This is my journey with battling two types of breast cancer at 34.
I had two types of breast cancer, the most common AND the most rare, Paget’s disease of the breast. Well, it’s become a passion of mine to spread the word and make it more known about Paget’s disease of the breast.
I was misdiagnosed for a year. I had been seen by a dermatologist who performed a culture swab and skin shave biopsy. I was told that it was a rare bacterial infection, finegolda magna bacteria (f magna), that is usually found in the GI tract. I was treated with topical steroids and antibiotics. It kept coming back, and had started to get to where I always had to keep my nipple covered due to the oozing and ulceration. I knew in my gut it was more serious. During the course of the nipple showing signs of changes, I found a lump. I had multiple mammograms and ultrasounds, all showed I had fibrocystic breast disease with microcalcifications; I was 33 at this time.
In December 2016, I went to my GYN, because for over a year I had been battling the crusting oozing nipple. Two weeks later I was seen by a general surgeon for an excisional biopsy of the areola. In January 2017 the surgeon ordered a mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI with contras; he also ordered a u/s biopsy after the initial scans came back to see if the lump was DCIS. Between the time the excisional biopsy was performed and the ultrasound guided biopsy the dr called me and told me that it was Paget’s disease of the breast, and is very rare, but is fast developing and the only treatment is a mastectomy. A few minutes went buy, he called me back. I decided to get a second opinion, and it was confirmed it was Paget’s and DCIS. On 3/1/17 I had a mastectomy with reconstruction, and on 3/9/17 was told my margins were clear.
“I was given this journey because God knew I was strong enough to handle it.”
Louisville, KY
