My story started about 3 week ago. I noticed breast pain on my right side, and when feeling around I felt a very obvious hard lump. It felt like maybe an infection in my milk duct but I never saw any redness and never had a fever. I was definately concerned but I had a pap smear already scheduled in 2 weeks. I thought about coming in sooner, but everything I read said that anything 'bad' doesn't usually hurt. I figured I would just be paranoid like usual for a couple of weeks, then go in and find out that I was overreacting and that it was nothing serious. THAT is what I thought would happen. Damn it, I wish that is the way it turned out.
Thursday June 14- I went to my gynecologist and he said he thought it was just a cyst, but sent me for a mammogram to make sure. Ahhh- the lovely boobie pancake machine!
June 15- They were able to get me in really quickly! When I first got to the breast center I sort of freaked out. The breast center is inside the Cancer building. Yes, it makes sense, but it didn't makie me feel better- that's for sure. The mammogram noted something suspicious, so the dr at the breast center did an ultrasound. It was definately suspicious- not round (bad) more tall that wide (double bad), and not fluid filled (bad). She wants me to come back in for a biopsy. They don't want to do it right then because it is friday, and pathology likes to do things a certain way and weekends mess them up. At this point- I am still holding it together. there are lots of things that can happen in breast tissue that may need to come out, but aren't always cancer.
After my ultrasound, the nurse that did my mammogram sat me down to explain the biopsy and to schedule it. In the middle of this- she gets all choked up and teary eyed! I was like OMG what WHAT are you doing??? I was holding it together up till that point. Then I had a very very bad feeling. She knew something. At that point, I think I knew. We were able to schedule my biopsy for the next monday.
I went home and did massive amounts of research. It's the only thing I could do, and the only thing I could think about. If you know me, you know I like to diagnose myself and even come up with my own treatments. LOL! And yes, I am usually right, and very good at it. I researched pictures of breasts- the inner workings of them. I decided that *if* it was cancer, it would be Ductal Carcinoma (hopefully In Situ). So I went to Jim with my diagnosis. He laughted at me because I was being crazy as usual. That's okay- I knew I was being crazy. I know nothing about cancer. I have never wanted to know anything about it. Especially breast cancer- after all, I had NO risk factors, I had all my babies young, and I breast fed. In fact I breast fed for 4 years total. That pretty much makes my boobs immune to *bad stuff* right?
Are you breastfeeding now? So weird, I was just thinking today that I've BF'd for a total of 4 years. Thinking of you, mama.
ReplyDeleteNo, I quit breastfeeding almost exactly 2 years ago, but between all three kids added up- it was 4 years total.
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