Fight For My Life: A Personal Testimony of a Battle with Breast Cancer

By Mi'Chelle Nelson

After a battle with breast cancer Mi’Chelle Nelson shares intimate encounters in this first-class life experience book, “Fight for my Life.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9781483521374

Book preview

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Chapter One

The Diagnosis

Though he slay me yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job 13:15 KJV

It all began one Friday afternoon in June, while sitting at my desk at work. I felt an extreme tenderness under my arm. I had actually noticed the pain faintly a few days before, but ignored it. After all, it was just a little spot that was tender and it was way too small to be alarmed. However on Friday, as I sat there working on my computer, the pain suddenly became so tender and painful, that I could not pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. It began hurting so badly that the pain was distorted. My left breast, back, side and arm throbbed with an agonizing pain. After about an hour, I began probing softly for the core of the pain. I probed for nearly twenty minutes before I discovered a knot under my arm. I cried quietly wishing that my mother was there so that I could tell her what was happening to me. My mom and dad were both away attending a church convention in down state New York. Then they were going on to minister at a revival in New Jersey. I knew that they would be home on Sunday morning, but I really wanted them there right then. I tried ignoring the pains and continued working but it eventually became unbearable to move my arm or hand at all.

You’re going to be alright. I encouraged myself as the pain worsened. I waited nearly two hours before calling my doctor. It was so late that my doctor’s office was closed. But I finally spoke with an on call doctor that thought it might not be a good idea to wait until Monday to be seen. She told me to go into the aftercare office just to make sure that everything was all right. I began immediately making provision to go there.

My daughter Kristin was watching television in the next room with her babysitter and my son Christian had not gotten to the church from school yet. I went over to the next room to let my babysitter know that I had a doctor’s appointment and would return shortly for my six o’ clock choir rehearsal. I never missed choir rehearsal after all, I was the directress. I was the pastor’s daughter, church secretary, minister of music, worship leader and a youth pastor at my church. I rarely missed anything and orchestrated almost everything for the ministry. My parents were away and I knew that I had to be back in a timely fashion. My eldest nephew Jamie, who also worked at the church office, had left the office to do some errands and would not be returning until church time, after choir rehearsal. I knew he had a lot to do and really didn’t want to bother him prematurely. I decided to hold off calling him, hoping that I would be back on time to unlock the sanctuary doors myself.

I made the journey alone to the doctor’s office. At the aftercare office, a woman doctor who felt very strongly that I should go to the emergency department to rule everything out saw me. She wanted to send me in an ambulance but I promised her that I would go straight to emergency and that I had someone to drive me there. I knew that there was something seriously wrong by the way I felt. Her call to the hospital, to make them aware that I was coming, was only confirmation to what I knew. The doctor’s precautionary measures really confirmed my thoughts. Out of all the many times I chose to ignore the doctor, today I decided to listen. I walked slowly to the car and began dialing my sister Joyce’s number. She didn’t answer. I called my other sisters first Dita, then Johnnita and neither of them answered their phones. I did not want to be late for my rehearsal, so I decided to drive myself to emergency.

I drove nervously to the hospital. The doctor had previously checked the color code statuses, and the one I was headed for had the least amount of wait time. But, time was slipping away. It was now an hour before choir rehearsal. I remembered to stay calm as I called my nephew Jamie to inform him of what was going on with me. I thanked God he had already gotten back to the church. I briefed him about what was going on with me and he assured me that he would let the directors and musicians know that I had an emergency and would be late. I arrived at the hospital and remembered that no one was there with me. Although, I did feel a little calmer now that my bases were covered. I called Joyce back again. This time I told myself that I would leave her a message, if she didn’t answer. She answered and was sitting in the waiting room right next to me in less than twenty minutes. We called my sister Carmelitta in Baltimore to let her know what was going on. I really didn’t want to call my parents prematurely and interrupt them while they were busy ministering, so we decided to wait to call them after the doctor saw me. I didn’t want to have them worried about me.

Joyce and I sat laughing nervously being entertained by the numerous situations that were going on in the emergency waiting room. Although I was laughing hysterically with Joyce, I was in a lot of pain. After a three-hour wait, I was eventually called to the back and taken into a room. The truth of the matter was I was a nervous wreck. Simply explaining why I was there to the nurse was difficult for me. I caught a frog in my throat each time I told the story. I could not figure out why I was so emotional and why I had knots in the bottom of my stomach. I was unusually nervous. They sent a technician in to do blood work. An hour later, I was taken down for an x-ray, a cat scan and lastly an ultra sound that felt like lasted forever. As the technician rolled the probe continuously over my upper arm, I repeatedly told him that the knot was located under my arm, not where he was checking. I know, I know. He said ignoring me and continuing to do his job.

The ultra sound had to have taken an hour. It felt like it lasted forever.

Okay Mi’Chelle, calm down. I said aloud knowing that soon enough, he would be finished. Finally, when the probing stopped, I was rolled back to the room where Joyce sat waiting for me. She kept me laughing but I was beginning to become edgy. I felt like there were way too many tests being done for no one to be telling me anything. My arm was getting more and more tender, swollen and almost impossible to move.

Well we know it’s not cancer. Because the knot would not be sore. The nurse announced. Cancer doesn’t hurt. She said reassuring me loudly.

Girl you probably just used some deodorant that got into a hair bump and it got infected that’s all. They’ll probably give you an antibiotic and send you home. You’ll be fine. Joyce said trying to comfort me. No sooner did she complete that statement before two doctors came in asking me my weight and shoving a pill down my throat. The third doctor that entered seemed to be the head honcho. He was the one who carried the announcement; You are going to have stay in the hospital tonight. He said with no expression.

For what? Joyce and I sang out in unison.

Well, you have a blood clot in your upper arm and we need to get you on a blood thinner. Were going to have to monitor you for the next twenty-four hours. You’ll be able to go home tomorrow. Who lives with you? Is there someone there that can help to care for you? Have you ever had a blood clot before? Does your family have history of blood clots? After twenty-four hours you’ll go home with a nurse coming twice a day to give you your shots and check your vitals. You will be on this medication for the next six months and possibly for the rest of your life. The questions were a mile a minute and the comments came before I had a chance to answer the questions.

Huh? I said bewildered. I’m sure the doctors started building their defense mechanisms just by the expression I had on my face. I was in shock. I definitely wasn’t expecting anything serious to be wrong with me.

This is very serious and we want to make sure that this clot will dissolve and not move to your heart or to your lungs........