Serious Monday

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mammogram by wpclipartI’m a cancer survivor and as such I do yearly follow-ups. My testing schedule was around the Christmas holidays. There were two occasions where there was something suspicious.

That means more testing. Working around holidays and staff vacation schedules leads to extra anxiety time.

In a brilliant fit of logic, I moved the testing to February, two months later thinking I wouldn’t be troubled by holiday schedules. I picked the wrong winter.

Tomorrow is my testing and the weather should be good except for incredible mounds of snow everywhere.

If I’m lucky I will coast through this year without a call back and next year I will push it off until March.

Somehow even bad news is better when the sun is shining and it’s warm out.

Just a word about mammograms from a survivor – each woman must make her own decision but my cancer was caught very early. There was no lump you could feel. It had already spread out of the milk duct into the surrounding tissue.

My treatment was simple compared to what it would have been a few years later. I am faithful about my check ups. If you think mammograms are uncomfortable, think about how uncomfortable the cancer treatment would be.

Until they come up with a better screening method, get it done. A false positive is way better than treatment for stage 4.

Take good care of your girls!

Clipart courtesy of wpclipart

 

 

 

36 thoughts on “Serious Monday”

    • For many years I had to do testing twice a year. Once fell in the summer and one in the winter. Somehow the summer one got canceled. I should have asked them to do it on the summer rotation at that time.

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  6. AS much as I dislike the mamm-o-slam, I am faithful at doing it.

    When you said this, “If you think mammograms are uncomfortable, think about how uncomfortable the cancer treatment would be.” you just couldn’t have said it any better!

    so here’s to an easy exam with great results and a nice hot cafe mocha afterwards 🙂

    MJ

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  7. Hooray for appropriate screening! They aren’t perfect tests by any means. Hopefully, we will continue to get better at screening and design more comfortable tests, but like you said, they can make a huge difference.

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  8. Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts for good testing results. I’m about halfway through this year’s stuff, and so far, so good. ALWAYS better to know and act though, so thanks for reminding everyone to get a mammogram!

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    • I’m happy that your results are good too. Note to readers: Jill wrote a book about her experiences with breast cancer appropriately called “When Good Boobs Turn Bad: A Mammoir.” It’s a wonderful read about a bad experience from a humorous (if that’s at all possible) point of view. Jill is a very upbeat, slightly crazy person and her experience is very uplifting (no pun intended).

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  11. I’m with you about doctor visits when the weather is a routine downer. Your plan to go for March next year makes great sense. I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow and sending you good karma!

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    • We had that discussion and we did agree on that. I am slowly moving all my appointments to April. Thanks for the karma. I have valium too (for the MRI). Sometimes that’s as good as karma.

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  15. Prayers for good results! Those girls would be happy…Kate would be happy too, even is there is no sunshine and piles of snow are dotting the landscape. Cheers!

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  18. I have just been reading/watching that mammograms aren’t as reliable as first thought. But I am with you about getting them.
    I hope your testing goes well.

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