Being able to ask for help is one of the first steps of getting through a diagnosis of breast cancer, according to Orion Township Clerk Jill Bastian. Bastian recently underwent a mastectomy and will soon undergo chemotherapy.
“You have to let people help you,” she said while recovering in her Heights Road home. According to Bastian, a group called Reach to Recovery from the American Cancer Society (ACS) contacts breast cancer patients and asks if they would like someone to assist them.
“My doctor’s wife went through the same procedure…she had the same team of surgeons,” said Bastian. “She gave me a lot of information. You don’t want to be complacent (when you discover a lump). You want to go to your doctor immediately.”
Bastian discovered a large lump in her breast around November 2002. She said she didn’t think much of it at first, because she had been finding lumps in her breasts for over 20 years.
“I had my first biopsy in the early 80s,” she said. “In 1991 and 1994 I had biopsies.”
The results thus far had always been benign. When she found the lump in November, she said she didn’t see any reason to suspect differently and wasn’t in a hurry to go have it checked out by a doctor.
“Check stuff out,” Bastian advises. “In this case, I knew about this lump a couple of months, and it was huge.
“In January I thought “I really should do this,'” she said. “That was my one year anniversary of seeing my doctor.”
Bastian contacted her doctor, and on Feb. 7 he called and told her she should see a surgeon.
“Why I called right then (to the surgeon), I don’t know,” she said. “I could have put it off.”
But she didn’t, and she was able to have a biopsy done on Feb. 14. The 13th turned out to be her last day at work in the clerk’s office, for a while at least.
“We went to see (the surgeon) on Feb. 18 and he said ‘I don’t have good news,'” Bastian said. “Then the bottom drops out of your world.”
Bastian was given the option of a lumpectomy, to remove the lump in her breast, or a mastectomy to remove the breast.
“With a lumpectomy you have to undergo radiation for sure,” she said. “They were also going to be checking lymph nodes to see if it had spread.”
Bastian underwent a mastectomy and had lymph nodes removed from the arm on that side.
“You’re recovering from two procedures, but they’re done at the same time,” she said. “When they did the mastectomy, they found cancer in the breast and sentinal node, which goes up your arm. If they find it in the sentinal node, you’re having chemo.”
Bastian said her grandmother died of breast cancer, but her own mother never had it.
“Apparently Southeast Michigan has the highest rate of prostrate cancer and breast cancer,” she said. “Lots of people have had (breast cancer) and never had a reoccurrence.”
Bastian said one of the first things she did after her diagnosis was get a book called “Breast Cancer The Complete Guide.” The Orion Township Library has a copy.
“It goes through from the beginning to the end, with all sorts of options,” she said. “There are also lots of drugs available, and your doctor will give you a unique recipe after you have all these tests.”
Bastian had to have a drain put in her arm after surgery, and is also required to do exercises to help regain the use of her arm, which is now highly susceptible to infection do to removal of lymph nodes, which assist the immune system.
“The exercises are absolutely incredible,” she said. “I’ve regained a lot of use of my arm.”
Bastian advises others in her situation to “ask lots of questions” and consider joining a support group. Bastian plans to attend one at Crittendon Hospital in Rochester called “Just Between Us.”
“They say writing a diary is also very good to help you recover,” Bastian said. “You’re sort of like ‘This isn’t happening to me.’ I’m telling myself it’s not going to be all that bad, and I’ll get through it.”
Besides her recovery diary, Bastian also keeps written records of all things medical-related, including a list of when she takes liquids and medication.
“You need to rest and drink fluids. Insurance doesn’t let you stay in the hospital very long. With a mastectomy, you are only there overnight,” she said.
Bastian will undergo chemotherapy but said she doesn’t know exactly when yet.
“They have to do tests first,” she said. “My daughter’s already looking for hats for me.” Bastian said there’s a local group called Look Good, Feel Better run through ACS.
“They help you with hats and make up, while you are going through chemo,” she said. “People should also check with their insurance company to see if “hair prostheses” (wigs) are covered.”
Bastian said lots of things in her life have changed since the surgery, including little things like her former sleeping position.
“I used to sleep on my stomach. I’ve also been putting CDs on at night to help me sleep, which is something I never used to do,” she said, adding that everyone at the township has been supportive of her.
“Everyone in town has been supportive,” she said.”Incredibly, that helps. The staff (in the clerk’s office) has just taken over and other people have stepped in so I can just worry about getting well.”
Bastian hopes to return to the next township board meeting, scheduled for March 17, and said she will probably come back to work in the clerk’s office “in bits and pieces.”
“It’s times like this when you find out how indispensable you really are,” she said. “Other people can do it. This has been like a reality check for my life.”
For more information about breast cancer and support groups, contact ACS at 1-800-227-2345, or locally in Southfield at (248) 557-5353. ACS is online at www.cancer.org.