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Tumors don’t all look the same.  I didn’t notice mine visually for quite some time even after diagnosis.  However, I gradually began to see nodules forming at the surface over my tumor and eventually, the tumor itself grew large enough that it began to change the shape/size of my left breast.  At it’s worst, the tumor turned the skin of my left breast dark purple, almost black, and wrinkly.  There were numerous nodules and some began to turn white.  When this occurred, oncologists sent me to radiology to zap the tumor for a quick fix.  The radiation worked quickly to shrink the mass, and it spared me what would have inevitably been skin breakage and open wounds at the surface.

The tumor and skin of my left breast have served as an excellent marker for determining whether or not a treatment is “working”.  If the tumor continues to grow during treatment, we know it isn’t working, and we move on to the next line.  If it shrinks or the nodules clear up, the treatment is effective and we stick with it.

I posted pictures of my breast at various points throughout the past year on the Timeline page of this site.  Be careful if you pull up that page while you’re at work!  I’d hate for my cancer porn to get you fired!  Ha