I took my achy arm pit for a mammogram which led to a sonogram which led to a needle biopsy which ended in a big bloody mess. They hit a vein and couldn't get me to stop bleeding. After several attempts at compression bandages they finally gave me a shot of epinephrine and that did the trick. Because there was "so much bleeding" they sent me to a breast specialist to "have the hematoma checked". When I got there the doctor examined me and said the hematoma was fine but that I had breast cancer...stage 2...very treatable....prepare for the marathon....set up appointments...there was a buzzing in my ears, I could hear the words but comprehension was not coming to me.
I got in my car and called my husband and cried.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Let's start at the beginning...
June 2000, while on vacation at Deep Creek Lake, MD I felt a thickness in my right breast and it was kind of sore. I asked my husband to feel it (he was more than happy to oblige) and I could tell by the look on his face that he felt it too. Appointment scheduled!
My doctor said he thought it might be from too much caffeine and that it didn't seem too worrisome but just to be on the safe side let's schedule a mammogram (I was 38 at the time). The mammogram showed microcalcifications "which are highly indicative of breast cancer". Biopsy scheduled....prepare for the worse...have the tough talks...tell my family...ugh. A lumpectomy was preformed (on 9/11/00, weird) and the chunk was sent out to pathology. Waiting for results was agony. The good news arrived and I did not have breast cancer (I still have my doubts about this), let's have a baby!
We did. Two as a matter of fact.
I was watched carefully, for several years, having mammograms and/or sonograms to keep an eye on the chunk....no changes...new technology provided little scares each time but were quickly quelled with further investigation.
Fast forward to October 2014. My yearly mammogram had already been scheduled, I had a few weeks to go before it was to happen...I had a strange aching feeling in my arm pit and it seemed as though it looked a little swollen, but I'm pretty chubby, so maybe that's it...
My doctor said he thought it might be from too much caffeine and that it didn't seem too worrisome but just to be on the safe side let's schedule a mammogram (I was 38 at the time). The mammogram showed microcalcifications "which are highly indicative of breast cancer". Biopsy scheduled....prepare for the worse...have the tough talks...tell my family...ugh. A lumpectomy was preformed (on 9/11/00, weird) and the chunk was sent out to pathology. Waiting for results was agony. The good news arrived and I did not have breast cancer (I still have my doubts about this), let's have a baby!
We did. Two as a matter of fact.
I was watched carefully, for several years, having mammograms and/or sonograms to keep an eye on the chunk....no changes...new technology provided little scares each time but were quickly quelled with further investigation.
Fast forward to October 2014. My yearly mammogram had already been scheduled, I had a few weeks to go before it was to happen...I had a strange aching feeling in my arm pit and it seemed as though it looked a little swollen, but I'm pretty chubby, so maybe that's it...
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