After a Mastectomy at 83, UF Health Patient is “Healing Like A Teenager”

Anne Adams was a healthy 83-year-old woman, a retired acupuncturist living in St. Augustine with her husband. She had never had any concerns about breast cancer before, with no questionable lumps or mammogram results to speak of.

So, Adams was surprised when she noticed a bit of bloody discharge around her nipples, knowing that it could potentially be a sign of breast cancer. She made an appointment with her primary care doctor, who immediately ordered diagnostic imaging and testing.

“He said, ‘I really think you need to follow up on this immediately,’” Adams recalls. “I thought, ‘maybe.’ I really didn’t take it very seriously. But I did check it.”

Adams’ doctor referred her to UF Health Imaging – Flagler Hospital, where she underwent an MRI and a comprehensive set of diagnostic tests. Her primary care physician called with her results: Adams had ductal carcinoma in situ, a type of cancer that affects the cells in the milk ducts of the breasts.

Her doctor immediately referred her to UF Health Surgical Specialists – Flagler Hospital, where she met Christine Routhier, M.D., a board-certified surgeon who specializes in breast disease. While Adams had previously been told the cancer was only affecting her breast ducts, Dr. Routhier discovered it had spread throughout her right breast, with just three millimeters of tissue left before it reached her torso. Dr. Routhier and Adams prepared for a one-sided mastectomy.

“She told me I had caught it just in the nick of time and it didn’t look aggressive, which was lucky for me. So I said OK, let’s go for it,” says Adams. Only one week passed between Adams’ diagnosis and her surgery on September 19 of this year, thanks to the vigilance of her providers.

“I've met wonderful people and had fine service at UF Health every time. Everything was clean and efficient, but it really has that sort of small town feel that’s just so lovely. It has a personal feeling,” says Adams. She was comforted that all of her nurses and providers introduced themselves before her procedure and took her seriously when she informed them of how sensitive she is to medication. “I always say that to doctors, and mostly they ignore it. But these people all took it seriously and adjusted my medications, which made me so much more comfortable,” she says.

After one night in the hospital, Adams returned to her St. Augustine home, where nurses from UF Health St. Johns Home Care visited her for two weeks to ensure she was healing well and receiving the support she needed to care for her surgical site.

“They were lovely and charming and we would chat. I was treated as a person rather than a patient. The whole thing was just very well run,” Adams says.

Now, Adams is recovering at home and regaining her energy. Looking back on the year before her diagnosis, Adams realizes she was dealing with extreme fatigue.

“People have called me things like Miss Sunshine, and I was not so Miss Sunshine-y. After my breast was removed, it all came back. It was nice to get back to my old self,” she says.

As for her surgical site, Dr. Routhier has assured Adams that she is “healing like a teenager.”

If you are concerned about a strange new symptom, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. Providers at UF Health Primary Care in St. Johns and Flagler Counties are experts at diagnosing and creating treatment plans for even the most serious illnesses.