THE NEED FOR FURTHER EVALUATION – MY Mammogram Story #GetAMammogram
On 6/28, I received a letter from Advanced Radiology, the place where my very first mammogram was preformed. It said “Your breast imaging procedure performed on 6/21/2013 shows the need for further evaluation.”
F U R T H E R E V A L U A T I O N
Those words were all I could see as I read the letter again and again. A million feelings coursed through my body, “further evaluation” means they found cancer, surely this is why I needed to make another appointment, they are going to tell me I have cancer.
I was confused, why hadn’t my Doctor called to tell me that they needed “further evaluation” –why aren’t I there now getting whatever tests they need to come to a conclusion? As I scrambled with these thoughts, I called my Doctor to find some answers but could only leave a message, she wasn’t there. How could she not be there in a time like this?
I figured I should call the Radiology place to get seen right away, and they scheduled me for July 23rd, um, that’s a long time away, shouldn’t they want to see me today, tomorrow at the latest? So this made me think that perhaps it wasn’t so bad, if they are waiting this long then it can’t be too serious, right?
RIGHT?
I did manage to speak with a Doctor above mine, and she informed me that they found asymmetrical tissue in my left breast and assured me that there could be a lot of different reasons; dense breasts, time of month, a cyst, calcification, and so on. She never said cancer, but of course my brain was saying it because honestly she didn’t know what it was, hence the reason for an ultrasound.
So I spent every day thinking the worst, wondering if my body had betrayed me, thinking that I had “something” growing inside me just about made me nuts. Not a good thing for someone who already has anxiety issues.
I decided yesterday to call the clinic and ask if they could see me sooner, the 23rd is just way to far away to have this hanging over me, causing me to think of every worse scenario there is. PLUS I leave on the 25th for a blogging conference and I sure as hell didn’t want that hanging over me the whole time I was there.
I was lucky, they had a cancellation and I could be seen today!
I arrived, all ready to get this over with, thinking about what I had researched on the web, that this is fairly common with women who have large breasts and have first mammograms. Since they don’t have a previous mammogram to compare it to they have no idea what my breasts are supposed to look like, this could just be me.
They called me back and took me into an examination room, but something was off, there wasn’t a table for me to get the ultrasound done??? She said she was giving me another mammogram! Um,, what??? I told her I was there for an ultrasound and she said they wanted to get more images. More images?? That surely means I have cancer and they are just confirming it. Right?
RIGHT?
So with my breath held, I had another mammogram, this one was not like the first, this one was very painful and took a lot longer, more fuel to my brain that it was because I had cancer. Once finished she told me to wait in the other room while a Doctor looked at the images and then she would come and get me for the Ultrasound. I sat there texting my husband how scared I was, and what was happening. It felt surreal.
The technician came out and told me that the Doctor said I didn’t need an ultrasound…….my mind raced, because of course I didn’t need one they found it on this mammogram and it is clear as day. BUT that wasn’t the case. I didn’t need an ultrasound because the Doctor said everything looked FINE.
FINE!
I was told to come back in 6 months. I was fine…..I am fine.
It’s been a few hours and I have processed this whole experience as much as one could after going through this sort of ordeal. I was petrified, scared out of my mind, but you know what, I wouldn’t change a thing. I took my health in my own hands and beat the fears, and now I know.
My wish for all of you and any woman out there reading this, is to get a Mammogram. Listen to your body, perform your self-exams and don’t let fear keep you from doing it. I am fine, but I could have very well have had a different outcome. We need to be proactive.
Do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones, you are worth it.
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Show CommentsSame thing happened to me–twice! Now i don’t panic, i expect the call back. But the first time i was just like you–freaked out. But, it’s like miscarriage–once you start talking to other women you’ll find out it happens regularly. But many times we keep it a secret and freak out alone. I wonder why that is?
You hit it on the head Cathy, we do tend to freak out alone. I will say that even though people told me that it was semi common, I still freaked out, our mind has a nifty way of doing that, and I think most women do it. It did help tremendously to hear from others who went through the same thing. I’m glad you are okay!
Good for you Alisha! That’s so cool that you got it for free, they need to do that in every state!
They should explain all possibilities when you get there or hand out a convenient “don’t jump to the conclusion that you have cancer if this happens to you” sheet. I have to take more pictures every… single… time. Luckily, I wait there until they call me back, so I don’t have to wait a week, just an uncomfortable half hour. That second set does hurt a bit, because they really have to squash the girls. It’s completely bearable though, for anyone who’s worried. It’s just odd because you have to stand and let the technician move your boob around like modeling clay. I also get ultrasounds if anything looks funky, but those are a breeze. I even have breast MRI’s because my family history is just that bad. Still, I’d rather find something early and deal than spend my life worrying but not checking.
Yes, they should do that, but sadly they don’t. They let you wait and go a little stir crazy.