Local woman encourages patients to adapt and use humor

Willingness to make changes to accommodate those resulting from chemotherapy is something that one local breast cancer patient says is a must.

“You have to adapt,” Joyce Marsh, an East Shore resident explained.

Her breast cancer story began in February 2015 when she had a mammogram and complete physical performed from her Medicare plan at the age of 65.

Recalling she had “lumps the size of golf balls” in her breasts, Marsh, now 67, said her husband had passed away a few months before the doctor’s visit.

As a result, she said she “wasn’t paying attention to myself.”

Following the news from her physician, Marsh said she went to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for an intensive mammogram, where she found out she had a Stage 3 form of an aggressive breast cancer.

Doctors told her she needed emergency surgery.

Even though the severity of the situation was stressed by medical professionals, Marsh said that she was “numb” during the process.

“I had taken care of my husband (a Vietnam veteran) who was sick for a very long time,” Marsh said. “When he died, I was just numb when I was told I have cancer.”

Setting up appointments for biopsies and treatment, Marsh shared that she originally planned on telling her doctors that she wasn’t going to pursue treatment because “I lost my best friend.”

She credits one of her doctors for the push she needed to fight the cancer following a conversation at one of her visits.

Marsh had intense chemo from June through September in 2015, a double mastectomy and all of her lymph nodes removed, as well as six weeks of radiation.

While she was the caretaker for her husband, Marsh said her sons and their families were there to take care of her.

One son ran Marsh to appointments and was her “listening ears” at doctor visits.

“I couldn’t comprehend. I wasn’t hearing or understanding” what doctors and nurses were telling her.

Her other son acted as a nurse for a month, taking care of her at home.

Along the way, she said she hired a caretaker to help every other day.

During treatment, Marsh said she lost her hair and teeth.

Since the removal of her lymph nodes, her hands and feet are always numb.

Reiterating the need to adapt, Marsh said she finds that while she can’t wear nylons or socks, she can wear boiled wool on her feet to keep them warm.

“Everyone has different side effects from cancer treatment,” she said.

Since the “scare tactic” conversation with her doctor, Marsh said she takes care of herself by exercising and eating fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken.

She also attends therapy for lymphedema.

Although she’s on a medication regimen that makes her weak, Marsh still gets her own firewood and sometimes drives around town.

Throughout her journey, she noted that her “biggest joy” is trying to help other people through their struggles.

While receiving treatment in Kalispell, Marsh said that she would listen to people going through treatment, and now she can give them encouragement through their journey.

She opted to not have reconstructive surgery following her double mastectomy, a decision that led her to the Washington-based organization Knitted Knockers at the suggestion of her doctor.

Explaining that the knitted prosthetics are light and not heavy like others, Marsh said they can come with patterns or colors that might give a confidence boost.

“If you’re going to put something in your clothes to make (the appearance) look better… It gives you a smile,” she said.

“Humor is a wonderful part of trying to heal,” she added.

Marsh urges women to get regular mammograms, saying that programs are available to help with costs.

Pain, which has been associated with mammograms in the past, is not something she experienced.

“They don’t hurt like they used to. There are different techniques” that medical professionals use to perform mammograms, she said.

Marsh advised that patients should take time to research “who is taking care of you,” something she said she did.

“When some physicians have seen my chest,” she began, “they are in awe” because there is very little scaring.

“My surgeon was a magician,” she said.

Finally, Marsh said that patients should make sure they understand and feel comfortable with the treatment process.

Making sure patients grasp the process, “it’s okay to ask your own questions, to have the doctors explain” the situation in layman terms, she concluded.