the earliest sign of breast cancer. Larger tumors sometimes manifest into a painless mass, whereas less common symptoms include thickening, swelling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, redness or nipple abnormalities such as spontaneous discharge. More often than not, breast pain is a result of benign conditions and is not an early sign of breast cancer.

Source: American Cancer Society

By Ashley Gurbal

agurbal@altoonamirror.com

Don't quote breast cancer statistics to Joan Bickel. She doesn't want to hear it.

The 56-year-old Puzzletown woman was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in February. Her optimism, she said, has gotten her through several rounds of chemotherapy.

"I'm staying positive," she said. "In my eyes, I'm gonna be a survivor."

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Bickel wishes people were more aware of all cancers, all year-round.

When she tells friends or acquaintances about her breast cancer, they sometimes relate stories of someone they knew who died of cancer - and that doesn't help.

"When you tell somebody what you're going through, they tell you about Joe's brother down the road or somebody who didn't make it," Bickel said. "That makes you feel like you're not going to be a survivor. When you talk about cancer, the other person shouldn't talk about that stuff. They should say, 'You'll beat this. You'll be a survivor.'"

Though Bickel is positive today, it took her about two weeks to really come to terms with her diagnosis.

"You just feel like your whole world is collapsing around you. You think, 'What's gonna happen to me? To my kids? Why me?' I don't mean to get emotional," she said, wiping away tears, "but you look at your kids, your grandkids, and think, 'Am I going to be around to see them grow up?'"

A breast cancer diagnosis can bring out a wide range of emotions, said Lori Shelow, administrative director of medical outpatient services at Altoona Regional Health System, Altoona Hospital campus.

"In the beginning, they don't want to hear what we have to say," Shelow said. "We try to reinforce education as much as possible, but they're so overwhelmed with so much information in such a short time that they can't take it all in. We try to have (someone) with them so there's two sets of ears."

That's crucial, Shelow said, especially when it comes to the side effects of chemotherapy.

"It's always nice to have a support person who can listen to the initial education, because that's when they talk about what side effects to look out for, what to report to the physician," she said. "Once they leave us, they're home, and they have to decide if this is something to call the doctor about."

It's been the support of Bickel's four children that's gotten her through the sickness that comes with chemotherapy. There are bad days, she said, no matter how positive you are.

"There are days you want to kill yourself," she said. "There are days you're so sick, you want to take all the pills you have and go upstairs and go to bed. But I call the kids, and they say, 'Mom, you can't do that.' My daughter Dana, she tells me I'm gonna get better. She tells me this is only for a short time."

While she's focused on staying optimistic, Bickel said she knows her breast cancer could kill her. She's tentatively scheduled for a mastectomy in November, which will be followed by radiation.

"I'm not afraid to die. Look at all the movie stars I'll get to see," she said with a laugh. "My mother and dad are up there. I've thought about dying, but I don't want to wallow in self-pity. I'm gonna beat it."

***

It's been 12 years since Sally Storm fought breast cancer, and the Chest Springs woman still tears up when she talks about it.

"It's because the fear was so great," she said. "You realize, you could have died. I'm just so thankful for the years - a lot of people haven't been as fortunate."

For Storm, 66, breast cancer awareness isn't just a pink ribbon. It's a way of life. She reminds friends and family to go for their annual mammograms. A retired registered nurse, she knows the importance of screenings.

"No one likes to get a mammogram. They're not comfortable," she said. "Or they're afraid something will show up. But every year, I tell them to go in and have it done."

She also keeps vigil on her own health for fear that the cancer may come back.

"It's always a constant thought - maybe not every day, but quite often," she said. "You worry about it metastasizing when you have a pain in your back or shoulder."

Storm said she went through a range of emotions after her diagnosis.

"It's hard not to go to church and think, 'Why me?'" she said. "Or you go to a funeral and think, 'That could be me.' But you get to a point where you're just thankful for what you've got."

A Roman Catholic with several statues of the Virgin Mary throughout her home, Storm said her faith was a "little rocky" for awhile, but in the end, that's what got her through.

"Even though I felt my prayers were answered, it's still a strain on your faith," Storm said.

Shortly after her diagnosis, she and her husband were walking in a potato field near their home, looking for American Indian arrowheads - a favorite pastime. It was a beautiful, sunny day, she said, and she prayed to Virgin Mary to get her through her breast cancer.

When they came home, Storm remembers, the house smelled of roses, though there wasn't a bloom in sight. Storm, however, knows what the aroma meant.

"I think that was the Blessed Mother giving me my answer."