I went ahead and cut the hair. It's one of those things--you get a wild hair someplace, and you just can't stop thinking about getting it completed. What's the harm in having some friends over to cut your hair while sharing a little wine? Well, you tell me--you can see the photo.
After that mammogram and the ultrasound, I finally had the chance to meet my new doctor--the breast surgeon. It was a little scary--she is part of an oncology practice. She's incredibly nice and very energetic. I like that. She talks through everything--whether she has it figured out or not. That's pretty cool in my book, because then I can pay attention to how she is thinking (and THAT she is, for that matter).
After she checked things out and looked at all the films I brought, she decided that a couple of needle biopsies would be a good thing. I concurred, and she disappeared to go and get said needles. Oh, I hadn't thought that she meant RIGHT THEN. Alright, I can deal with it. Now a needle biopsy like this isn't an exact science. Basically the needle is inserted and moved around while drawing up tissue (cells). Yeah, ouch. It wasn't so much the needles; in fact, I do pretty OK with needles. But that spot was already sore. In the end it even wasn't so much about the stick--it was the pressure that was needed to get the bleeding to stop AFTER the needle was out. I think it's the first time I've ever gotten nauseous purely from pain. But it was these very cells that were taken that were going to determine that I was going to have to lose the hair.
The other end of this visit to meet the new doc involved meeting the new doc's admin. Along with the needles sticks, the doc decided that a full battery of tests/scans would be a good thing--so that she could get as clear a picture as to what was going on as possible. Her admin was apparently new at this--or at least I hope so. MRI, CT scan, bone scan--they were all arranged, starting 2 days later. I actually understood what all this was for. If the needle biopsies turned out positive (for cancer that is), the CT scan and bone scan would help determine the extent of spreading--if any. The MRI was purely an breast MRI (I never knew there was an MRI specific for just boobs like that). Anyway, Maurine had a little trouble keeping it all straight, but in the end, I left the office with 4 other appointments arranged...
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Mammogram or bust
I'm getting my hair cut next week. I hadn't planned on getting a hair cut any time soon...maybe a trim, or at most and inch or so cut off. I've been growing it out for the last 3 years. Once upon a time I would have the stylist use the #2 guard on the clippers, so I'm used to SHORT. But of course, with it that short, it's a little hard for the dude at the cash register to get the gender correct. OK, I digress. I'm getting my hair cut next week.
I decided to go ahead and get it cut of in advance of it falling out. I've recently been diagnosed with cancer. Wow. The big C. It's been a surreal experience at times (that word came from my sister-in-law Jane--it's an accurate descriptor). I knew I had an issue, but the reality that it is cancer came on pretty quickly.
Last fall, I noticed a lymph node in my armpit that wasn't happy. It didn't hurt, but it was enlarged a little. I think I originally noticed it while I was shaving. I "ignored" it; eh, every once in awhile I remembered it was there. It wasn't growing, it wasn't shrinking--it wasn't doing much of anything. It was just there--a smooth, squishy, swollen lymph node.
At my yearly exam (ahem), I asked the doc to feel that node. Yep, it's a little inflamed. She prescribed an antibiotic, told me to watch it, and get back to her if it started to bother me. It did, but perhaps more mentally than physically.
In February of this year, I noticed that the armpit was a bit sore. The lymph node was still swollen but perhaps a little different. I headed back to the doc for another check and she noted that it was indeed different then last time. It felt different. I knew it was different. At this point, it's a little hard to pinpoint what I was thinking. I know just enough biological/body stuff to be dangerous, but perhaps enough to know when something needs some attention. I knew this did. The doc referred me to a breast surgeon--whether that was based on a concern that something bad was going on I'm not quite sure. She did say that since it was painful it probably meant that it was an infected lymph node that might have to be cut out. A breast surgeon would be a logical choice--because of the proximity of the node to the breast area. After calling the surgeon's office, the ball started rolling (really, no pun intended). Before I even had an appointment to see her, the doc sent me in for around of tests--what amounted to an ultrasound and a mammogram.
Now I'm not old enough to have had a mammogram yet. Yea, I had a cyst a couple of years ago, but an ultrasound clearly showed that it was a cyst and nothing more. That cyst wasn't significant enough in my head to warrant going to get the ever-feared mammogram. Yea, I know Oprah did a show where she had one done to show how "easy" it is. I just really had a hard time putting together how my little girls were going to be flattened enough to x-rayed. But the time had come, I was going to have one.
It wasn't too bad. But then again, I don't really have anything to compare it to. I did have to have more "pictures" taken on the left side than the right side--the radiologist wanted a better view of some calcifications. Calcifications are normal and don't necessarily mean anything--good or bad. The ones we were seeing were microcalcifications (as opposed to macrocalcifications). Radiologists look at the shape of them, and a magnification was definitely needed to determine the shape of mine (hence the second trip to the press).
From what I remember, I had probably 8 of them. Little tiny specs infront of the background of what one might know as a radiograph of a breast. They actually shine pretty brightly. In the magnified view, the radiologist pointed out to me that a couple of them were not round. They were almost star-like. He said again that normally these wouldn't be of concern, but with that lymph node, the breast surgeon may want more testing done (she certainly did).
The ultrsound was interesting. The ultrasound technologist found that little booger right away. It wasn't a boy or girl--it was a node that had normal fatty tissue in the middle of it. The edges had lobulations (yes, that is a word). That was curious, and she even found a deeper lymph node that was perhaps a little enlarged (gender unknown). The radiologist came in for a look-see as well, but still, things didn't quite add up. Pain in the lymph node is not normally and indication of cancer. But still--something was going on...
I'm getting my hair cut next week. I hadn't planned on getting a hair cut any time soon...maybe a trim, or at most and inch or so cut off. I've been growing it out for the last 3 years. Once upon a time I would have the stylist use the #2 guard on the clippers, so I'm used to SHORT. But of course, with it that short, it's a little hard for the dude at the cash register to get the gender correct. OK, I digress. I'm getting my hair cut next week.
I decided to go ahead and get it cut of in advance of it falling out. I've recently been diagnosed with cancer. Wow. The big C. It's been a surreal experience at times (that word came from my sister-in-law Jane--it's an accurate descriptor). I knew I had an issue, but the reality that it is cancer came on pretty quickly.
Last fall, I noticed a lymph node in my armpit that wasn't happy. It didn't hurt, but it was enlarged a little. I think I originally noticed it while I was shaving. I "ignored" it; eh, every once in awhile I remembered it was there. It wasn't growing, it wasn't shrinking--it wasn't doing much of anything. It was just there--a smooth, squishy, swollen lymph node.
At my yearly exam (ahem), I asked the doc to feel that node. Yep, it's a little inflamed. She prescribed an antibiotic, told me to watch it, and get back to her if it started to bother me. It did, but perhaps more mentally than physically.
In February of this year, I noticed that the armpit was a bit sore. The lymph node was still swollen but perhaps a little different. I headed back to the doc for another check and she noted that it was indeed different then last time. It felt different. I knew it was different. At this point, it's a little hard to pinpoint what I was thinking. I know just enough biological/body stuff to be dangerous, but perhaps enough to know when something needs some attention. I knew this did. The doc referred me to a breast surgeon--whether that was based on a concern that something bad was going on I'm not quite sure. She did say that since it was painful it probably meant that it was an infected lymph node that might have to be cut out. A breast surgeon would be a logical choice--because of the proximity of the node to the breast area. After calling the surgeon's office, the ball started rolling (really, no pun intended). Before I even had an appointment to see her, the doc sent me in for around of tests--what amounted to an ultrasound and a mammogram.
Now I'm not old enough to have had a mammogram yet. Yea, I had a cyst a couple of years ago, but an ultrasound clearly showed that it was a cyst and nothing more. That cyst wasn't significant enough in my head to warrant going to get the ever-feared mammogram. Yea, I know Oprah did a show where she had one done to show how "easy" it is. I just really had a hard time putting together how my little girls were going to be flattened enough to x-rayed. But the time had come, I was going to have one.
It wasn't too bad. But then again, I don't really have anything to compare it to. I did have to have more "pictures" taken on the left side than the right side--the radiologist wanted a better view of some calcifications. Calcifications are normal and don't necessarily mean anything--good or bad. The ones we were seeing were microcalcifications (as opposed to macrocalcifications). Radiologists look at the shape of them, and a magnification was definitely needed to determine the shape of mine (hence the second trip to the press).
From what I remember, I had probably 8 of them. Little tiny specs infront of the background of what one might know as a radiograph of a breast. They actually shine pretty brightly. In the magnified view, the radiologist pointed out to me that a couple of them were not round. They were almost star-like. He said again that normally these wouldn't be of concern, but with that lymph node, the breast surgeon may want more testing done (she certainly did).
The ultrsound was interesting. The ultrasound technologist found that little booger right away. It wasn't a boy or girl--it was a node that had normal fatty tissue in the middle of it. The edges had lobulations (yes, that is a word). That was curious, and she even found a deeper lymph node that was perhaps a little enlarged (gender unknown). The radiologist came in for a look-see as well, but still, things didn't quite add up. Pain in the lymph node is not normally and indication of cancer. But still--something was going on...
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