NEW FORM OF CANCER:----- Original Message -----
From: Nadia A Burns <tnburns@juno.com>
To: <pincky2727@aol.com>; <TVBURNS@ipa.net>; <RVande1932@aol.com>
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2000 12:48 PM For ALL women (and wives, mothers, sisters and friends)
> >>>Important
> >>>
> >>>In Nov. I lost my sister (Betty Botts of Troy, Al.) to a rare kind of
> >>>cancer.
> >>>
> >>>She developed a rash on her breast similar to that of young mothers
> who
> >>>are
> >>>nursing. Because her mammogram had been clear, the Dr. treated her
> with
> >>>antibiotics for infections. After 2 rounds and it continued to get
> worse,
> >>>her Dr. sent her for another mammogram and this time it showed a mass.
> A
> >>>biopsy found a fast growing malignancy; chemo was started in order to
> >>>shrink the growth; then a mastectomy; then a full round of chemo; then
> >>>radiation. After about 9 months of intense treatment she was given a
> >>>clean
> >>>bill of health. One year of living each day to its fullest-then it
> >>>returned to the liver area. She took 4 treatments and decided that
> she
> >>>wanted quality of life, not the after effects of chemo. We had 5
> great
> >>>months and she planned each detail of the final days. After just a
> few
> >>>days of needing morphine, she slipped
> >>>away saying she had done what God had sent her into the world to do
> and
> >>>now
> >>>it was her time to go.
> >>>
> >>>I still have tears as I write, but our message would be-like the one
> >>>below-to be alert to any thing that is not normal-and be persistent in
> >>>getting help as soon as possible.
> >>>
> >>>Juanita Bush
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>Ladies, take note:
> >>>
> >>>This is a rare form of breast cancer, and is on the outside of the
> >>>breast,
> >>>on the nipple and aureola. It appeared as a rash which later became a
> >>>lesion with a crusty outer edge. I would not have ever suspected it to
> be
> >>>breast cancer but it was. My nipple never seemed any different to
> me,
> >>>but
> >>>the rash bothered me so I went to my doctor for that. Sometimes it
> >>>itched
> >>>and was sore, but other than that it didn't really bother me. It was
> just
> >>>ugly and a nuisance, and could not be cleared up with all the creams
> >>>prescribed by my doctor and dermatologist for the dermatitis on my
> eyes
> >>>just prior to this outbreak. They seemed a little concerned but did
> not
> >>>warn me it could be cancerous.
> >>>
> >>>Now I suspect there are not many women out there who know a lesion or
> >>>rash
> >>>on the nipple or aureola can be breast cancer.
> >>>
> >>>What are the symptoms? Mine started out as a single red pimple on the
> >>>aureola. One of the biggest problems with Paget's disease of the
> nipple
> >>>is
> >>>that the symptoms appear to be harmless. It is frequently thought to
> be
> >>>a
> >>>skin inflammation or infection, leading to unfortunate delays in
> >>>detection
> >>>and care.
> >>>
> >>>The symptoms include:
> >>>1. A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of your nipple causing
> it
> >>>to
> >>>itch and burn. As I stated mine did not itch or burn much, and had no
> >>>oozing. I was aware of, but it did have a crust along the outer edge
> on
> >>>one side.
> >>>
> >>>2. A sore on your nipple that will not heal. Mine was on the aureola
> >>>area
> >>>with a whitish thick looking area in center of nipple).
> >>>
> >>>3. Usually only one nipple is affected.
> >>>
> >>>How is it diagnosed?
> >>>
> >>>Your doctor will do a physical exam and should suggest having a
> mammogram
> >>>of both breasts done immediately even though the redness, oozing and
> >>>crusting closely resemble dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), your
> >>>doctor should suspect cancer if the sore is only on one breast. Your
> >>>doctor
> >>>should order a biopsy of your sore to confirm what is going on. They
> will
> >>>take a sample of your breast tissue in that area to test for cancer.
> If
> >>>the
> >>>cancer is only in the nipple and not in the breast, your doctor may
> >>>recommend just removing the nipple and surrounding tissue or suggest
> >>>radiation treatments. Had my doctor caught mine right away, instead
> of
> >>>flaking it off as dermatitis, perhaps they could have saved my breast,
>
> >>>and
> >>>it wouldn't have gone to my lymph nodes.
> >>>
> >>>This message should be taken seriously and passed on to as many of
> your
> >>>friends as possible; it could save someone's life. My breast cancer
> has
> >>>spread and metastasized to my bones after receiving mega doses of
> >>>chemotherapy, 28 treatments of radiation and taking tamaxofin. If this
>
> >>>had
> >>>been diagnosed in the beginning as breast cancer and treated right
> away,
> >>>perhaps it would not have spread...
> >>>
> >>>I did try to spread the word through Rosie O'Donnell show on breast
> >>>cancer
> >>>awareness, but it failed to trigger importance enough to be announced
> on
> >>>her show last year. This is sad as women are not aware of Paget's
> >>>disease.
> >>>If by passing this around on the e-mail, we can make others aware of
> it,
> >>>and it's potential danger we are helping women everywhere.
> >>>
> >>>Please, if you can, take a moment to cut and paste this information
> into
> >>>an
> >>>e-mail and share it with a friend. It only takes a moment yet the
> >>>results
> >>>could save a life.
> >>>
> >>>Linda R. Watson, Clinical Associate Professor
> >>>Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, CB# 7190
> >>>UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7190
> >>>Phone (919) 966-9466 FAX (919) 966-0100 Email: <lwatson@css.unc.edu>
> >>> |
