It was thought to be mastitis, but it turned out to be stage 4 breast cancer.
E.Ş., a 49-year-old mother of one child, who was under medical supervision due to many lumps in her breast, was told that she had an infection in her breast at the hospital she went to. Stating that antibiotics were good for him, E.Ş. later felt pain in his armpit and went to the doctor again. E.Ş., who learned that she had stage 4 breast cancer and that the tumor had spread to the bones, said, “My son was my biggest source of motivation throughout my treatment process, and he even cut his hair to support me. According to this disease picture, I had to die. But living is beautiful. I think we don’t have the feeling of letting go of ourselves. If we fall off the cliff, we hold on to the branch even if it is to survive for 10 more seconds. “I think this commitment to life is special to human beings,” he said.
Explaining that she was a patient being followed up due to breast masses and that she was a mother of a child, E.Ş. said, “There were painful, very hard stone-like formations that I could feel when touched with my hand, and a rash occurred especially on my left breast. At first I was told they were water bladders and that it was a mastitis. Antibiotic treatment was applied and the treatment was good. There could also be inflammation, so when the inflammation went away, I thought I was cured. I called my doctor friends. Because my pain was starting to spread towards my armpit. When I went to the doctor, a biopsy was performed on the same day, I had a mammogram and ultrasound and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The next day, Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. I went to Şeref Kömürcü. Professor Şeref looked at my results and I took PET. After undergoing PET, I learned that the tumor had unfortunately spread to the bones. There were dozens of masses in the breasts, including lymph nodes. They had also spread to the bone. “All this happened in January 2016,” he said.
He lost his father 6 months ago
Stating that he lost his father 6 months before starting cancer treatment, E.Ş. said, “My father was very precious to me; I felt like I lost my friend, my friend. Therefore, as soon as I heard about this disease, I even thought, ‘I’m glad my father died, he didn’t hear about this disease.’ My child has been a great source of motivation. I only thought about getting better for my son, I never thought about giving up. I probably always had this message in my brain. I never gave up on life, I put on make-up, and replaced my lost hair, eyebrows and eyelashes with new ones. The moment I recovered, I threw myself out. “I have never been upset with life,” he said.
“There were times when I lost my breath”
E.Ş., who retired after working in the sales department of large companies, said: “There were times when I felt depressed and short of breath, but I got out of there. Life is very good. I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, I have to die with this condition. But I think we do not have the feeling of abandoning ourselves. If we fall off the cliff, we hold on to the branch even if it is to survive for 10 more seconds. “I think this commitment to life is unique to human beings,” he said.
Changed city due to illness
E.Ş., who did not tell her son anything about her illness at first and said that she had a disease related to the immune system, said: “I told him that I would cut my hair because this disease would cause my hair to fall out. My son had a great reaction. He was already in great sadness, he couldn’t see his father because he lived abroad, he lost his grandfather and had to leave his school because we moved. I hid my illness for about 2 months. However, as the side effects of the disease increased, my son also understood. He started using the word cancer a lot at school, and it caught my attention. Then we went to the psychologist and I told my son. “He also cut his hair to support me,” he said.
“There are more than 20 masses, my breasts will be removed as part of the preventive treatment.”
E.Ş., who underwent 10 cycles of chemotherapy, 6 major and 4 minor, and then 3 more chemotherapy, said, “The ultrasound results were very good at first. There was a decrease of up to 40 percent in the masses. I have too many tumors. I think the number of audiences is over 20. After I had my last chemotherapy, I had PET. I was out at the restaurant with my friends. We were waiting for the results with excitement. I received a phone call from Şeref Hodja and said, ‘You have created a miracle. The results are very good. “There will be no need for radiotherapy,” he said. The masses have become smaller. Then hormone therapy was started. Later, Şeref Hodja introduced me to General Surgery Specialist Prof. from Anadolu Health Center. Dr. He wanted Metin Çakmakçı to see it too. Metin Hodja suggested that the inside of the breasts be surgically emptied and silicone placed inside as part of the preventive treatment. I thought about it and decided to have it done. “I will have surgery in the coming days,” he said.
Patients should stay away from the internet
Stating that his awareness increased after the disease, E.Ş. made the following suggestions to cancer patients: “Cancer taught me a lot. I wake up every day and do my yoga. I swim every day. I am more excited about life. I probably won’t die from this disease, that’s how I feel. Let cancer patients be in life. Let them go out and buy beans and ride their bikes. They should definitely do something and keep busy. Let them work as much as their health allows. It is impossible to escape from depression when one is alone with oneself. You should also stay away from the internet. I told my doctor not to give me too many details. For example, I don’t know the exact number of tumors. “When you get a lot of information, worry and anxiety increases.”
“E.Ş. made my job much easier with his warrior attitude.”
Anadolu Health Center Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. What does Şeref Kömürcü say?
I saw E.Ş. for the first time about 2 years ago and as a result of the examinations, it was revealed that she had metastatic breast cancer. It started to surprise me in our very first diagnosis sharing sessions. Never ask “Why me?” He didn’t say; His very calm, warrior and ready-to-work-as-a-team attitude made my job much easier. When he asked about the answer that could be obtained from the treatment, I said, “It will come under control, but it may not disappear completely, sometimes the masses may disappear almost completely.” He would say, “Sir, I will be in the group that gets the best response, don’t worry.” He learned the treatment process very well and started the procedure. Because it was an advanced stage cancer, surgery was not required first and he needed to receive systemic treatments such as chemotherapy. He received chemotherapy for a long time. He did not experience many side effects as he fully complied with our recommendations and had a positive approach during chemotherapy. He continued his social life by taking the necessary precautions. In the evaluation after chemotherapies and hormone treatments, it happened as he said and he was included in the best response group; All metastatic lesions had disappeared and only a suspicious mass remained in the breast. When this situation stabilized for a year, we discussed his situation in the tumor council and recommended surgery. I am sure that he will overcome the next steps very well.
