What happened, in summary

Lisa was living in Kentucky with her husband, 3 sons, and 7 grandchildren when she learned that her invasive lobular carcinoma had returned as metastatic disease. Her first signs had appeared in 2017: an inverted nipple, followed about 6 weeks later by swelling in the right upper breast. She quickly called her doctor. Mammogram, sonogram, and biopsy led to a lobular breast cancer diagnosis within 2 weeks. The cancer was first thought to be Stage I, grade 1, and her doctor recommended bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. Surgery took place 6 weeks later. Afterward, Lisa learned the cancer was actually Stage II, grade 2, with a 5.4 cm tumor. Because the recurrence risk was thought to be low, she was given tamoxifen. Three years later, Lisa developed back pain and thought it might be arthritis. An X-ray in March 2020 did not show cancer, but the pain became severe enough that she raised it again in October. A CT scan looked suspicious for cancer, and a PET scan confirmed metastatic ILC in the bones. Lisa later used her experience to teach family and friends about self-breast exams, nipple changes, mammogram limitations, and the importance of self-advocacy. She emphasized that ILC can return in bones without an obvious breast-area warning.