One Missed Mammography in 20 years
I went to get the mammography and you guessed it. I had a small 1.2 tumor. I remember as I was waiting in the room before I received my sonogram, after the initial discovery by mammogram, a woman sitting across from me who said she was waiting for the results but knew her cancer had come back because the doctor had used the term "stipulated.” When it was my turn to go in, as the radiologist was using the sonogram instrument, he said that he "saw it" (meaning the tumor of course). The first question out of my mouth was "is it stipulated?" not even knowing what I was asking. And he said "yes" but why did I ask. I said, because the woman outside said that if it was stipulated it meant I had cancer. He said the women were beginning to know a little too much and it might not be. However, from his face I knew it was. What I didn't know was the long journey I was about to go on.
The surgery took place about three weeks later and I was a“lucky one.” I had moderatelyaggressive, estrogen receptive breast cancer with one lymph node involved out of the 17 lymph nodes my surgeon removed. We didn't do the sentinel lymph node procedure because from the physical exam and MRI we already knew that at least one node was involved. I remember my sister crying when after surgery we found out it was only that one node. However, with one node or 17 you still have to have chemo. I can't help thinking that if I had just had my mammogram a year earlier I might have just gotten away with radiation. I will never know. Perhaps the cancer would have developed after the mammogram but still the thought lingers. Now I tell every woman "don't miss one year, it might make the difference between radiation and no chemo or chemo and radiation and I can assure you that you don't want the latter."
Yet, not knowing has its blessing and taking it one day at a time I made it through the chemo and the radiation with the help of God, the loving support of family and friends, fantastic nurses, and organizations like Susan G. Komen and others. Stay tuned for the next story and one that isn't told as much. “What happens after the truck that ran over you dumps you back onto the road?” or “What is it like after all the treatments end?”
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