Scare Tactics

I'd like to say that finding this anomaly was enough to scare me right into a doctors office.  It wasn't.  Honestly, I didn't think much of it.  My husband and I had even tossed a few jokes back and forth - "Ya know, if they have to take it out, maybe while they are in there they can bring me up a cup size" and "Finally!  They're Growing!"  I really thought not much of it.

I did call my sister.  For one thing - I love her and I like to talk to her.  For another - she's had some experience with this whole lump finding thing.  Two malignant tumors removed and several benign ones, our family's been down this whole breast lump discovery and fear road before.  (It has to be noted here that my sister is 11 years older than I am, but wasn't much older than I am when her first tumor was found and removed).  She filled me in on her history.  Not just lumps - full blown cancer.  Lots and lots of benign tumors removed (15 I believe) and several fibroid edemas.  I took in the info and filed it into the "this could be useful later" file and then we started talking about sports and boys and politics (IE - our husbands).

I had an appointment scheduled with my GYN this week anyway, and when they called to confirm she asked me, "Is there anything else (other than the yearly torture session we plan to put you thru) that you have of concern for your doc?" 

Well....I did find this lump.


Any history of Breast Cancer in your family?

As a matter of fact...my sister...

Doc is going to want to see you as soon as possible.  When can you  come in?

Um...okay.

I suppose that is when I started to look at this thing a little more seriously.  Before I knew it my yearly torture session was canceled and moved to August and I had an appointment for a breast exam as well as a mammogram and an ultrasound.  The breast exam would be in one day, and the mammo in three weeks.  It was the first available appointment for that exam.  The nurse called me back two hours later to confirm I'd made the mammo appointment.  I told her yes, June 17.  She says...I'll call you back.

And she did.  Several times.  First she had an appointment on the 12th, then the 8th.  The 8th at three, the 8th at noon...can you be there by 10?

Before I know it she's got me scheduled for a mammo the same day as my appointment with my GYN  (I'm not sure how she pulled those strings or what she did-but I wasn't able to find anything in the valley THAT quickly.) 

So off to the appointments I went.  I can't say I was scared yet - I'm still not - but cautious, yes, cautious is a good word for how I feel.