140: Jessica Wharton survived breast cancer | chemotherapy | taxol | super radiation | red devil | ptsd

    When Jessica Whorton discovered lumps on her left breast in 2011, she sought medical attention.  The doctors she spoke with said breast cancer was not indicated.  She walked around with the lumps for another nine months before seeking a second opinion.  Tests revealed she had Stage 3A invasive ductal carcinoma.  Doctors urged that she get a double mastectomy even though her right breast was still healthy.  After chemotherapy and radiation, Jessica achieved survivorship in 2013.   Jessica thought there was something wrong when she detected three lumps on her left breast in 2011.  She had them looked at, but doctors said they didn't feel anything that seemed cancerous.  Jessica did nothing for the next nine months, but then decided she needed to be seen by a different care team, led by a plastic surgeon.  After tests and a biopsy, he said while her right breast was healthy, there was cancer in her left breast.   As if that diagnosis weren't enough, her care team urged Jessica to undergo a double mastectomy to minimize the chance of a recurrence in the right breast.  The following week she underwent the procedure, and it was successful.   Jessica was told her post-surgery regimen would have to start with what is known as the 'red devil,' a highly-potent chemotherapy cocktail.  She suffered the usual side effects, including extreme fatigue and hair loss.  After the red devil, Jessica was supposed to go on Taxol, but she had an allergic reaction to it and the Taxol was discontinued after two dosages.   Next up was super radiation, requiring 30 visits administered five days a week.  Jessica said the Taxol experience made the radiation even tougher, and just when she started feeling better after her weekly two days off, she would have to go in for more radiation.   However, things changed for the better and in 2013, Jessica Wharton was told she had gone into remission.  The day she got the news was, she said, "Like winning the lottery."  She has been in remission ever since.   Jessica says to this day she still feels the effects of PTSD and is not able to return to the workforce on a full-time basis, but she is grateful that cancer is in her past.