Stage III Breast Cancer: Carlie's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Carlie, 51, was diagnosed with Stage IIIB breast cancer after about 6 months of symptoms in her right breast, including an itchy nipple, sharp searing pain, fatigue, and a feeling that something was off. At first she was told the cancer looked like Stage IIB, with an estimated 5-year survival rate of 90%, but later information placed it at Stage IIIB. Carlie moved forward with treatment based on medical advice and her own research. Her care included double mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. She also used pain medication, nausea medication, steroids, and diazepam to help manage treatment. Side effects were heavy: fatigue, hair loss, peripheral neuropathy, vomiting, dizziness, and weakness. Living 98 km from the hospital added major travel costs, and she pushed herself too hard on the farm, sometimes working in extreme heat while unwell. As of 2022, Carlie was in remission but still on hormone therapy. Cancer also changed her emotional life. Her father became terminally ill shortly after her diagnosis and later died, adding grief to an already difficult recovery. She continued to fear recurrence and worried about being there for her son, but she also described hope, gratitude, and a hard-earned belief in putting herself first during recovery.