Author Archives: Amandabreeden

Going through cancer is scary. The unknown. Will treatment work? Nobody knows…not even the well-experienced oncologists. The entire time I was going through treatment it was hard to even think about. So I didn’t. I pretended like everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. Why worry about it if you can’t controlContinue reading ““Keep an eye on it””

For those of you who have been following along you may remember that I did an egg retrieval prior to starting chemotherapy in December of 2022. The original reason for doing the egg retrieval was for a chance to have our own children in case chemotherapy damaged my eggs. However, after testing positive for theContinue reading “Making Babies”

Now that I have made it through a year of breast cancer- diagnosis, treatment and recovery, it is time to continue my efforts in cancer prevention. The risk of breast cancer coming back is the highest in the first 2-3 years. Not only do I have a check up every 3 months, but an MRIContinue reading “Ovarian cancer”

As I finished up healing from my second surgery (2nd part of reconstruction) I was planning a trip to England and Greece with a few of my friends. When I say planning… I mean I bought tickets to England and my friends who live in England planned the rest (they are the best). I wasContinue reading “Trip of a lifetime”

After both surgeries the biggest complaint I had was the scar from my port. As I have mentioned before, they had to place my port the day before I started chemotherapy and the incision never fully healed. So during my first surgery (double mastectomy with reconstruction) the surgeon removed the port and attempted to closeContinue reading “Port scar”

If you have been following along you will remember that I was on the Lupron shot through treatment and surgery to slow the blood flow to my ovaries to protect them from chemotherapy for when we decided to have children in the future. The Lupron shot basically puts your body into a temporary state ofContinue reading “Hot flash”

After a double mastectomy there are risks that you have to watch out for even after your healing is complete and you are back to “normal” or your “new normal” is what I call it. These risks are something that were told to me but very nonchalantly… With removing breast tissue and specifically lymph nodesContinue reading “Risks after double mastectomy”

Going in for the second surgery was mentally challenging for me. I wanted to get it over with and be done with all of this, but at the same time I felt as if I was just getting my life back and was soon to be laid up again … well it was not myContinue reading “Surgery Round 2”

Getting back into lifting weights was challenging… not only physically but mentally. I had to start out so slow and not push myself too hard. Those of you who know me, know that I am not very good at “taking it easy”. So I sometimes pushed myself too hard (and I could tell right away).Continue reading “Lifting”

After about 4-5 weeks my surgeon cleared me to start stretching my arms and raising them overhead for the first time after having the double mastectomy with reconstruction. After being unable to use or raise my arms above my head for 5 weeks and with the amount of swelling and tissue removal, it took someContinue reading “Stretching, cording”