I'm fit and healthy so when I noticed a tiny lump on my chest while lying in bed I wasn't too worried. Then my life changed forever Jo Buena was fit and healthy when she received the life-changing diagnosis at 46 Read more: Mum diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis then Parkinson's disease By Carina Stathis For Daily Mail Australia Published: 08:18 EDT, 28 July 2024 | Updated: 08:18 EDT, 28 July 2024 e-mail View comments A month after Jo Buena had a double mastectomy to remove three small cancerous tumours in her breasts she felt an immediate sense of 'disconnect' with herself looking in the mirror. The then 46-year-old became overwhelmed with emotion.
'What did I do to myself? I feel like Frankenstein,' she asked herself. The fit and healthy sales analyst from Melbourne was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 11, 2023. Just a few weeks earlier, at Christmas , she felt a small but firm pebble-like lump on her left breast while lying down and rushed to the doctor.
It was her only symptom. A mammogram and X-ray confirmed two malignant tumours in her left breast and a benign tumour in her right and she was scheduled for surgery days later. 'I could only feel one near the surface on my left breast - I had no idea about the other two,' Jo, now 47, said, adding that the doctor suggested a double mastectomy.
'I was in denial [about the cancer] and had no time to panic. Preparing for surgery and packing a bag, it was like like I was going to a hair appointment, there was no time to think about it. 'Before surgery it felt like I was about to lose part of myself - I knew I wasn't going to be the same after it.
Even though before I was joking around saying the bright side is I'll have perky boobs for the rest of my life.' When Jo Buena (pictured) lost her mother to stage three breast cancer she was devastated - but she knew she didn't want to experience the same ill fate she witnessed The sales analyst from Melbourne received the shocking news just after Christmas in December 2022 Thinking back to when she first noticed the lump, Jo said she 'lay down in bed' and was scratching her left side when she felt it. 'It was hard and it was firm - like a smooth pebble,' she said.
It's common for women to experience breast discomfort during their menstrual cycle due to fluctuating hormone levels - which may also cause areas of lumpy breast tissue that feel tender, sore and swollen. But Jo knew the lump wasn't just fatty tissue because it 'didn't move' and was 'attached' to her breast. The fact that she was 46 - the same age as her mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer - was a coincidence Jo couldn't ignore.
But despite the ordeal she still considers herself 'lucky' because the cancer was caught early and was diagnosed as stage one because it hasn't spread to her lymph nodes Thinking back to when she first noticed the lump, Jo said she 'laid down in bed' and was scratching her left side when she felt it. 'It was hard and it was firm - like a smooth pebble,' she said (pictured with her partner) She added that before her mum was diagnosed her family had been free of any cancer or disease. Then she received her diagnosis along with two aunties and three cousins all around the same time.
'We were scrambling to find a surgeon to see me and luckily my sister who was scheduled in for a BRCA gene test was able to give me her appointment,' Jo said. At the time there was also a lot of 'backlog' of patients waiting to see doctors due to Covid. 'The day I was diagnosed, my surgeon said to me: 'Ok Jo, we have a problem.
This is cancerous. This is how we're going to handle it',' Jo said. 'But even before we had the results she was thinking of the all different options, so I knew I was in good hands.
She made it a matter of fact that I wasn't alone and she was going to help me.' Jo is sharing her story ahead of Daffodil Day on Thursday August 22 to raise awareness and ensure others check their breasts regularly - especially those with family histories of cancer Read More I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 33 and Parkinson's disease 15 years later Knowing her mum passed away in 2004 from the same cancer, the surgeon recommended a double mastectomy 'straight away' to reduce the chance that it could return in future. 'I'm not really spiritual but I knew before I even saw my doctor and got the results because I had a dream about my mom and she just told me, 'I'm sorry',' Jo said.
While being told you have cancer is something no one wants to hear, the news didn't sink in straight away and a wave of emotion hit her while sitting in the hospital. Doctors were injecting a 'radioactive dye' to check the lymph nodes weren't riddled with any cancerous cells, and in that moment Jo started bawling her eyes out. A month later when the bandages were removed was when reality hit.
But she knew having a double mastectomy was the 'right decision' - even though the cancer was in the early stages. Jo said watching her mum go through cancer treatment when it return twice was traumatising to watch - and she didn't want to experience the same fate. 'I thought if I'm going to go through it, I'll go through it once and that's it,' she said.
What are common symptoms of breast cancer? Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some do not have any signs or symptoms at all. Warning signs of breast cancer include: New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit) Thickening or swelling of part of the breast Irritation or dimpling of breast skin Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood Any change in the size or the shape of the breast Pain in any area of the breast Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer.
Source: CDC Advertisement In February she also needed to have her ovaries removed because the type of breast cancer she had was responsive to hormones - sending her into early menopause. This was part of her treatment plan to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. 'I don't want to feel sorry for myself, I'm still lucky - I didn't need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
So I'm not complaining,' she said. Jo shares her story ahead of Daffodil Day on Thursday August 22 to raise awareness and ensure others check their breasts regularly - especially those with family histories of cancer. 'Checking your breasts should be a habit just like brushing your teeth.
Plus that way you know what it feels like and it something feels off or changes,' Jo said. Cancer Melbourne Share or comment on this article: I'm fit and healthy so when I noticed a tiny lump on my chest while lying in bed I wasn't too worried. Then my life changed forever e-mail Add comment.
