TheBanyanTree: Episode almost over

[Gail Richards]

Yes. What Julie and Theta said. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
On Sep 5, 2013 1:01 PM, "Teague, Julie Anna" <jateague at indiana.edu> wrote:

>
> 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
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>