Breast Cancer: Klaus's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Klaus Deckmann was 66 and newly retired when breast cancer was diagnosed in early 2020. He had felt repeated pressure in his breast, and because his mother had died of breast cancer, he pushed himself to see his family doctor. Ultrasound, mammography, biopsy, and scintigraphy at a breast cancer center confirmed the diagnosis. Surgery removed the tumor together with 25 lymph nodes. Chemotherapy and radiation followed. Chemotherapy weakened him most, but he tried to stay active with Nordic walking even during treatment. Klaus noticed that men with breast cancer had fewer clear support structures than women, though he did not feel personally disadvantaged by his doctors. A self-help group for men with breast cancer became especially valuable because it gave him practical information, shared experience, and a sense of giving and receiving support. Current genetic testing did not find a mutation. Hormone therapy brought high liver values and loss of libido, and he also dealt at times with pressure at the operation site, tingling in his hands and feet, and fatigue. He met those aftereffects with movement, nutrition changes, rehabilitation, humor, and support from his wife. Klaus approached cancer almost like a project: gathering information, sorting it, and moving forward with perseverance.