Kathryn's recurrence was discovered by a doctor in the U.S. where she had chosen to go for additional expertise in her treatment.

Transcript

In April of 2004, because I had had no radiation on my breast, I went back to see my breast surgeon and I asked her, I said “How do I protect myself from the cancer coming back in my breast.” Since I couldn’t have more radiation on my breast. I said “What do I do to protect myself?” She looked at me, she took my hand, she smiled she says “Don’t do anything dear.” I said “I don’t need ultrasound, I don’t need a mammogram every year?” “Nothing dear.” So it was the only time I really listened and I kind of thought because I was on my chemo that that was protecting me. 

So in 2007, 3 ½ years still on the chemo, I, on my way going to Boston because in (city in QC) the doctors never examined you. They were, Medicare makes it be that they see 30 to 40 patients in a clinic and they don’t have enough time to examine each patient. So you tell them how you’re feeling. I suppose if I had felt a problem, I would have told them but I didn’t feel anything. So I’m on my way to Boston, and there, because you pay, the doctor examines you. He discovered that there was something wrong with the same breast and he did a biopsy at the time and, of course, the biopsy came back, cancer was back in my breast. I was beside myself because I said “I knew it, I knew that I should have done more.” I was pissed off because I never really listened to the doctors but I listened to this doctor because I trusted her and I really liked her. 

So when I came back to (city in QC) with the results from Boston, of course, as I would say “The shit hit the fan.” They ordered every test ASAP (as soon as possible), because they were worried that it had spread further. And luckily for me it hadn’t, every test came back still stable everywhere except cancer was back in my breast.

 

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