Â鶹ӳ»­

I¡¯m the kind of person who follows my gut. So, when I looked up my symptoms online and thought I had inflammatory breast cancer, I kept pushing to get tested, even when my doctor told me no.

When I went to get fitted for bras in 2016, the woman who measured me pointed out that my left breast was ¡°huge¡± compared to my right one. I figured everyone has a little asymmetry and brushed off her comment.

Several weeks later, I got an infection after my cat scratched my chest. My doctors diagnosed me with cat scratch fever, but it didn¡¯t get better with antibiotics. My left breast was still swollen with lots of pain for weeks.

I did my own research, and the symptoms pointed me to inflammatory breast cancer. I told my doctor in my hometown of Columbus, Nebraska. He suggested I try a different antibiotic for 90 days.

My gut told me that wasn¡¯t right, and I pushed for a biopsy. Three days later, my doctor confirmed that I had inflammatory breast cancer.

My inflammatory breast cancer recurrence

I had chemotherapy followed by a simple right breast mastectomy at my local hospital. I had no evidence of disease but still needed chest wall radiation after surgery. In August 2018, PET and CT scans revealed a recurrence.

My daughter was pregnant and due that December. She asked my doctor if I would live to see my granddaughter. He said that my cancer was stage IV and that I didn¡¯t have much time.

I decided then to get a second opinion.

Going to MD Anderson eased my anxiety

I met someone in a Facebook group for people with inflammatory breast cancer, and she encouraged me to request an appointment on MD Anderson¡¯s website. I was in Houston within four days. Breast cancer specialist  determined that I actually had stage IIIB inflammatory breast cancer.

During my appointments with Dr. Valero, he put me at ease as soon as he walked into the room. He always enters with a smile and leaves with a hug.

Dr. Valero knew I was anxious about my lab results. He ensured that I got them back quickly. That eased my anxiety about cancer treatment.

Choosing an inflammatory breast cancer clinical trial

I began chemotherapy with carboplatin and gemcitabine in September 2018. The cancer was still growing, and I had low blood platelets from the carboplatin. I'd also developed hypothyroidism. 

Dr. Valero switched me to a different chemotherapy drug -- eribulin -- a month later. But my right neck lymph nodes were still enlarged.  

He kept looking for treatment options that would work for me. And, in January 2019, I enrolled in a Phase II inflammatory breast cancer clinical trial led by . The clinical trial combines the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab and chemotherapy with eribulin and an oral targeted therapy, cobimetinib.

I take atezolizumab every two weeks and cobimetinib orally for 21 days, with seven days off. After the first four weeks, I received four cycles of eribulin through an IV, a short infusion given two weeks in a row and one week off. Now I¡¯m on maintenance therapy with just atezolizumab and cobimetinib. I¡¯ve been in remission for more than a year.

I travel from Nebraska to Houston every few weeks for treatment and labs. Traveling that often is draining, but I¡¯m motivated knowing that this clinical trial is keeping me alive for my family. I¡¯m so grateful for their support and prayers.

I deal with fatigue and chemobrain all the time. I always park on aisle 10 when I go to the grocery store, so I can remember where my car is parked. I also write everything down.

Trust your gut

As my inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis taught me, sometimes your gut feeling is correct. Trust your doctors, but speak up if something doesn¡¯t feel right.

And, advocate for your own care. Standing up for yourself can save your life, just like it saved mine.

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.