Well Catheites, it is time to come clean over what has been up with me for the past 2 weeks. I had a mammogram at the beginning of December and the tech kept taking pics and pics and pics of my right breast. Scary! I finally asked what was up and she said that there were some calcifications in my right breast and that the radiologist would follow up with me. I also saw them on the films and didn't have a warm fuzzy feeling about it. The follow up was that they were scattered, nothing to fret about and "See ya next year." This was bugging me. I made an appointment with my OB/GYN and then decided "Maybe I can find these myself" and started doing a more thorough exam than the last 20 years or so of "Oh, I won't find anything anyway" type of exams. I ended up finding a little lump off to the right.
So, panic set in, but at least I had a doc appointment. I ended up bumping it up and seeing another OB/GYN on the Friday before Christmas. He, too, found the lump. I ended up getting referred to a breast surgeon, but again, the wait started for an appointment. I checked that damned lump every day and was getting more and more worked up. Like almost every woman, I have a couple of friends who have had breast cancer and a grandmother who actually died from it.
My appointment was yesterday and gratefully the lump was a cyst. The doc did find 2 other suspicious areas and sent me over to the ultrasound where they checked out the areas and found 2 MORE cysts - making a total of 5 that I never found because I either wasn't agressive enough or they were buried. I still have one more place that she doesn't like that hasn't been ruled out - it they rule it as a cyst, I am golden, but if they don't know what it is and that will come out and I am happy about that. I do trust the breast surgeon and she is as agressive as I want her to be and whatevery happens I know that she will do the best job for me. Likely the other mass is another cyst area, but I like that she just takes out what she doesn't like. She had a little "come to Jesus" meeting with me about performing the self exam thoroughly every single month.
The moral of the story is......let's make 2006 the year we all band together to keep our bodies in tip, top shape by performing the self exam every month! Mammograms are a tool, but they miss 1 in 10 tumors. Your doc might find one, but nobody knows you like you! The last 2 weeks have been full of the fear and heartache every woman knows when something like this happens and I am happy to report that part is winding down and I can move into taking care of myself. Let's keep each other on our toes and checking every month.
Melissa
Keep your head in line. Your butt will follow.
http://www.picturetrail.com/pellmel
So, panic set in, but at least I had a doc appointment. I ended up bumping it up and seeing another OB/GYN on the Friday before Christmas. He, too, found the lump. I ended up getting referred to a breast surgeon, but again, the wait started for an appointment. I checked that damned lump every day and was getting more and more worked up. Like almost every woman, I have a couple of friends who have had breast cancer and a grandmother who actually died from it.
My appointment was yesterday and gratefully the lump was a cyst. The doc did find 2 other suspicious areas and sent me over to the ultrasound where they checked out the areas and found 2 MORE cysts - making a total of 5 that I never found because I either wasn't agressive enough or they were buried. I still have one more place that she doesn't like that hasn't been ruled out - it they rule it as a cyst, I am golden, but if they don't know what it is and that will come out and I am happy about that. I do trust the breast surgeon and she is as agressive as I want her to be and whatevery happens I know that she will do the best job for me. Likely the other mass is another cyst area, but I like that she just takes out what she doesn't like. She had a little "come to Jesus" meeting with me about performing the self exam thoroughly every single month.
The moral of the story is......let's make 2006 the year we all band together to keep our bodies in tip, top shape by performing the self exam every month! Mammograms are a tool, but they miss 1 in 10 tumors. Your doc might find one, but nobody knows you like you! The last 2 weeks have been full of the fear and heartache every woman knows when something like this happens and I am happy to report that part is winding down and I can move into taking care of myself. Let's keep each other on our toes and checking every month.
Melissa
Keep your head in line. Your butt will follow.
http://www.picturetrail.com/pellmel
