In early 2018, I went for a physical exam and noticed I lumped my armpit. My physician said it wasn’t anything, except perhaps an ingrown hair. Well, the bump, which was the size of a half walnut, never went away, and I went in for an appointment specifically about the bump later that year. The doctor still didn’t think it was anything, but I insisted that it get looked at, and he scheduled an ultrasound. The ultrasound looked suspicious, so they performed a mammogram. I was then scheduled to have a biopsy the next week. After the biopsy, my doctor called me into his office and told me that the bump was invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer. I requested a second opinion, and it was the same conclusion.
Immediately, I was thinking, how could this be? No family history of any kind of cancer, and I was in really great shape as a 48-year-old male. I was a fitness fanatic and ate well most of my life. That said, I was a Stage 2 status with a curable diagnosis. My treatment plan included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation over one year. After 18 months, another metastatic spot appeared on two areas of my spine, and I was treated with oral chemotherapy and radiation. Finally, after 8 months, my oncologist determined that the cancer was in remission.
Through it all, I changed my diet, and with much prayer and faith, always believing in healing, I’m thankful to God. So, with all that I say, men should check their breasts to their armpits, and don’t ignore any lumps.