One of the scariest symptoms of cancer that no one should ignore is no symptoms at all. At 67 I had no pain, no blood in my stool, no blockage in my colon yet I had a nearly 2″ tumor.

I had taken a cologuard test that turned up positive but getting an appointment for a colonoscopy was 3 months out so I tried another doctor and that was 3 months out as well. Not having any symptoms I forgot about it until my Doctor asked me if I had scheduled an appointment to which I had to admit I had forgotten about it.

After making an appointment in November for a January visit the tumor was discovered. My Doctor freaked out of course and got me fast tracked in for surgery two weeks later.

I dodged a bullet but by no effort of being prompt or vigilant. I was lucky but I almost fell victim to the no symptoms train of thought. By the time I had symptoms I may have been in an advanced stage needing more surgery and or chemo.

so I would say if you are 45 and older just because you have no symptoms don’t ignore the fact that you might not have the beginning of cancer like I did. Get checked out regularly because no symptoms could be the deadliest.

It was the day after Thanksgiving 2025, two unusually warm and sunny days. One day I am enjoying the holiday going on the first run with my 3 year old daughter (it was adorable), the next day, I felt the lump. Three weeks earlier my primary care doctor at the time had done a full breast exam and said I had “fibrocystic breasts”.

I was in the shower getting ready for work that Friday, and had been feeling a hardness on my right breast, but I was also nursing my 10 month old son and had suffered from multiple, very painful clogged ducts, especially in that stubborn right breast. But all of the sudden I said to myself “Wait? What’s that? It’s not…just….. hardness.”

Rubbed completely over the top of my breast. I thought, “Another clogged duct?” No, this one is firm, it doesn’t move, and there was zero pain. And, it was bigger. It was the size between a gum ball and a golf ball.

Of course, it was a Friday of a holiday weekend, when everything happens. So the next day I went to urgent care, who did a scan and sent me to get an MRI, and things went very quickly after that. On December third, my mother’s birthday, I was officially diagnosed with Stage 3C (right) breast cancer, with localized metastasis to all of the lymph nodes on the right breast plus one on the right clavicle. Thankfully, it did not spread anywhere else.

I had started back exercising after having my son in February 2015 and was extremely fatigued. I thought it was expected after having twins (my baby girl only lived 1 day and 6 hours), working out trying to lose the 45 lbs I gained, while working full-time and trying to raise my son and his 3 year old sister. No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn’t reach my usual time. I couldn’t make my usual distance.

Those were my symptoms. Basically fatigue. And the lump was different from the clogged ducts. It was hard but not painful, and it was fixed, not malleable.

Since my Her2+ErPr- cancer has a 72% chance of coming back within 5 years, every symptom I have makes me fear it came back. Especially because the fatigue got worse and did not leave. I feel pressure that I must catch a recurrence myself, or it won’t be caught.

Despite GI problems since chemo and radiation were over, so far I am in remission 3 years and some change. I am still working full-time, pushing hard through pain and fatigue. I am still trying to make my usual time, and reach my usual distance. No runs yet, but I bought new running shoes for my birthday, and my now 7 year-old daughter is ready to go.