THE BEGINNING - Monday, February 13, 2012
My radiologist told me I needed a breast biopsy to identify a suspicious microcalcification in my left breast. The film revealed a tiny jagged, white spot among smaller white spots. They were not in a cluster, but spread out like planets in a night sky.

BACKGROUND - Emotion/Stess/Diet
The news alarmed me because I am in a Ph.D. program and had my life planned out. But I had been ingesting crazy chemicals, like 20 cups of cheap tea ($1/box at Walmart) with two packets of equal and a couple tablespoons of cheap creamer per cup. In addition to that, I ingested a cup of Cool Whip per night with some frozen fruit. I don't eat a lot of high fat or sugery treats, other than one, cream filled donut on Sundays and 20-30 pieces of Willy Wonka's Gobstoppers on Saturdays. I have two slices of Little Ceasar's pizza on Saturday nights and two glasses of red wine on Friday nights with a small snack or meal.  My emotional status was high stress, but is now waning. I was constantly fighting with my dear husband about stupid things, like closing the drapes to maintain heat and lower bills. I prefer the sunshine - to which he has succumbed to as of late. I had returned to college in 2005 and graduated in 2009 with a teaching degree, then started a Master of Arts in English program and graduated in 2011.  I am currently an adjunct professor and teach two freshman English Critical Analysis and Composition classes. I also work in a low to moderatly-stressed railroad administration office. In 2010 and 2011, I worked for Chautauqua Institution in a very high-stressed job. Over the past 7 years, I would agree my stress levels have been high, but manageable and not uncomfortable except when I slept only 5 hours per night during my student teaching for a year. I taught religious education during this time, which was relaxing and fun for me. I also attend church regulary and volunteer for those in need. I wrote once-a-month for a newspaper supplement, but gave that up when I started my master's program. I have two children in college now, and a loving and caring husband who cooks and does laundry. He is also the primary bread winner in our family, but I wrote out the bills, until lately. I went through menopause without a lot of hoopla. We began practicing Natural Family Planning around the mid 1990's and I have not taken birth control or used devices since the early 80's. A family doctor had prescribed birth control pills to regulate menstruation when I was 16, and I stopped taking them when I was 20 when I found they were making me feel depressed. I had a copper-7 IUD, which was later replaced with a plastic IUD, which failed. The IUDs spanned a period of one year. Realizing my partner had no interest in the same values I did, I threw away the birth control and left. Ten years later I met my current husband, and had two normal childbirths. I didn't take any hormone replacements during menopause, or feel the need to. My hot flashes were only at night, and mood swings were sometimes troublesome, but nothing to run to the doctor about. I didn't have a lot of breast swelling or tenderness. Because I have low blood sugar, I eat 6 small meals a day and aim for foods high in protien. At times I consumed power bars high in fat and calories, until I realized I was gaining weight and so became more consious of nutrition labels on power bars. For the past 30 years, I have chosen whole wheat bread over white, multi-grain cereals, fruits, and vegetables. I use a microwave oven for most cooking. I drank 4-5 glasses of soy milk per week from 2005 until now. When I read more than once that soy could be responsible for raising estrogen in the body, I gave it up. More on that later. I was an aerobics intructor from 2008 to 2010 in the colleges I attended, occassionally ride a bicycle and swim in our pool in the summer months, and now ride an recumbant bicycle for 15-minutes (5 miles) per week with a target heart rate of 135.

I discussed work related stress problems with my doctor when I was in my early twenties.