As a Breastfeeding Mom Who Also Worked as a Lactation Consultant, I Thought My Breast Lump Was a Clogged Milk Duct

As explained to to Erica Rimlinger

My three children and I experienced an effortless time breastfeeding, and I nursed my kids for as extensive as possible. Good friends teased, “Those infants are old adequate to question for a soda,” but I did not care. I’m an coverage agent by trade and a wellbeing advocate by passion. I taught exercising classes for pregnant gals and furnished lactation instruction for ladies in the WIC program. I’m a cheerleader for wellness, and I advertise the wellness-improving benefits of breastfeeding for moms and toddlers. On the street of health, my lane is avoidance.

When a challenging lump appeared while I was nursing my third son, I imagined I had a clogged milk duct. In my many years of breastfeeding and functioning with breastfeeding gals, I’d observed clogged milk ducts, but I’d never had one particular right before. The ordinary remedies of warm compression and massage didn’t operate, so, puzzled, I went to the health practitioner.

I’d not long ago moved from Rochester, New York, to Houston, Texas, to get my diploma in kinesiology with a concentrate on well being coaching at Texas Woman’s University (TWU). I lived around Texas Professional medical Heart, a block absent from the TWU campus. With no non-public healthcare provider (HCP), I went to TWU’s Pupil Wellness Business, which was operate by the College of Texas. To my shock, the HCP explained to me I essential a mammogram. Then, just after viewing the mammogram, she explained to me to get an appointment with an oncologist.

“Why would I see an oncologist for a breastfeeding concern?” I asked. “Tell me straight. What is heading on?” I tried to get the HCP to appear me in the eye. She averted my gaze and my dilemma, and said, “If a person suggests you never have to have a mastectomy, they are lying to you.”

I was 43 several years aged and a balanced mother. I exercised 6 times a week. I never took or desired to take drugs, even an aspirin. Now, the word “oncologist” hung in the air like a ghost. My father and his two brothers experienced died of pancreatic cancer. I realized what an oncologist did.

Tamiko Byrd with her small children, 2022. (Picture/Cocoa Rae David)

Tamiko Byrd with her kids, 2022. (Picture/Cocoa Rae David)

Two months later on, I sat at a round convention desk at the University of Texas MD Anderson Most cancers Middle with a group of 5 professional medical industry experts. I received my straight response. I’d gone through a entire day of screening and learned I had stage 4 breast most cancers. My left breast was riddled with tumors that experienced metastasized to my shoulder blade.

I remembered what my sister, a nurse practitioner, stated when our father was diagnosed with phase 4 most cancers: “There’s no phase 5.” That day, my sister was on a enterprise excursion in Costa Rica when I identified as and advised her. She fainted.

I felt faint, as well, but I had a battle to get. Within a week, my mother and sister arrived in Houston to assist my treatment, which commenced nearly instantly with chemotherapy.

I now felt just as unwell as my prognosis implied. I thought I’d recognised what fatigue was, but I did not. I considered I realized how unwell I could be and survive, but I didn’t. I misplaced my hair, and my eyebrows and eyelashes: the essence of my womanhood. The cancer heart had a splendor salon the place they shaved me, so I would not have to observe my hair fall out strand by strand. I silently prayed, “It’s just you and me, God! I’m scared. I really don’t want to die, God!”

I had been operating 30 hours a 7 days when I attended college. My health protection would have kicked in just after 90 times, but I was identified with most cancers the 7 days before protection started off, so I was denied protection. The good news is, I worked in coverage for yrs, and I realized I could appeal. As I worked, attended college, elevated my sons and fought for my daily life with each mobile in my physique, I also went to battle with the wellbeing insurance coverage firm, appealing its final decision. I was really and unusually fortuitous that the clinic allowed me to go on remedy all through my charm. I would, soon after preventing for months, finally earn the attractiveness. In the meantime, I used for Medicaid and gained it.

I know that if I didn’t materialize to have a background in insurance policy, I in no way could have navigated the complex and time-consuming charm process. I could scarcely manage it in the issue I was in.

I dropped emotion in my toes and fingers. My joints ached. My fingernails and teeth loosened. But that was not the worst of it. Soon after my fifth round of chemotherapy, I dropped regulate of my bowels at perform. “This can not be going on,” I sobbed, as I frantically rushed to clear up my mess in the rest room with thin brown paper towels in among bouts of throwing up. I remaining work that day and never ever went back.

As tricky as this was, I experienced religion that God was with me. I journaled my journey on Facebook to rally help and let my buddies and relatives know we had been combating. From as much away as Africa, Rochester and Costa Rica, my community rallied with prayer circles, groceries, foodstuff, wigs, childcare aid and more. Just before my mastectomy, I threw a likely-away bash for my remaining breast. It was an personal moment the place I sang, cried, prayed and mourned for my breast. In Rochester, I experienced operate a absolutely free community exercising application known as Soul Health 10 hrs for each 7 days. Now my aged pupils have been instructing me that when you give anything to the community, the local community presents back.

A single month just after my mastectomy, my quality point average dropped to 2.99 and I was instantly kicked out of college. For months, my spirits experienced been buoyed with really like from my local community and household. But I’d also been buoyed by the mental stimulation of university, by understanding and keeping my brain lively, and pursuing my aspiration of starting to be a credentialed wellbeing coach.

I received indignant. I had lastly gained my enchantment in opposition to the insurance policy company, and now most cancers was coming to consider away my education and learning. “You cannot have my brain, far too,” I informed most cancers, and I submitted an enchantment at the school.

The dean and administration in the graduate studies plan couldn’t figure out why I needed to continue to be. “Why not just take some time to concentration on regaining your wellbeing?” they questioned. But I did not know if I ever would get back my well being, and I needed to shell out what ever time I had still left pursuing my dream.

I understood why persons quit — but I was not going to. I would never quit.

The college relented, telling me, “OK, Ms. Byrd. We have never observed anyone struggle this hard.” I was allowed to retake my semester. But they warned me: Financial help would not go over it, and if I failed, I was out for great. I assured them I experienced fought so a lot of battles, I could handle a single much more.

A week later on, I went to the healthcare facility for my scheduled total human body scan.

The scan found no proof of condition.

Battling every single move of the way, I’d overwhelmed phase 4 breast cancer.

I returned to school. I been given an A+ in my retaken lessons. I graduated with an government MBA and a master’s degree in kinesiology, the only pupil in my course to graduate with two degrees.

Now, when persons check with me how I did it, I explain to them all the classes I figured out in daily life prior to my cancer prognosis have been preparing me for a war I never ever considered I’d have to enter. The most crucial lesson was this: Hold preventing. Even when it seems like you won’t earn — in particular when it appears like you won’t acquire — battle anyway.

This source is developed with support from Merck & Sanofi.