W.I.K.A.B.C. - Frequently Asked Questions.

 1. Every time 'Breast this, breast that'; are you the first person to have breast cancer in Nigeria?

You are right, I am not and I won't be the last to have breast cancer. This is why I have chosen to be vocal about my experience, as the information I provide may be helpful to someone down the line. So abeg bear with me because I plan to keep disturbing you about this issue, God willing 🙏🏿😋.

Before this ordeal, I was one of those who thought that people younger than 40 couldn't get breast cancer. I was diagnosed at 32. Scientifically speaking, my treatment was successful because the cancer was detected early, and it was detected early because I performed my breast exams regularly.

This is why I keep making noise - the experts recommend monthly self exams. 

Here are some guides to help you perform your own breast exam:

Source: Google

Say these lemons were breasts, these are some abnormalities to look out for during a breast self exam. Source: Google

2. This level of sharing counters the African culture of secrecy and what some may call denial; why so rebellious?

😃. I am not rebellious. People are, literally, perishing for lack of knowledge. This is one of the times when what you don't know can kill you. What I am doing by talking about my experience is not sharing my deep secrets, but sharing information that I believe can help people. For instance, I have had a lot of people reach out to me to ask if there are treatment options in Nigeria! YES, THERE ARE!

In the same vein, some people don't think I should be telling everyone that one of my breasts was cut off. The story of my experience is not complete without sharing that information. I have to talk about it because some people may have to face the tough decision of cutting off their beloved breast(s). I am sharing to show that a fulfilling life is possible after such a 'disfiguring' procedure.

3. Speaking of breasts, how come you're not embarrassed to let people know you have only one?

Well, I like to think that people are more concerned about that fact that I survived breast cancer than they are about how many breasts I have. 

I cannot sit here and pretend that having a mastectomy did not dent my self confidence, but I have decided to grow through this experience. My husband (I love him so much) reminded me the other day that the way I had always carried myself like 'the sexiest big girl you know' was one of the most exciting things about me. I recommend taking stock of your confidence levels monthly, #Selfcare because I didn't realize how much confidence I had lost due to the mastectomy and added pregnancy weight. It seemed like I woke up one day and we couldn't recognize me anymore.

Thank God for prosthetics - at least I do not have to walk around with a lopsided chest. What it boils down to however, is how you feel when you're in your comfort zone and when you look at yourself in a mirror. It has taken sometime to get used to this new me, but I'm not about to stop being a #Vibe because of one breast.

I am a superwoman! I breastfed my first son till he turned 2 years old with one breast after the mastectomy and I am exclusively breastfeeding the second with this one breast. I also have about 6L (200oz) of milk stored in the freezer. 

Life doesn't end because of one less breast, some people don't have any. Some people have lost more important things than breasts. We still have life and it must go on!

4. Did you have to do anything special to be able to feed with only one boob?

As expected, I was worried at first. Then, I figured I wasn't the first person to try to breastfeed after a mastectomy, so I did some research - on Google and Instagram. I found stories of women who exclusively breastfed their babies with only one boob. Two of my people also shared their feeding-from-one-breast experiences; I felt so much better after reading all these stories. I asked God to help me breastfeed exclusively for 6 months.

After my second baby arrived, we used some formula for about 3 weeks, till I was able to establish my supply. I tried some popular breastfeeding cookies but they didn't do much for me. Drinking 2L daily has been the biggest help. I drink ogi (millet porridge) and oats too, but drinking water gives me the best results.

5. How much does breast cancer treatment cost?

See ehn, it is not chicken change. I cannot lie to you. If we didn't have health insurance, I don't know where we would be today. This is not a paid advert, but I am particularly grateful for AXA Mansard Health. I recommend their service - I have had reason to speak with their customer service reps on multiple occasions and they have been very helpful - with my breast cancer treatment and other health situations. (Side note: It is sad that because we have been so plagued by service providers behaving badly, we feel the need to specially thank people who do what we expect from them. Sigh).

That said, I don't know how much breast cancer treatment is. This is because:

a) The first parts of my treatment were covered by the HMO. I only signed claim forms for the treatments I received, I didn't ask how much. However, we paid out of pocket for the mastectomy itself and that cost about NGN 1,600,000.00.

b) Everyone's treatment isn't the same. I had multiple scans and tests, even an MRI and two biopsies. I didn't do any chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Even if I knew the exact amounts for every treatment, that information wouldn't be helpful to another breast cancer patient, except we are charting the exact same treatment course.

6. Are you completely cancer free?

Yes, based on my last tests, and I pray it stays that way in Jesus' name. Amen! There have been cases, however, of women who, after breast cancer treatment, developed other cancers either in a second breast or in other parts of their bodies.

I still perform my self breast exams and I am due for professional tests (Breast Ultrasound test, MRI, etc) in December. 

7. Should family members of breast cancer patients be worried?

Worried? No. Vigilant? Yes. Breast cancer is thought to be sometimes, not always, hereditary. Family members of breast cancer patients are sometimes asked to do the breast cancer gene test (BRCA) to determine if they have the gene mutation that makes them prone to breast cancer. 

I haven't done the BRCA tests yet, so I can't tell you a lot about it. When I first asked about it, I was told that the HMO wouldn't cover the payment and with the way my account was set up at the time... yeah... Lol. I will try to get it done during my next set of tests.

8. Which hospital can I go to for specialized breast cancer treatment?

I am weary of dropping hospital names in this post because making treatment decisions are more sensitive. I would prefer for people to make well informed decisions about where to receive treatment. I am willing to talk through the decision with anyone who needs help - ayomide@bymide.com

9. I have seen you talk about male breast cancer before, were you just pulling our legs?

Not at all. I know of at least one man, here in Nigeria, who has been treated for breast cancer before. Men have breast tissue too. Read what experts have to say about it here.

10. How are you still so upbeat and happy?

My sister/brother, problem no dey finish. I cannot 'tight' the whole world to my chest. LOL. Seriously though, my name is AYOMIDE which means 'My joy has come'. So, anywhere I enter like this 'GBAM!', joy go just full everywhere. 😁

Please stay safe; the corona virus has not left us yet. Please wear a mask, practice social distancing and wash your hands regularly.

Thank you for reading,

With love and soft dodo, 

Mide.