BOUNCING BACK FROM BREAST CANCER

It all started with a tiny lump just above her right breast in 2005. The size of a ‘munggo’ bean. It wasn’t even painful. It was in fact negligible. So she ignored it.

Priscilla De Vera Ordas, or Precy is busy with her career as OIC of Avon City Enterprises in San Fernando City, La Union for ten years since 1983. Then she transferred to North Ilocandia Lending Inc. (NILI) also in San Fernando City from 1996 to 2009 doubling as OIC and Secretary.

After a year of having that mysterious lump in her chest, it has grown a bit bigger, she noticed that it was like the size of a tamarind seed. That lump seems to move around her breast, sometimes its near the center, sometimes she could feel it farther up her breast.

From left to right breast

So she went to her Gynecologist in La Union. She was told to undergo biopsy to test whether that lump is benign or malignant.

After the test which took about two hours, she was cleared. Doctor said the lump contains nothing but water. “Abangan na lang natin kung magre-react yung cells.” her physician said. So she has to come back for check -up.

The following year, a year after her biopsy, another mass emerged in her left breast. But she at first did not mind it because she was thinking why would it grow on the other breast when the lump was on the right side?

Precy got opinions from other people. From her friends, family and colleagues. She was even told to try natural food supplements like GOJI JUICE, INTRA, and costly herbal supplements.

She even tried using CMD- a trace mineral drop that will allegedly ‘shrink’ her lump. The company claims there is no therapeutic effect but according to “those who tried it” it brought miraculous health benefits.

Precy, in spite of high costs of those herbal products continued to use them for over a year. It drained her savings too. “Alam mo, halos yung kinikita ko, dun napupunta. Sa kagustuhan ko lang mawala na yung bukol ko, pero halos wala ding epekto. Lumaki pa rin sya at tumigas” she recalls.

Last year, she went back for a check -up but sought another doctor. This new physician told her “it was big and hard, more than 12 centimeters in diameter na.”

She underwent another biopsy and found out that indeed, that lump is made up of CARCINOMA CELLS. After a month, her family and loved ones decided that she undergo an operation. So she did.

“It was a long and scary surgery,” Precy recalls. She was admitted to the hospital at 6:25am and awakened at 11:30 in the morning. “Nagising ako na wala na yung isang dibdib ko.”

Precy was deeply buried in depression. Everyday, she felt miserable. Her only source of strength was her husband. They have no kids. Her parents are elderly and her sister was away.

After a month, she started her chemotherapy sessions. Chemotherapy is intended to suppress the growth of cancer cells in the body. Since cancer cells tend to grow at a greater speed than regular cells, chemotherapy will stop it from growing too fast and hinders cell division.

Cancer cells are very active by destroying healthy ones to become cancer cells. It mutates very easily and grows rapidly. When the person’s immune system is weak, it cannot fight cancer by itself.

Precy said she underwent chemotherapy after a month of surgery. “It was very painful. After my chemo session, I vomit. I get dizzy. I had diarrhea very often, my nails turned black and my palms brown all the time. Its horrible, I feel like a zombie” narrates Precy, fighting back the tears that start to show up in her pale eyes.

Chemotherapy sessions for Precy is scheduled every 22 days. After her first session, her hair started to fall. “When I wake up each morning, I can see my hair in my pillow. Almost thousand strands of it, and I cry.”

“This cancer has taken the life out of me,” she stated. “I never go outside, all of my hair fell off, my eyebrows and every single hair on my body disappeared. People who see me pity my condition. I wear mask all the time. I’m very sensitive to my environment.”

“I’m not allowed to cry because crying and having colds will bring phlegm and mucus in my body and I cannot have my chemo if there is mucus. When my adopted daughter died of an accident, it was also very painful but I never did went near her because I would weep a lot.”

“Because of my situation, I became irritable. I get angry all the time. I’m overly sensitive especially if it concerns me and my appearance. I don’t look at the mirror. My eyebags grew twice the size and it was dark and ugly. I thought this will be the end of me.Sorry, you cannot take my picture like this.”

But when I see my fellow cancer patients, most of them Stage 3 and 4, I thought I’m still lucky at Stage 2A. There was one patient from San Fabian, Pangasinan whom we never saw again on our third chemo session. Doctors said her cancer spread to her uterus also and it was too late.

“My chemotherapy sessions cost more than P45,000.00. But luckily, I have my Medicare so my family pays half the amount. My fourth chemo was delayed because we don’t have money anymore. I told my family I will no longer go to LMC because we can’t pay my chemo but my sister said she will take a loan so we could pay it.”

“Right now I take Plasil, Tamoxifen once a day, Clusivol as vitamins. Although I eat very nutritious foods, when I am undergoing my chemo, it tastes like nothing. You simply cannot appreciate your food. I regularly eat carrots, sometimes my jaw hurts because of chewing up on carrots. I don’t eat grilled foods because that is carcinogenic and it’s a big NO-NO. My diet consists heavily of fresh fruits and vegetables which is a great source of enzymes that help my immune system fight cancer back ,” continues Precy.

Source of strength

Precy recalls the people whom she derives her strength and courage. “Those people who never give up on me and those people who prayed for me. It makes the battle worth fighting for.”

“My sister in Manila goes out of her way to look for cure over the internet. She told me to go to a netcafé and visit this site breastcancer.org and visit C -Patient forums so I can interact with patients like me, but I was afraid people will mock me. So she printed a lot of information she gathered and I read it when I feel like reading. You see, even my eyes has become weak since I had this illness,” admits Precy.

Lessons Learned

Be strong. Nothing compares to having tons of strength from your self, from your God and from your loved ones. Combine all of these strength and wear it like an armor all the time. Have the people who love you surround you always. It is crucial in this situation.

Prepare your finances. When you are well, nothing to worry about. But with cancer, you are like buying every hour of your life and it is very costly so your finances should walk you through this illness. I’ve known Big C patients who die because of poverty and cannot afford medication and chemotherapy.

Be aware of early signs. In my case, have I took that munggo bean-like lump in my chest seriously before, I could still have my two breasts now. Women should take mammogram regularly as well as pap smear.

Check your lifestyle. Avoid stress. Eat raw foods and make it your goal to boost your immune system at any age. Enable your body to equip itself to combat C-cells.

Note: photo taken before chemotherapy, after her surgery.