Seriously. This is going to be a long post. Beware.
So, last Wednesday I went for my first mammogram. When I went in, the technician told me that I had a 30% chance that I would be called back for additional views since it was my first one. Fast forward to Monday-I got the call. They wanted me to return for additional views. No big deal-I kind of expected I would get the call, so I really wasn't concerned. Yesterday I went for the additional views. When I walked into the room, the technician told me they would just be doing the right side. Then, I looked over and saw the image with a circle around a part of it. I asked her "did they find something?". She said "he's looking at calcifications". So, I figured it probably was nothing. After she finished (the first one I had didn't hurt-this one HURT my skin and they had to take several different pictures), she told me to have a seat so she could "go talk to the radiologist and find out the next steps". That made me a bit nervous since I figured they would just call me with the results. And next steps? What does that mean? So, I waited for a while and then the door opened. A man walked in with the technician and she introduced him as Dr. something (I can't remember his name). He told me that there is an area of concern-an area of irregular calcification that he "thinks" is benign, but he just isn't sure. He asked another radiologist to read it and they came up with the same impression. He said that generally these types of cells are not in young women, so they could be the early stages of invasive breast cancer. He then told me that I needed to have a stereotactic biopsy. He also said if I wanted to I could just wait six months and have another mammogram, but he really seemed to be leaning towards biopsy. So, I asked him what he would recommend if it were his daughter or wife. He said "get the biopsy asap" without hesitation. Ok then. He told me that my doctor would get the report within a couple of days and she could schedule the biopsy. I left feeling a bit shaken, but figured odds are in my favor that it's benign. I called my husband and then my mother, then decided to go directly to my doctor's office to get the process going. When I arrived, I started talking to the receptionist and she said that my doctor had just gotten off the phone with the radiologist. He had called her after speaking to me. That freaked me out a bit because he had told me he would send her the report in a couple of days and now I find out that he actually called her? The receptionist went to speak to my doctor and came back with "she wants to talk to you". Great. So, I waited in the waiting area for a while. She came out to get me and told me the radiologist had called her and we need to schedule a biopsy. Then, she said: "he said it's a 50/50 chance of malignancy". 50/50?? What the hell? What happened to "it's probably benign"? We talked about family history (my paternal grandmother died of breast cancer, but nothing on the maternal side) and she said they would call me with an appointment. I told her that my eye surgery is scheduled for June 27 and I do not want to reschedule that since I've been dealing with that since November. She said they will most likely get me in before that for the biopsy, so it's fine to keep that scheduled.
I went to pick up the girls and stopped for a pizza on the way home (BBQ chicken). Total emotional eating. Whatever. Today, I am pissed. I got up, went to the gym and after doing my 30 minutes on the elliptical, discovered that I had finished an extra half mile than usual. I guess that is a positive way to let my anger out. :) I came into work and had my planned breakfast (frittata I made on Sunday with kale, onions, mushrooms, and red pepper & blackberries on the side) when someone came in and said another coworker brought in bagels. Nope-not gonna go there this morning! I may not be able to control my medical issues, but I can control my workouts and food. And I plan on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment