Holiday 2004 Newsletter: A Message From the Executive Director

In our last newsletter, I reported that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer on August 29, 2003. I finished my treatment on June 9, 2004, and am now cancer free. I am a survivor, just like most of the women who are diagnosed with breast cancer today.

I had my annual mammogram at the University of Chicago Medical Center in August, 2003. I got a follow-up call from their Breast Center, asking me to come back for a more sophisticated mammogram. I met Dr. Gillian Newstead, who looked at my new mammogram and asked me to stay for a sonogram, which I did. Two days later, I reported back for a breast MRI. Three days after that, Dr. Robert Schmidt performed a stereotactic biopsy of my breast. The next day, August 29th, Dr. Schmidt called to tell me that I had lobular breast cancer.

I was amazed that so much testing was done – to find an elusive breast cancer. Lobular cancer (lay language here) is like long thin needles of cancer cells distributed through the breast and not a solid tumor, making it more difficult to find. Dr. Newstead, Associate Professor of Radiology and Director of Clinical Services in Mammography, and Dr. Schmidt, Professor of Radiology and Director of Research Services in Mammography, had begun to save my life by finding my cancer.

Within minutes, I called Dr. Richard Schilsky, who is the Cancer Research Foundation Medical Advisor and Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Chicago. In an absolute state of panic, I screamed at him “What to I do now?” He told me to come to the University of Chicago Medical Center today, right now. The very day I was diagnosed, I met Dr. Gini Fleming, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in Hematology/ Oncology. Dr. Fleming became my oncologist, and she would coordinate my care during surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for treatment of my breast cancer.

One week later, we were planning a lumpectomy with my surgeon, Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, Assistant Professor of Surgery. I had the lumpectomy and 15 lymph nodes removed, most of which were malignant. Dr. Jaskowiak also found more cancer cells outside the operating field in my breast, and we planned a mastectomy later, to get rid of all these extra cancer cells. I had a CT scan and a bone scan, both of which showed no detectable cancer spread.

Chemotherapy came next. Dr. Fleming was in charge. I had some strange reactions which landed me in the hospital more than once. I lost my hair, the palms of my hands and feet became bright red, as did my nails; I had rashes, nosebleeds, fevers and infections. I had trouble breathing and walking at the same time. My legs became weak, and I could not navigate steps without help. I lost much of my personal lexicon and could not drag exact words out of my brain. I gave myself injections of a medicine to keep my white blood cell count high at one point, and injections to keep my red blood cell count high at another time. I took medicines to prevent nausea, and they worked. I was exhausted much of the time, but very seldom ill-feeling. The important fact is that all but one of my chemotherapy side-effects were temporary, and I knew that at the time I had them. When I was done with chemo, I was done with chemo side-effects.

My only lasting side-effect is lymphedema in my right arm and chest, swelling caused by the accumulation of fluids where I have no lymph nodes for the fluids to drain through. Two trained physical therapists, Diane Davis and Carol Miller at the University of Chicago, massaged the excess lymph fluid gone, and I now get my arm wrapped in bandages at night, and wear an elastic sleeve if my arm measurements are the tiniest bit larger than my unaffected arm.

Following chemotherapy I had my mastectomy. One of the most surprising things that I learned about breast surgery is that the anesthetics that Dr. Jaskowiak and my anesthesiologist used are very quick to wear off. Also, breast cancer surgery doesn’t hurt. I had pain killers in my one day stays at the University of Chicago Hospital, but I went home with a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine – which I did not need. The “extra”cancer cells leftover from my first surgery were gone. Yea!

Radiation was my last treatment, and the absolute most fascinating. The radiation for me was external. My Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Rachana Singh, directed that a custom cradle be made of my upper body and head, in which I would lie during radiation treatments; my torso was “tattoo-ed” with India ink – markers for the field to be radiated. For 28 weekdays, I had radiation treatments. Because of the body cradle, my position was exact for each treatment, and the radiation beams, directed by computers within the linear accelerator, were exact for each treatment. My only side-effect was a sunburn, which faded in a couple of weeks. The day after my last treatment on June 9th, 2004, my husband and I went on a weekend trip. I was feeling great. I had won!

Of course, I had “won” nothing by myself. All of my doctors, and all of my medical care were at the University of Chicago Hospitals. I will forever be in debt to the caring nurses and doctors who made me healthy. I was at work at the Cancer Research Foundation office during every week of my treatment, but not necessarily ontop of my game. It would not have been possible to go through this cancer treatment without the encouragement and understanding of Mrs. Goldblatt, CRF Chairman, Merle Goldblatt Cohen, President, Stanford Goldblatt, Vice President, and the Trustees.

Lloyd, my husband, and Cindy and Mary, our children, cocooned me through every day of every week. Our friend, Susie, drove me to work and back home every single day so that I wouldn’t be susceptible to contagious infections carried by people on mass transit, my former mode of transportation. Our friends fed us and flowered us and gave us love and hope – the silver lining.

Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I have met so very many other women who were also like-diagnosed. We have photos of some of them in this newsletter – cancer survivors, all of us.

With the exception of Dr. Singh, who is now practicing medicine at Princeton University, all of my doctors have agreed to write about their specialties in this newsletter. Dr. Steven Chmura is now directing breast cancer radiation at the University of Chicago, and writes about radiation oncology. We hope you’ll find the articles interesting and informative.

Sharon Swanson,
Executive Director