Early Warning Signs.
Before I learned that I had breast cancer, I did have some early warning signs. Signs that I felt but did not recognize.
Toben was born in July of 2015. I was committed to nursing him. I had nursed all of my children and had even gone as long as 15 months.
This time was different. Here are some early warning signs that I had that I didn't know were pointing me towards "something is wrong".
I had a very low milk supply on my right side.
He never seemed content after a feeding.
While nursing I always had to hold him in really uncomfortable positions to latch him onto my right side. Like I had to prop him up higher to reach while the left side was his favored side and very easy to hold him comfortably while feeding on that side.
He wasn't gaining adequate weight. At about his 2 month appt the Drs. said he needed supplemental feeding. I never needed this with the others. I simply thought I needed to pump more or feed more often to build my supply up. My boy was HUNGRY! 
I had burning shooting pains that were like a bolt of electricity every so often shoot down from my upper chest to my lower right breast. The discomfort was quick but enough where I would have to press down on the zap to alleviate the discomfort. I attributed this to a similar feeling you have when breastfeeding when your milk drops and has a little twinge of pain that drops down to release your milk. I didn't honestly think anything of this other than the possibility that it was from my milk drying up since I had stopped nursing recently.
My bra was beginning to fit strangely on the right side as if it was too big on that side. Again I just thought this was because I had more milk in the left side than the right so naturally it wouldn't fit the same.
I had to stop nursing early, like before he even turned one. This was not the same as my nursing experience with my other babies.
Believe it or not while pregnant I had a lab drawn that showed a high white blood count. It was never questioned but was the first time that had every happened to me and I found it quite strange but I figured if the Drs. didn't say anything then it must be nothing.
As you can see, I had many warning signs. I did not know it at the time but looking back, the signs where there. I believe I had breast cancer throughout my pregnancy and well into the first year of Toben's birth. It went undetected for several months.
My challenge to you is to pay attention to those early warning signs. If something feels off, advocate for yourself. Better to be safe than sorry!
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