It took almost a month to make an appointment. It took a month of closet feeling my breast-- a
month of worrying. I was probably touching my lump a hundred times a day to see
if it had changed at all. I was even probably doing it in public and not even
noticing.
March 4, 2016- Working a full time job and two part time
jobs, it’s incredibly hard to find a mutually convenient time in your schedule to
make a doctor’s appointment without having to call off of work. I went to the walk in clinic and I was
informed they did not do anything related to breast lumps or pain. However,
after expressing my scheduling conflicts a sweet nurse and doctor did an examination
on me and referred me to get an ultrasound done. Which I ended up having to reschedule
due to work reasons.
March 11, 2016- I finally got an appointment that worked with
my work schedule. An emergency room case came in resulting in me sitting in the
waiting room for two hours. I couldn’t attend the appointment, because a case
was coming into the center and I needed to get back to work.
March 16, 2016- I was the first patient to be seen. They did
an ultrasound first.
An ultrasound uses sound waves to
produce pictures of the inside of the body. It’s a pretty painless procedure,
although there is some pressure, and it was a tad bit uncomfortable when they
examined around the lump. They took what seemed to be like 1,000 images, which
when you’re lying on an exam table with your arms above your head, in a gown
that has been worn by several hundred woman, your mind can only race to all the
things that could possibly be wrong with you. They wanted to do a mammogram to
clarify whatever they saw on the ultrasound screen. A mammogram?! Aren’t those
for old ladies? (Compared to my age yes- women are recommended to start getting
mammograms at the age of 40). I’ve only been told horror stories about how much
it hurts to get your boobs ‘squished’ in this machine, and at this point I was
terrified. I texted my mom and let her know that they wanted to do the mammogram,
to which she started to worry.
Mammograms are x-ray exams of the
breast. They are most often used to screen for breast cancer in women who have
no symptoms. Mammograms and other breast imaging tests can also be used in
women who have breast symptoms, such as a lump or pain, or who have a
suspicious change seen on a screening mammogram. The machine has 2 plates that compress or
flatten the breast to spread the tissue apart not entirely painful, just
uncomfortable and a lot of pressure. They put markers or stickers on you that are
designed to show up on the mammogram, without hiding any breast tissue. They
adhere to the surface of the skin and mark out and help locate a spot, such as
nipples or if/where the lump is. Read More about Mammograms Here: (http://www.cancer.org/healthy/findcancerearly/examandtestdescriptions/mammogramsandotherbreastimagingprocedures/mammograms-and-other-breast-imaging-procedures-toc)
As the nurse positioned my breast up on the glass, tears ran down my face.
I couldn’t wipe the tears away, because you have to stand perfectly still to
get the best image possible. I joked with the nurse apologizing that my 36B’s
weren’t bigger and she said that it doesn’t matter what size your breasts
are. The mammogram images must not have
proven better news as they ordered a biopsy of the lump. By this time my
step-father Wade had showed up to be with me so I wasn’t alone.
A biopsy removes cells or tissue
from the suspicious area of the breast. I had a needle biopsy which uses a
hollow needle to remove samples of tissue or cells from the breast. The cells or tissue are studied under a
microscope to see if cancer is present. When they explain the procedure it
sounds like it’s going to hurt, however, the only real pain I felt with it is
the numbing shot they give before they took the sample. The sound of the samples
being taken almost sounds like a piercing gun. I only felt one of the seven
samples they took. They give you little ice packs that fit comfortable in your
bra. To reduce bruising they tell you to apply pressure-awkward. It will bruise, and be sore for a while. Read
More about biopsies here: http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/Biopsies.html
After the samples were collected the doctor came back in and said that the
hospital would call with the results in approximately two days. I remember
asking “Resulting what? If I have… cancer?” That word chilled me to the bone
and I instantly started crying. However, the doctor said to not worry because I’m
so young the chances of it actually being cancer are slim to none—ha. So I left
the hospital and went to work, applying pressure to my breast for the remainder
of the day.
Advice: Don’t let your ego get in your way. If something is not right with
you, make yourself first priority and TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. <3
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