By January 2021, I started to feel like my old self again, filled with a renewed sense of life. I began brainstorming new projects and looking forward to the future. During this time, we got a new dog and built a pool. I was excited and ready to embrace life, but life took a different turn.
Around October, I began experiencing pain in my right shoulder, which seemed to worsen whenever I took a deep breath. At first, I thought my allergies were so severe that they were triggering asthma, causing discomfort in my shoulder. As the pain became increasingly unbearable, I decided to visit an allergist. I discovered I had a few allergies but no asthma or anything that could explain my shoulder pain. Fortunately, the pain was intermittent at this stage, so I managed to cope.
However, by April 2022, my situation had drastically worsened. The pain in my shoulder became unbearable, and I also developed upper abdominal pain and excruciating hiccups. Standing upright became a challenge due to the intensity of the pain in my abdomen.
It was time to consult a doctor. My General Practitioner seemed a bit puzzled by my symptoms. At this point, I had already considered the possibility that my symptoms could be cancer-related, likely involving my liver. Despite my concerns, the doctor was convinced I had a torn rotator cuff. She ordered a shoulder X-ray and referred me to a sports medicine specialist.
In the meantime, my blood work results arrived. Most of them were normal, but my liver enzymes were elevated. While my doctor wasn’t overly concerned, I was alarmed. I knew that tumors on the liver could cause referred pain in the shoulder. Though my doctor had scheduled a CT scan for my shoulder, I insisted on changing it to check my liver and gallbladder instead.
They approved my request, and I had an ultrasound of all my major organs. The technician was serious and unfriendly, which raised my concerns. However, as I was leaving, she kindly wished me well and told me to take care of myself, leaving me uneasy about the results.
Just a few hours later, my doctor called with the news: cancer had spread. It is breast cancer with liver mets. While this diagnosis was based on imaging, we still needed a biopsy, but it was apparent I had numerous tumors in my liver. We were not expecting any other outcome.
The following weeks were a whirlwind of scans and tests. Throughout this time, I was in excruciating pain and anxious about possibly dying before receiving treatment. Fortunately, the tests revealed that the cancer was confined to my liver and had not spread elsewhere. After my liver biopsy, it was confirmed that I had HR- Her2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer. Consequently, I was scheduled to have my chemo port inserted, with treatment set to begin the very next day—an excruciating experience!
