Breast Cancer Stories: How Early Detection Helped Janis Thompson Become a Breast Cancer Survivor

28 May 2024 Breast Cancer Awareness, Health Awareness , , , , ,

Early detection through routine mammograms dramatically improves your chances of survival. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early and is localized to the breast, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%!

Janis Thompson found this to be true in her own experience. Diagnosed in 2021, within months Janis received chemotherapy and underwent a mastectomy of her right breast. Today, she is a breast cancer survivor — totally cancer-free!

We recently sat down with Janis to hear her story of diagnosis and treatment, as well as her advice for other women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

When were you diagnosed, and what was your prognosis at the time?

They found something in my right breast in January or February of 2021, and I started chemo in April of 2021. I had my surgery (a mastectomy to remove my right breast) in July — I remember that because it was right after my granddaughter got married.

Luckily, my cancer was localized. When they did surgery, they didn’t find anything in my lymph nodes or anywhere else, so that was good.

How was your breast cancer detected? 

I have a mammogram every year. I came over here to Stanley to have it done, and they saw something, so they sent me to Bismarck for treatment. Before the diagnosis, I didn’t have any symptoms, and the only history of cancer in my family was prostate cancer in my dad and brother.

How old were you when you started getting regular mammograms? 

I don’t remember exactly, but I was pretty young. 

In 1970, when I was 28, they found something in my left breast. I was three months’ pregnant with my son at the time, and the doctor told me that when I went in for surgery, if they found cancer, they were going to have to take both of my breasts and my baby. So it really scared me.  But, thankfully, everything turned out to be fine. 

After that, I had to go to the doctor a lot because they would find these little cysts that they would take out with a syringe. What they removed was always coffee-colored, so they told me it was nothing to worry about.

Where did you receive your treatments? 

I was in California at the time of my first surgery in 1970. I moved back home to North Dakota in 1972, so my treatments after that were done here. My surgery and chemo treatments were done at Sanford in Bismarck, and I received my other care at MCHC in Stanley. 

What was your experience like there? 

It was wonderful, he was a great doctor (Dr. Bennett at MCHC). This is crazy, but I felt so close to him — he knew everything about my breasts!

When I was diagnosed in 2021, I had chemo first, and I was kind of sick from it. I gained weight because I didn’t feel well and couldn’t do as much as I usually would. 

The type of cancer I had was called spindle cell neoplasm. My oncologist (Thandiwe Gray, M.D.) told me there were five of us who had the same kind of cancer at the same time, and we had the same chemo (which was different from other kinds of chemo). 

My chemo was from April to July of 2021, and my surgery was in July of 2021. By December, I was starting to feel like myself again. I went in for a lung biopsy between my surgery and then, because they thought I had lung cancer (but it turned out to be nothing). When we went in for the diagnosis, I cried because I was so happy! 

Now, I’m following up with yearly mammograms. 

Any advice you’d share with other women going through breast cancer treatment right now?

Have a support system, that’s the main thing. My husband was so good! My daughter and granddaughter did a lot for us too. They came over and did things for us. My granddaughter brought us groceries, and they both came and cleaned the house. At the time I was scared I’d go out and get COVID too, you know, so the only place we went was to the clinic in Bismarck. 

I had company at that time, and they didn’t want to get me sick, because you’re so susceptible to disease. So when people came to visit us, they’d visit in the garage or outside when it was warmer. It was hard. 

Even now, you have to stay away from people for a while after chemo, because of all the stuff you could get. Don’t think you can run around as much as you did before! You have to take care of yourself.

After a while, though, you have to get out and do stuff — don’t let yourself get stuck inside for too long! I was stuck inside for a year or more, scared to go out. I started back volunteering at the nursing home a couple of months ago now. I worked there for years. Now I go on Friday nights and dance with them. 

I’m doing great now. Well, I have other things — I have to have knee surgery in June, and I had my right shoulder done about 5 months ago…all kinds of operations! The scariest one was the breast cancer, though, it really was.

Another thing that helped me get through my treatment was that I read from my Bible and from the Jesus Calling devotional (by Sarah Young) every day — it’s something I always do and have done, but I wouldn’t have been able to get through it all without my Jesus.

Early Detection Could Save Your Life. Schedule Your Mammogram Today!

Thank you, Janis, for sharing your story with us! And congratulations on being cancer-free!

Take a page out of this breast cancer survivor’s book, and make sure to get routine mammograms — even if you don’t have a family history of cancer. Mammograms are quick, easy, and one of the best things you can do to take charge of your health and invest in your future.

Contact us today to set up your yearly mammogram at MCHC!

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month — Here’s What You Need To Know About Screening

21 May 2024 Colorectal Cancer Awareness, Health Awareness , , , , , , , ,

March was Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, but it’s always a good time to schedule your screening!

Since 2000, March has been the time for ​​colon cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates join together to spread awareness of colorectal cancer and the importance of prevention. 

In honor of this year’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we sat down with Abbey Ruland, PA-C at Mountrail County Medical Center, to learn her best tips and helpful information about colorectal cancer screenings. While Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month has passed, these things are always important to keep in mind.

Read on to learn some facts about colon cancer, the recommended timeline for screenings, and the different types of screenings available.

Did You Know…? Facts About Colon Cancer

Each year, around 150,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer in the U.S. 

It is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second deadliest type of cancer in the U.S. The average age of diagnosis is 66 years old, but people in their 40s and 50s are increasingly being diagnosed as well. In fact, about 10% of those diagnosed with colorectal cancer are now under age 50. 

The good news is that screenings can detect colorectal cancer — and when detected early, it is a highly treatable form of cancer. While more than 50,000 people will die from colon cancer this year, many more will survive their diagnosis, thanks to regular screenings.

How Often Should You Have a Colorectal Cancer Screening?

Previously, it was recommended that people start to get regular colon cancer screenings once they hit age 50. However, due to the increasing trend of colon cancer in younger people, that recommendation has changed — we now recommend screening starting at age 45. 

If caught in the early (precancerous) stages, colon cancer or colonic polyps can easily be removed during a colonoscopy. This is great news, because that means those polyps cannot continue to grow into colon cancer! In fact, if everyone had their screening done early enough, we could nearly wipe out advanced colon cancer. 

But having a colonoscopy is not exactly everyone’s idea of fun (it would be strange if it was!), so let’s talk about the various screening options available.

What Colon Cancer Screening Options Are Available?

Colonoscopy

The “gold standard” in colon cancer screening is the colonoscopy. This procedure is done at an outside facility: Most of our patients have them done in Minot, Tioga, or Bismarck, but we are happy to arrange your screening where it is most convenient for you.

A colonoscopy usually involves a day of “prep” in which the colon is cleaned out. This involves drinking clear liquids, taking laxatives, and spending a significant amount of time in the bathroom. Then the next day, you go to the facility for the colonoscopy, are sedated, and a surgeon uses a camera to look through the colon to find any abnormalities. (Note that because you are given sedation for the procedure, you will need to have a driver pick you up afterwards.)

The best part of a colonoscopy is that if any polyps are found, they can be removed, and the problem is solved before it even begins! 

If your colonoscopy is totally normal, we recommend having one every 10 years. 

DNA Stool Testing and FIT Tests

For many patients, a colonoscopy is not the only screening option available. There are a number of less invasive screening tools, including DNA stool-based testing (a.k.a., Cologuard) and FIT tests.

To qualify for either of these tests, patients need to be considered “low risk.” This means they need to have no family history of either colon cancer or precancerous polyps. Also, patients who have a history of precancerous polyps on previous colonoscopies do not qualify for stool screening tests.

DNA stool testing consists of a kit you can receive in the mail. You then place a stool sample in the appropriate container and mail it back to the company. The company will test the stool for blood and other DNA markers that can indicate colon cancer or precancerous polyps. 

If your results are negative, we recommend retesting every three years. If your results are positive, that may mean the test found cancer, but more commonly it means it found precancerous polyps that need to be removed. We would then schedule you for a colonoscopy for further evaluation, and if there is a precancerous polyp it will be removed during the procedure.

The FIT test is more basic than the DNA test, as it only checks for blood in the stool. This test needs to be completed yearly and is a little more likely to miss a cancer or precancerous polyp. Again, if the test returns a positive result it would be followed by a colonoscopy for further evaluation.

Neither of these tests require any prep, and both can be done from home, keeping you from missing a day or two of work. 

In addition, we now have standing orders in place for our patients for these tests, which means if you’re a regular patient who is at low risk, you can give us a call, speak to a nurse, and place an order for these tests to be completed…without even coming in for an appointment!

Schedule Your Colorectal Cancer Screening With MCMC Today

At MCMC, our goal is to help each of our patients live their longest, best life. We want to find problems before they begin — which is why colorectal cancer screening is so important. We encourage you to schedule an annual wellness exam to make sure we are keeping you in tip-top shape! Please don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment or reach out to the nurses to ask about getting your colorectal cancer screening scheduled today.

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