Leaving Corporate American and Following My Yellow Brick Road Part III

Happy Friday Everyone,

I am working on Part III to the Story, that I promise has a Happy Ending and many joys along the way!

I will be posting it this weekend!  So, stay tuned!

Much Love and Light,

Kimberley

Leaving Corporate America and Following My Yellow Brick Road Part 2

Hi there everyone, well here is the second part to the story I started to share with you the other day. Thanks so much for reading.  I do hope these blog posts inspire you to take a leap of faith to live your dreams, despite obstacles that might come your way. It is also my prayer that you will educate yourself about your healthcare, become a partner with the many wonderful medical professionals ,both alternative and conventional that this world has to offer. Lastly , be still, listen to your inner guidance. it will give you the answers you search for.

And so my tests results came in.

No cancer. But some type of cell abnormalities were found. My OB/GYN physician wanted me to go
to a breast surgeon for further evaluation. I asked, why? I don't have cancer , why on earth would I go to a breast surgeon? She felt that this put me at "high risk." I thought to myself, high risk? Really? Because my Mom had breast cancer and there are a couple abnormalities found?  I am not my Mother, we both have unique and beautiful bodies of our own, why does society try to put that belief system in our heads?

I called the breast surgeon's office and asked them what they would do for "further evaluation?" And the woman told me, well, we would perform a biopsy in the hospital. My response to her was: "I already had one and no cancer was detected, why would I need another one and what is the difference between the biopsy I just had and this one?" She stated that they would do an excision biopsy this time, just in case. "Just in case?" Really?"  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  My instincts as someone who had been an Administrator in the Health Care Industry for over 20 years, said, " well, that really seems like a waste of health care dollars."  And the personal side of me said that this made no sense at all!

I knew this didn't make any sense and intuitively I knew deep down inside myself that this was not the right course of action for me. I didn't quite know why I had that feeling but I did, despite the fact that I was scared. Not scared that I was delivered some kind of death sentence, just scared because I took a leap of faith to leave my nicely paid corporate job to pursue my dreams and now I was going to have to address this.

My friends and family all know how important being healthy is to me and that I will find a solution.  However, I knew that solution was going to come with spending part of the money I had saved to live off of for the next few months. But, I know that taking care of me is the number one priority because nothing else is going to get done if I don't.

Once again, I went to my "go to strategy" and I asked that the results be faxed to me so that I could
begin to educate myself about what was truly going on.

What Did the Results Say?

Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia with microcalcifications.

What Did I do?  

I started my research.

Here is the definition from Wikipedia:

Atypical ductal hyperplasia, abbreviated ADH, is the term used for a benign lesion of the breast that indicates an increased risk of breast cancer.^[1]

The name of the entity is descriptive of the lesion; ADH is characterized by cellular proliferation (hyperplasia) within one or two breast ducts and (histomorphologic) architectural abnormalities, i.e. the cells are arranged in an abnormal or atypical way.

In the context of a core (needle) biopsy, ADH is considered an indication for a breast lumpectomy, also known as a surgical (excisional) biopsy, to exclude the presence of breast cancer.^[2]

And here is what Johns Hopkins had to say about it:

What is atypical ductal hyperplasia?

Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is not a form of breast cancer. Rather, it is a marker for women who may have a risk factor for developing breast cancer in the future. If you have a biopsy that shows atypical ductal hyperplasia in one of your breasts, your doctor will want to follow your breast health very carefully.

Armed with this knowledge, you will want to choose a comprehensive breast center. At the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, our team of breast cancer specialists is recognized for their expertise in evaluating and treating breast cancer. Further, our team of nurses, navigators and survivor volunteers are passionately committed to preventing, fighting and treating breast cancer.

Women with ADH should never undergo a voluntary preventative/prophylactic mastectomy. Our physicians and staff are specially trained to help women understand ADH and what their risks may be for developing breast cancer.

Ok, now what? That is the "conventional definition", now what do I do? Even with this information, I wanted to research further. I wanted to know what the integrative/alternative medicine folks thought about this.

And so my search continued.

I will let you know what I found in the next segment.  

Much love, light, health and Happiness,

Kimberley

Continuation of Leaving Corporate America and Following My Yellow Brick Road

My dear readers, I was hard at work editing my novel today and tweeking the Part II of my story.

Stay tuned, I will be posting it tomorrow.  Thanks so much for coming back! See you tomorrow.

Leaving Corporate America and Following My Yellow Brick Road Part I

My last blog post of "What Do I Know" informed you know that I was leaving my corporate job and walking into my "dream life of writing and creating."  Well, I did just that. I left Corporate America.


The last month of my life there was intense, of course, why wouldn't it be? My days were filled with people wanting me to share my knowledge, asking me to document everything I had learned over the last eight years, finish complex contracts and takeover a major project initiative. Ok, let me get right on that! Really?!  For those of you who know me well, I am not one to write down everything I do.  "I just know" what to do based on my experience and if I don't know, I go find answers and pick up the phone and call people until I find a solution! Then, I get the job done and I move on! Now, that is not a preferable style to those people who like every process documented.  Especially when a key member of the team is leaving. People make assumptions that the job was don't right or done well.  And to those people I say, it's a different outlook and a different way, it's not right or wrong, it's just My Way.  My goal was simply to try and finish everything I had started and educate my staff as much as I could. I didn't want to let my internal team down, nor did I want to let down those external people with whom I had developed strong, long term healthy relationships.

The result?

There were things I got to finish and others I truly wished I could have, but time did not allow it. It was stressful for sure and the challenging personalities came out in droves just to test my patience and my will to persevere to the October 31st goal line.

Each day I looked at my team of "three" and cherished every moment with them, telling them how amazing they really are because I knew the day was soon approaching that I would no longer be there to tell them.

I had a boss that confirmed on a daily basis that I was making the right decision.

I hung a calendar in my home office and each day that I finished at the office , I gave myself a big, fat "X."

My resolve was tested even further as I went for some routine medical tests to make sure I could "cross them off the list" before my corporate sponsored insurance was to end.  I went for a mammogram and much to my surprise, the lovely woman who was the technician, told me so sweetly "we found something, you need to come back." I looked at her and said " I just came here to check this off the box."

She looked at me with empathetic eyes and said she could fit me in for a biopsy a few days later. She was so sweet and kind, I can still see her caring face in my mind.

Shocked, scared, confused and angry.  I agreed to the appointment.  This was not in my "plan." What the heck? I work out, I eat well compared to the average person and I try to keep myself mentally healthy.  I didn't have time to deal with this nor did I want to !

So, what did I do then? Well, what I always do, I set out to research the biopsy process and understand what I was walking into and what they would be able to determine from the test.

And so, I had to cancel a business trip to Phoenix and instead a dear friend drove me to the biopsy appointment. He was so kind, he went out of his way to get me my beloved coffee before he picked me up.

I was certainly not the "in control, Kim, he was used to." Instead, I got in the car, scared, in disbelief and wanting it over with as soon as possible. My poor friend probably didn't know what to do with me! Who was this woman? I will truly be grateful to him for this. On our drive to the appointment, he said " I will wait in the car and if you need anything, text me. " He has no idea how comforting it was to know he was by my side.

I walked in and had the biopsy done, but not after questioning everything and almost cancelling it after they told me they were going to put a piece of metal in my breast! What?!  And then the anxiety started because I had to sit and wait (not one of my strong traits!) . I wanted my friend in the room with me in the worst way as he always calms me when he is around, no matter what is happening, his presence always makes me feel like he will be my strength. He never seems to waver in a storm.

I sent a quick text to him as I waited and  told him I was already starting to hyperventilate.  He text me back, asking if I was "ok" and that soothed my anxious heart. I just needed to know he would come and get me if I started to panic.

It was a long two hours and thanks goes out to a wonderful yoga instructor who I met last summer, who taught me how to meditate.  I used those tools all throughout the procedure! Thanks so much Michael!

I got in the car and again didn't say too much. I was sore and just wanted to go home and crawl under the covers. I didn't know how to act in front of my friend as my left breast felt like a balloon that had been blown up. I tried to cover it up, feeling a bit broken and less than a woman.  He looked at me and asked me how it went, I looked at him and said "look at me" as I showed him my "balloon."  He smirked a bit which I didn't find funny!!  But I knew in my heart that he was not judging nor did he see me differently, I knew he was my friend no matter what. I was the one who felt different.  We began our journey home and I put my hand on top of his, wanting him to grab my hand, so I could feel his touch and have the reassurance that all would be ok and he was right there with me.

 It was a silent drive home. He gave me a hug and we said our goodbyes. I will never forget his kindness.

I took my clothes off, grabbed my favorite pj's, crawled into bed and welcomed sleep with my two black cats, Bailey and Bella.

I nurtured my spirit and my physical body over the next few days and waited. I utilized healing tools that I knew would be helpful no matter what - thank you Marquerite for teaching me the healing methods of Edgar Cayce! and the power of castor oil.  I called in to work and let myself sleep. I bought some iodine and spread it on my breast to help the pain (not too much, you don't want to screw up your thyroid!). I also applied a castor oil pack to my breast to help heal whatever was happening inside of me. I had no idea what was happening, but "What I Do Know" is that Castor Oil has been used for centuries and it's healing properties are amazing for so many things.

For the second time in my life, I didn't feel like a "complete" woman. I didn't feel like I was the "sexy, confident woman" my friends had come to know. All I wanted to do was heal myself and hide from the world.  I focused even more on what I ate and drank.  I know that food is everything when it comes to being healthy!   I prayed and I listened to the teachers on line that I knew would get me through this. I needed them, their focus on a Higher Power and their ability to take my thoughts to the non-physical realm.

And I waited for the results to come.


Stay Tuned for Part II of the story ... My Yellow Brick Road..

Much Love and Light ,
Kimberley