Well, I have my mammogram
scheduled, and rescheduled and then rescheduled once again. The original
time was scheduled for me and was in the middle of the day. I called
and got it changed to first thing in the morning..like before 8 in the
morning. Then they changed our work schedule so I called and got it
changed to late in the afternoon. I'll miss less work that way. I was
and am determined to have this done. No, I don't enjoy it. No, I don't
think it is fun. No, it is not my idea of a good time. No, I do not look
forward to this with any excitement. Yes, I will get it done. Yes, I
will be uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed as I'm not one to let it
all hang out. Yes, I know it is important...trust me I know. Yes, I will
be nervous until the results are known.
Why?
Because I am a breast cancer survivor.
Because my cancer was caught by my very first mammogram.
Because should it ever return, I want it to be caught just as early.
In
2008 I went in for my very first mammogram. While I wasn't sure exactly
how mammograms were done, I had a good idea from all of the horror
stories that I've heard. I followed the instructions that I had been
given, then when my name was called I went back to the room...the room
with a radiation warning sign outside the door. I walked in and again
began following the instructions that I was being given. All of those,
stand here, lean this way, put your arm here, somewhere along the lines
should have been the "this is going to hurt' warning. But I managed to
get through it and then went to get dressed and leave. I was warned that
since this was my first I might get a call back being they had nothing
with which to compare the images. I did get called back. I was operating
on the idea that it was all routine, until she kept going over the same
area time and again and only on one side. After being told to get
dressed and take a seat in the waiting area because they wanted to do an
ultra- sound I was beginning to get uncomfortable.
The
room for the ultra-sound was cold, I undressed to the waist and put on
the little pink paper vest. The technician came in and did the test. She
knew what she was looking for but all I could see was something with
the appearance of a lunar landscape. Once she was finished she began to
pack up and told me to get dressed, they would be in touch.
All
of the tests came back with results that had my doctor scheduling me to
see a surgeon. A needle biopsy confirmed the presence of cells that
might mean cancer but that a surgical biopsy was needed. The surgical
biopsy proved all the maybe's to be definites. I had breast cancer. It
was small, the surgeon was amazed that the technicians had seen it. But
we knew it was there, time to get rid of it. The surgery was worrisome,
as the anesthesia made me nauseous. Afterward though, the surgeon told
us that she got it all. Once i had healed up some, then the decision
would be made as to treatments. That turned out to be six weeks of
radiation. By the end of the six weeks I was nearly crawling. I had no
energy, no desire to do much of anything. I did manage some how to not
miss any work other than the day of and the day after my cancer surgery.
Everything else was set up so that I went in to work early and left
early for treatments. When they were finished, I was glad. Now I only
had to wait to make sure it was really, truly, completely gone. And it
was. Now, 6 years later I am still cancer free. Healthy, feeling better
than I have in a very long time.
Because
I followed my doctor's advice, and had the mammogram, even though it was
embarrassing. Even though it was confusing. Even though it is not
comfortable. It IS important. I'm thankful that the company I work for
covers the entire cost of this test, otherwise there are many I am sure
that would not get the test that they need. A test, that does go a long
way in helping save lives.
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