TheBanyanTree: Episode almost over

[Teague, Julie Anna]

Wow, Janice.  I'm glad that the surgeries went well and wish you good 
health through the radiotherapy.  One of the most important reminders I 
got from your story is that we all have to take control of our own 
health, as you did so well, and push our health care providers to do 
something extra or different when necessary.  I just think we're in a 
time in which there is so much information available to us (not ALL 
good or accurate, but) and, because of so much new information, docs 
must find it hard to keep up on all fronts.

Good on you.

Julie

Quoting Janice Money <pmon3694 at bigpond.net.au>:

> There are any number of rare diseases that students will hear about and then
> forget about.  I suppose the ones they are more likely to remember are the
> ones that are treatable but can be quickly fatal if not diagnosed.  You
> might see them only once in your whole career but making the pick and
> organising the fix is a thing to feel mightily chuffed about.  I've never
> done it but my husband has.  He felt very pleased with himself to have
> picked Addison's disease in a US serviceman who was in town for some reason
> or other.  The US serviceman and his family were pleased too and sent a
> thank you card.
>
>
>
> Paget's disease of the breast is rare.  I think I remembered it because the
> images of it in my old dermatology text were so ugly and because, the texts
> said, it is almost always associated with ductal carcinoma in situ which, if
> you're going to have a carcinoma, is a pretty good type of carcinoma to
> have.  In any case, when I noticed the changes to my own breast, and even
> though they didn't look anywhere near as ugly as those old text book images,
> Paget's disease was the first thing I thought of and, having thought of
> that, I was not particularly concerned.
>
>
>
> However, I did want to see if there were any more images of Paget's on the
> internet so I could either decide that it was Paget's or rule that out.
> What I found was both reassuring and not reassuring.  I found not so ugly
> images that made me think, yes, I probably do have Paget's disease.  I also
> found the accompanying text which said that ductal carcinoma in situ can
> become invasive.  That's when I decided it was time for a mammogram and that
> led to the whole treatment show starting down the road.
>
>
>
> The local go-to fellow for breast surgery thought it wasn't Paget's disease.
> Maybe it was eczema.  Since I couldn't see why I should have unilateral
> eczema I asked him to take a biopsy when he did the lumpectomy and he
> agreed.  The biopsy showed that I was right and he was wrong.  But there you
> are.  It's rare.  He was probably thinking my bosom should look like those
> ugly text book pictures and, being a busy man, doesn't have the time I have
> to go googling.
>
>
>
> Just over a week ago I had a second surgery.  Again, all the margins were
> clear and there was no evidence of invasion.  The unbearable itch of wound
> healing can be tamed with oral Loratidine and Lanacaine cream.  In 4 - 6
> weeks I start radiotherapy and after that my chances of recurrence are only
> about 1% so, for all practical purposes, I have nothing to worry about.
> Lucky me again.
>
>
>
> Janice
>
>