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Biography

In January 2006 my younger sister Raquel underwent a bilateral mastectomy after being diagnosed with stage II breast cancer at the age of 30. She had to go through 8 rounds of chemotherapy as well as 3 reconstruction surgeries. I was with her when she had her mastectomy and watched as she lost all of her beautiful hair from the chemo. She did it all with a smile on her face.
Five months later our cousin underwent a bilateral mastectomy after her diagnosis with breast cancer. I of course scheduled an appointment with my OB/GYN to have my annual check-up. My doctor performed a breast exam and said that everything seemed normal. She gave me a referal to go have a mammogram done even though I was only 34 years old. Because of my family history ( I have several aunts and 5 cousins who have all had breast cancer) and my sisters recent diagnosis she felt that it would be wise for me to have one done. But because I worked a fulltime job and had two daughters I felt that I was too busy to have a mammogram. Plus I was feeling better than I had in years. I had just recently lost weight and hadn’t been sick in over a year.
So of course as luck would have it, one morning in September I rolled over in bed and noticed that my right breast felt funny. I immediately sat up and gave myself a breast exam. I felt a pea sized lump. I swear that it wasn’t there the day before! I called and scheduled my mammogram appointment that day. By the time I went to my appointment two weeks later my lump had doubled in size. When I saw the look on the technicians face and the black spot on the ultrasound screen I knew that it wasn’t good. I was scheduled for a surgical biopsy the following Friday.
I was told that my results wouldn’t be available until the following Tuesday. I told my surgeon to call me at work with the results. I didn’t want the whole “we need you to come in to the office” speech. So at 3:15 on Tuesday he called me and told me what I already knew. It was still a shock to hear him actually say “you have cancer”. The first thing I asked him was ” How soon can I have a mastectomy?” He told me to come to his office on Thursday to discuss my options.
My sister Raquel flew in from Sacramento to go with me to my appointment. She knew all of the right questions to ask since she had just been through all of it herself just months before. I had stage II infiltrating lobular cancer, Because my cancer was invasive my doctor said that the safest option was to have a mastectomy. I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy. Saving my life was more important than my breasts.
My mastectomy was performed on October 2nd, 2006. I remember being wheeled into the operating room and my plastic surgeon drawing on me with a black marker . She was going to be putting in tissue expanders after my other surgeon removed my breasts.I think the nurses we’re surprised that I was smiling and not crying my eyes out about what was going to happen to me. I just closed my eyes and said to myself ” If my sister survived this, so can I.”
The next day my surgeon came by my room and told me that my lymph nodes had tested negative for cancer. I was relieved. But I was going to still have to go through 8 rounds of chemotherapy. I wanted every last cancer cell terminated!
I was released from the hospital 3 days later with four drains hanging out of my sides. Thank goodness the sight of blood doesn’t make me sick. One week later I was back in the operating room having my right tissue expander removed because I had developed an infection. I had a pic-line inserted into my arm and after 5 more days in the hospital was sent home on IV antibiotics. I had a home nurse who would come by every couple of days to check on me.
I finally began my chemotherapy the week after Thanksgiving. I went and cut all of my hair off that same day. I didn’t want to clog my shower drain once all of my hair started falling out! The surgery seemed like a piece of cake compared to the chemo. If there was a side effect, I got it! I vomited and gagged. My joints and bones ached like nothing I had ever felt before. I became dehydrated and had a severe heartburn that would last for days. I must have tried every anti nausea drug that my oncologist would prescribe for me and none of them worked. By the 13th day my hair began falling out so I had my husband just shave it all off.
My parents were having to travel back and forth from Oxnard to Sacramento to be with my sister and I during our surgeries and treatments. I was actually rushed to the emergency room at St. John’s with chest pain the same day my sister was having reconstructive surgery done in Sacramento..
After 4 surgeries and those 8 awful rounds of chemotherapy, I was finally finished in June. My genetic test results revealed that I carry the BRCA 2 gene. This means that I have a higher chance of the cancer reoccuring or developing ovarian cancer . Also my daughters have a 50% chance of carrying the gene too.I will be having my ovaries removed in the very near future.
I will be having my implant exchange on May 29,2008. I’m a little nervous but excited at the same time. Check out my You-Tube video at the bottom!

http://www.myspace.com/irenedelatorre72

Cancer Symptoms

I had no symptoms, just a small little lump on my right breast.

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects

Double mastectomy with tissue expanders placed at surgery. Developed psudemonas twice and had to have right expander removed.

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects

I had every side effect in the book! You name it I had it! Gained 20 pounds on the steroids.