As a teen, Jenn Smith was diagnosed with an endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). “I started taking birth control to regulate my period when I was 13,” she said. She sometimes took progesterone therapy and was always on some kind of birth control or hormone therapy.
Leading Up to a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
In 2021, Jenn was diagnosed with stage 2B hormone-positive invasive ductal carcinoma. “I’d be interested someday if we have more research around PCOS and taking birth control and what affect that might have later for women.”
Finding a Lump
It was just two weeks after Jenn’s well women exam, which had come back fine, that she felt a lump in her breast. “It was a hard lump in my right breast on the outside quadrant. My husband felt it, too,” she said. “Once I felt the lump initially, it was like intuitively I knew it was going to be breast cancer. Obviously, I hoped it wasn’t anything, but intuitively, I knew it was cancer.”
A Mammogram and Breast Ultrasound
Jenn scheduled an appointment with her OBGYN for another breast exam. Her doctor felt the lump, too, and sent her for a mammogram. “They decided to do an ultrasound as well while I was there,” Jenn said. “I could tell things were not great when that happened, because they don’t always immediately send somebody back for an ultrasound. If everything looks great, they send you on your merry way.”
A Breast Biopsy
The ultrasound showed two suspicious spots, so a breast biopsy was scheduled. “My husband and I had an anniversary trip to Cancun that week and I ruminated whether to go or not, but we ended up going,” Jenn said. She had the biopsy when they returned. “I remember the person doing the biopsy asking if I’d talked to my doctor about a breast surgeon, and I said no, why do I need a breast surgeon?”
The Results: Breast Cancer
The next day, Jenn’s wedding anniversary, she got the results of the biopsy. “It was cancerous,” she said. “I felt all the emotions, of course. I have two kids at home. You know this is going to be really rough. I had all the thoughts – what if I die and leave my family behind?”
Choosing a Breast Surgeon
After her breast cancer diagnosis, Jenn immediately began reaching out to her community and on social media, asking for breast surgeons in the area. After receiving three recommendations for the same surgeon, she looked at their website. “They had really helpful videos about different choices you have, lumpectomy or mastectomy, why you might choose different surgery types,” Jenn said.
She also soaked up as much information as she could before her appointment. “My breast surgeon also did a really great job of explaining everything that was going to happen, what things are going to look like, who the team members are and oncologist recommendations. It made me feel informed and in charge of what was going to happen,” she said.
Preparing for Treatment
At the time, Jenn’s care team believed the two spots were separate tumors, she wouldn’t need chemotherapy and that the cancer was stage 1. She opted for a bilateral mastectomy and then breast reconstruction. However, during surgery, it turned out the two spots were one tumor and there were micro spots throughout her breast and into the lymph nodes.
“They took out 11 lymph nodes on the right side, but there was nothing on the left side, luckily,” Jenn said. “Because of that, my Oncotype DX (a tumor profiling test) score was 13, so I had to have chemotherapy. It devastated me because I was right on the border, my margins were clean during surgery.”
Treatment Begins
Jenn healed from surgery and reconstruction before starting chemotherapy. “It was such a weird experience to not have breasts anymore, so I did mourn that loss,” she said. “I had ups and downs during the recovery time prior to chemotherapy, where I felt like okay, I’m good with this, but then I also had times of mourning the loss of my breasts. I breastfed my two kids and I really enjoyed it, so it was difficult.”
Her treatment included four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by 30 rounds of radiation therapy. “I started losing my hair after the first round of chemotherapy, and that was hard. I really loved my hair, but a friend came over and we had a little party and she buzzed it off,” Jenn said.
Because Jenn’s breast cancer was hormone positive, she will be on an aromatase inhibitor (a type of hormone therapy) for at least five years. Her doctor also recommended an oophorectomy, which she had in 2022. “In hindsight, I probably should have done a hysterectomy, but I was so sick of being poked and prodded that at the time, I wanted the easiest procedure as possible,” she said.
Adjusting to Treatment
Jenn is on letrozole and she had a difficult time with it at the beginning. “I had a lot of bone pain and actually started using THC because of the pain,” she said. “The first two weeks I was on letrozole I was very depressed as I adjusted to the medication. But once I got over that hump, it seemed to even out and I was back to my normal self as far as my mental state.”
Importance of Sharing Her Breast Cancer Story
For Jenn, sharing her breast cancer story is therapeutic. “I’m a very open person because of other life experiences,” she said. “When you share something hard, people are going to be able to empathize with you or they’re going to feel like they’re not alone.”
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
