Frieda has survived two bouts of cancer, and in the following article, she talks about her experience, her therapy, and the mental challenges that came with the disease.
Experiences with cancer – Frieda’s story:
"’There are no such things as coincidences,’ says. But there was a chance diagnosis. My story – accidental diagnosis of cancer."
"Before six years it happened when I underwent a Biliary surgery subjected. During an examination of my upper abdomen I was diagnosed with gallstones, which I did not suffer from, but for some inexplicable reason this finding brought me into a state of surgical compulsion. An inner command, to have me operated on, built up.
This operation was to be completed quickly and as smoothly as possible, quickly at the beginning of the vacations, in order to be able to enjoy vacation days afterwards. Trustingly I let it happen, woke up after a clearly excessive operation time and waited for my surgeon with his report.
When he appeared after a while and woke me up from my residual anesthesia sleep, I suspected something bad, because he did not radiate anything positive."
Suspicious tissue in the liver
"What he could report was devastating. During the removal of the gall bladder, he was told suspicious Tissue in the liver behind the gallbladder. He took out a large part of the liver, or to be more precise, a liver segment, and ordered a histological examination of the tissue. The result was probably to be expected the next day.
That the histological result is due to Quick cut while the operation was already known, he said not."
The diagnosis of cancer came the next day
"It wasn’t until the next day that I received the definitive diagnosis of cancer. The complete, detailed histology had the already suspected Diagnosis confirmed. Only what kind of cancer, from which organ the cell change started, was unclear. Liver cancer as primary tumor, a fatal, quickly settled matter – or a biliary tumor? One groped in the dark!
Another specialized laboratory of a university hospital was called in and after a few days finally brought clarity: a ‘Bile duct tumor‘ had grown into the liver, a still very rare type of cancer, about which there was little experience."
Experience with cancer: course of the disease and prognosis
"As for the course, they said it was probably short, so a rather poor prognosis. Now the plan was to examine all the organs to look for possible daughter tumors, metastases, To be on the lookout.
A seemingly endless stage of sometimes difficult examinations began, accompanied by only hard-to-bear Fears and panic attacks. But fortunately no settlements were found. Should the tumor not have spread?"
"I couldn’t realize the fact, especially since there was still the possibility that the tumor had spread frightening prognosis was in the room – a danger hovered over me! For certainty, i.e. for absolute clarification as to whether the tumor had spread or not, the only option was the removal and Examination of the lymph nodes around the liver into consideration – a really big operation, to which I had decided after detailed consultation."
"I overcame this strain – three days in intensive care, infusions with very strong painkillers, circulatory sensations and a 20-cm-long scar – with the help of all the reserves of strength I could mobilize physically and psychologically."
Physically Frieda was quickly fit again
Physically, Frieda recovered relatively quickly: "A stand-up guy, as they called me. Psychological collapses, however, were the order of the day. One roller coaster of emotions built up. Days when I believed that nothing had happened and again days when the world seemed to end. Hard to endure, but life drove me. Helpful therapeutic conversations kept the balance. The state of trepidation and hope slowly passed into a Habituation effect."
This is how the environment reacted
"Sayings like: ‘You’ve had cancer? But it looks very bad with you’ or ‘If the lymph nodes were healthy, do you live on now??’ – ‘My goodness how horrible, how can you stand it?’
Or, as it happened until recently, that former good acquaintances changed sides of the street when they met, in order not to have to make contact or not to possibly infect themselves. Also this assumption be rare, but now and then to hear. From now on a leper?"
"What at the beginning kept tearing open the wounds painfully, over time also slowly turned into a habituation effect. Thus, for me, there were two parties of people: those with a cancer or cancer experience and those who were healthy – people with a questionable and unstable outlook and people with a still stable, not consciously endangered outlook."
"I could not find such a contrast in other diseases, such as a "normal" lung, heart or kidney disease. These are cured, while the cancer is accompanied by the fatal aspect. So after the motto: ‘She dies anyway soon.You could almost say that cancer divides society."
Four years later
"But that already in the meantime with early detection some cancers well treatable has not yet reached everyone.
Apart from several moments in which I felt myself in an emotional spin cycle, my health experience gradually calmed down.
I had now survived four years. Until the moment when I came to the routine mammography When I left the clinic, everything seemed to be fine."
"I had now survived four years. Up until the moment I went for the routine mammogram, everything was seemingly fine."
Changes in the breast
"My doctor who was treating me noticed a change in the right breast during this imaging procedure. He was not quite sure, however, whether it was calcium deposits, which therefore did not require further attention, and he recommended a renewed control after half a year. However, when after three months my right breast increasingly changed, hurt and became very hard, I contacted my doctor because I was very concerned. However, he referred me again to the control appointment after half a year. Dissatisfied with the lack of due diligence, I initially allowed myself to be put off.
I could not endure this condition for very long, as the changes became more and more pronounced and worsened. As soon as possible I made an appointment for an examination. In this case, the previously so unconcerned physician confirmed the considerable changes and took 15 Tissue samples, which were also examined very quickly in the laboratory. I received the result two days later."
Cancerous tumor in the right breast
"It read: a cancerous tumor in the right breast – a delayed diagnosis. From then on, there was no sign of my doctor – he was supposedly abroad at a congress. He left the rest of the procedure to his surrogate.
At a fast pace I received a Operation date, after a conversation with the surgeon in charge had taken place. The entire right breast had to be removed. The Reconstruction of the breast was not to be performed until a year later, or so it was planned."
"No sooner said than done – two days later I was on the operating table. One of my feminine features, my right breast, was removed and the tissue examined more closely. The histology revealed a result that was not exactly reassuring to me – G3. More specifically, it was a large, aggressive, fast-growing tumor.
The Guardian lymph node, the closest lymph node in the armpit, was fortunately still not afflicted – a small glimmer of hope. But G3 did not promise anything reassuring."
anti-hormone therapy instead of chemotherapy
"Since the histology had also made it clear that the tumor was a hormone-dependent tumor, it was decided that it was a Chemotherapy renounces. The further therapy consisted in the administration of Anti-hormone tablets, which I was to occupy for ten years. The package insert of this drug promised considerable side effects, all of which I experienced to the fullest."
"As a replacement for the removed breast I received a special bra with a foam prosthesis. Needed to get used to, as it constantly slid back and forth during certain movements to look for a new spot. Takes some getting used to, but doable. It wasn’t until a year later that another surgery took place, where a muscle in the back was turned into an new breast built was. Externally I was now whole again."