Karina Stathis, Daily Mail Australia
July 28, 2024 13:18, updated July 28, 2024 14:42
A month after Jo Buena underwent a double mastectomy to remove three small cancerous tumors from her breasts, she looked in the mirror and immediately felt a sense of “disconnection” from herself.
The then 46-year-old was overwhelmed with emotion: “What have I done to myself? I feel like Frankenstein,” she asked herself.
Healthy and energetic sales analyst Melbourne On January 11, 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Just a few weeks ago, ChristmasShe was rushed to the doctor after feeling a small, hard, pebble-like lump in her left breast while lying down, and that was her only symptom.
Mammograms and X-rays revealed two malignant tumours in her left breast and one benign tumour in her right, and she was scheduled for surgery within the next few days.
“I just felt one near the surface of my left breast and didn’t know anything about the other two,” said Jo, now 47, adding that doctors recommended a double mastectomy.
“I was in denial [about the cancer] There was no time to panic. I was preparing for surgery, packing my bags, it was like going to the salon, I didn’t have time to think.
“Before I had the surgery, I felt like I was losing a part of myself. I knew I’d never be the same after. Before the surgery, I joked that the upside was that I’d have firm breasts for the rest of my life.”
Recalling the first time he noticed the lump, Joe said he was lying in bed scratching his left side when he felt the lump.
“It was hard and solid, like a smooth pebble,” she said.
It’s common for women to experience breast discomfort during their menstrual cycle due to fluctuating hormone levels, and they may also experience lumps in the breast tissue, which can feel painful or swollen.
But Jo knew the lump wasn’t just fatty tissue because it was “stationary” and “attached” to her breast.
The fact that she was 46 years old made her the same age as her mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. cancer It was a coincidence Joe couldn’t ignore.
She added that prior to her mother’s diagnosis, there was no history of cancer or illness in her family.
She then discovered that two of her aunts and three cousins were also diagnosed at the same time.
“We were desperately looking for a surgeon to see me and luckily my sister, who had booked a BRCA test, was able to book me in,” Joe said.
At the time, the coronavirus pandemic had created a huge “backlog” of patients waiting to see a doctor.
“The day I was diagnosed, my surgeon said to me, ‘Okay, Joe, you have a problem. This is cancer. Here’s what we’re going to do,'” Joe said.
“But even before the results were in, she had explored options for me, so I knew I was in good hands. She took it for granted that I wasn’t alone and that she would help me.”
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Knowing that her mother had died of the same cancer in 2004, the surgeon recommended a double mastectomy “immediately” to reduce the chances of the cancer returning in the future.
“I’m not a very spiritual person but I knew before I went to the doctor and got the results because I had a dream about my mum and she just said, ‘I’m sorry,'” Joe said.
Being told you have cancer is something no one wants to hear, but the news didn’t immediately hit home and she was hit by a wave of emotions as she sat in the hospital.
As the doctors injected a “radioactive dye” into his lymph nodes to check for cancer cells, Joe nearly burst into tears.
A month later, when the bandages were removed, reality hit.
But she knew having a double mastectomy was “the right decision,” even though the cancer was in its early stages.
Joe said watching his mother’s cancer return twice and undergo treatment was traumatic and he didn’t want to suffer the same fate.
“I thought if I was going to go through it, I’d go through it once and be done with it,” she said.
She also had to have her ovaries removed in February because the type of breast cancer she has responds to hormones and can lead to early menopause.
This was part of her treatment plan to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
“I don’t want to feel sorry for myself. I’m still lucky. I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation, so I’m not going to complain,” she said.
Jo is sharing her story ahead of Daffodil Day on Thursday 22 August to raise awareness and urge people to get regular breast checks, especially those with a family history of cancer.
“Checking your breasts should be a habit, just like brushing your teeth. It also gives you a sense of how your breasts feel so you can tell if something’s not right or has changed,” Jo says.
