Katie Thurston was in shock when she found out that she had breast cancer earlier this year. The diagnosis came after she found a lump in her breast months earlier. She initially ignored the lump, thinking it was a benign cyst like she’d had previously. But after the lump didn’t go away and started to hurt, she got it checked out.
The results showed that Katie Thurston had Stage 3 breast cancer. After changing doctors amid a move from California to New York, she found out that the cancer was actually Stage 4. She made the move across the country to be with her now-husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri.
The Stage 4 cancer diagnosis came with the news that the cancer had spread to the liver. The news prompted Katie Thurston to get full-body scans to check for skin cancer or other abnormalities to be on the safe side. The skin cancer check came back clear. Furthermore, the latest MRI and PET scans showed that the breast and liver cancer were shrinking. However, Katie Thurston has made it clear that her followers understand that she will always have cancer, regardless of whether the treatment works or not.
Her treatment plan doesn’t include chemotherapy at this point in time. Chemotherapy is an option for the future. But for now, she takes oral medication and a monthly injection that blocks her hormones. Hormones are thought to increase the chance of the cancer spreading. The injections have put Katie Thurston into early menopause.
She’s been struggling with hot flashes and other symptoms of the cancer treatment. Just as one cancer seems to be under control, the reality star has found another health issue that concerns her.
Katie Thurston Self-Diagnoses Health Issue
Katie Thurston keeps her social media followers updated about her breast cancer journey on her main Instagram and the Boobie Broadcast channel she created just for breast cancer patients and survivors.
In a recent post, the Bachelorette star revealed that an ovarian cyst was found on the scans she had in February. She never sought treatment for it due to all the other things going on. She self-diagnosed as still having the cyst. Her reasoning for believing that was that pushing on her stomach caused period-like pains.
She shared that she isn’t sure what to do about the cyst. She debated with herself whether to remove it, leave it, or take a more drastic step and remove her ovaries.
Bachelorette Star Is Weighing Her Options
Katie Thurston confessed that she was sick of going to the doctor every month for the hormone-blocking injections. She brought up the idea of removing her ovaries to her doctor. The doctor said it was up to Katie, but reminded her that she would be going to the doctor every month regardless of whether she needed the injection or not.
So, now the Bachelorette star is weighing the pros and cons of getting one or both of her ovaries removed versus just the cyst. She asked her Boobie Broadcast subscribers if they had any experience with ovarian cysts or words of advice for the new health struggle.
She has yet to make a decision but will likely update her followers once she does. What do you think she should do – remove the cyst or the entire ovary?
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger