I Found Blood In My Breast Milk But Survived Cancer, Survivor Shares Experience

It was a scary experience for a young mother, but Ayomide Agbola is a woman of guts, and her will to live eventually crushed her trauma.  At 32 years of age and nursing her first child, she woke up to find blood in her breast milk.

While sharing her experience with THE WHISTLER, she said an immediate diagnosis revealed that the cells that line the milk ducts of her breast had become cancerous, but they had not spread into surrounding breast tissue.

Blood in my breast

It started with blood in her breast milk towards the end of 2018, when she was 32 years old.

Towards the end of 2018 , the electrical engineer noticed blood in her breast milk and she  went ahead to consult a general surgeon who did a physical examination and concluded that her breast ducts were simply flaring up and there was no lump. That gave her hope.

“He recommended a mammogram, which did not yield any conclusive results. I later learnt that mammogram results aren’t viable for pre-menopausal women,” she said. 

To her greatest relief,  the bleeding stopped, and happiness flowed through her heart as she thought she  had nothing else to worry about. But she was wrong.

Later in the same year, the bleeding started again and became  worse.  She carried out another self – examination of the breasts and found a lump.

“I visited a doctor who confirmed that there was indeed a lump in my left breast and advised a lumpectomy in order to examine the lump and check if it was cancerous. I received the cancer diagnosis a few weeks after the lumpectomy was done,” she explained.

Nobody in her family has ever had breast cancer so the thought of the dreaded disease had never crossed  her mind.

“I wasn’t sure how to feel but I didn’t let emotions cloud my judgement. I knew I would need to make some very serious decisions, so it was important not to be in my feelings.”

I got rid of the breast 

“I had a second lumpectomy at the beginning of 2019 – this was necessary to check if the cancer was only in the lump or if it had spread to both sides of the left breast tissue. The test results showed that the cancer wasn’t contained within the lump alone. 

“The doctor explained the results carefully and then gave me many options including Hormonal medication and Chemotherapy. After much consideration, I decided to cut off my left  breast. 

“A mastectomy gave me the most peace of mind; I felt that it was the surest way to get rid of the disease entirely. It was then explained to me that if the tests showed cancer in the breast tissue margins and lymph nodes, I would need a radiation and or chemotherapy. “

She subsequently did the mastectomy in May 2019. “ I have a huge scar over the left side of my chest but I am cancer free and  I did not need any chemo or radiation,” she revealed smiling.

Her husband, families and friends were her biggest cheerleaders as they all stood by her throughout the diagnoses and treatments. 

Child Fed on One Breast

After cutting off the breast, she was  able to breastfeed her child exclusively for  6months using the healthy breast. And for the next five months, the baby fed on stored milk.

“He is 14months now and he only sucks for recreational purposes and to soothe. I plan to nurse him till he’s 2.

“My first is almost 4 years now– that’s the one I was breastfeeding when I found the lump.

On plans to have more children she said: “My mothers will be reading this article; I don’t think I should answer.”

Victory over Cancer

She also revealed that  “a mastectomy is a disfiguring procedure. Getting comfortable in this new appearance is a never-ending assignment, but it’s an assignment that I understand. I’m grateful to the people who have developed prosthetic breasts and enabled people like me to continue living life like nothing happened.”

The cancer survivor however said that breast cancer is very treatable, as long as it is detected early. 

“Breast self- exams are extremely important, they allow us to get familiar with something I call a breast map, making it very easy to detect any anomalies. 

“When further testing is required (e.g. after a lump is found), mammograms are recommended for women who have experienced menopause, and Breast Ultrasounds for pre-menopausal women.”