The Preliminary

I am young, 36 - well relatively speaking anyway. Healthy overall, and no breast cancer that runs in the family, so why would I get a mammogram? My doctor, after my last annual, mentioned that she likes her patients to get a baseline mammogram before 40 so there is something to compare to when I reach that age. Ok, no big deal I will get it scheduled now so I don't forget later.

Wednesday, August 25th at 9:45am - Well I have never had one so I went in with all kinds of anxiety and anticipation, but really no fear of the "what if" or the "C" word. This was just routine, no issues......... routine. So you take your clothes off from the waste up, put on that awesome gown that brings out my eyes, and head to the machine in a room of nothing but a chair. Selina tells me to put my arm here, turn my chin there, and relax, that is key. Who relaxes when getting a mammogram done? So four poses later, I get to leave, no big deal, glad that is over and no more for at least four years. For the most part it was not that bad.

And so I get the call - you need to come back in for another mammogram, we found something and want a better look at it. I have nothing to worry about though this happens all the time with women my age and it turns out to be nothing. I was hesitant, but it does need to get scheduled.

Wednesday September 2nd, 2010 - Well Mammogram number two is completely awful! The plastic screen got smaller and it smashes even more. Hated it! So it's over and I got to hang out in a room while the radiologist looked it over. Read some People magazine and looked at pictures while the anxiety was building, waiting for the results to be read.

"Hi Stephanie, how are you, I am Joe (lets just call him that for sake of not having a name). Is there a reason you came in to have a mammogram?" I go through the same story of my doctor wanting it... no family history, no issues, no lumps...  Joes brings me into a room with my images up on the screen.

So I see what is concerning him and he wants to get a biopsy. I try hard to talk him out of it, trying to convince him it was just a dot he was seeing and nothing else. Didn't work. I left and waited for them to call me so I could set up the biopsy.