Back in January I got a recorded message from my GYN's office saying that I needed to schedule an appointment for my annual exam. I remember thinking it was weird because it hadn't been a year. Still, a few weeks later I called, and made an appointment with the PA since they could see me a lot sooner than my doctor since I wasn't pregnant, or have some life concern.
Well, when I went to my appointment and they did the breast exam they found a spot of dense tissue. They weren't too concerned because I had only recently stopped breastfeeding a month before, but they did tell me that if it didn't go away, or it changed, that I needed to be be seen again.
I kind of put it out of my mind then until Sunday. Sunday I did an exam and still felt the odd dense area and felt like it had changed a little, so on Monday I made an appointment with my GYN. For something like this they got me an appointment for today. (My doctor only has clinic days on Monday and Wednesday.)
Well, today I had my appointment. My doctor confirmed that yes, there is something unusual there, and for lack of a better word, it is described as a mass.
Monday I get to have an ultrasound to see if they can see more specifically what is going on. It might just be a spot of unusual tissue but nothing to worry about...of course, it might not.
Then, the following Monday I have an appointment with one of the doctors I used to work with. He's done surgery on me before, and this is definitely his scope of practice, so anyway...the appointment is a consult, that could possibly turn into a surgical consult, depending on what is or isn't seen on the ultrasound.
Shane gave me a blessing on Sunday. I was told to be calm and at peace. I was told that the Lord was aware of me and my situation, and that we are given experiences in this life to help us learn. Initially in my mind I thought, that doesn't give me peace! I want this problem to be gone now! :)
Still...I have trust in the Lord. I know that if I am supposed to experience this on all levels, then that is what will happen, if that is what needs to happen in order for me to learn what I need to. So, right now it is kind of weird. I feel calm, but it is like a calm that has a roiling undertow underneath it. As long as I have faith and trust in the Lord, I feel peace, but at the same time I feel an undercurrent of fear that could take over as soon as I stop trusting, as soon as I begin to doubt.
Right now, of course there is the unknown. I will know a lot more in two weeks. It may be a lot more than I want to know, and at the same time, it may be welcome news and a relief.
My advice for the day? Make sure you stay current on your yearly physicals. Who knows how long this would have been undetected if I hadn't made that appointment. With something like this, you never know if it's nothing, until it's been evaluated. The hard thing to know, is that it could always be something. It's one of those times where they tell you to ALWAYS get it checked out. It might just be a cyst, but it might not. It might just be some weird growth, or it might not. You just don't know.
1 comment:
I had a very similar thing happen to me. A persistent tender lump that just wouldn't go away.Chalked it up to breastfeeding for a long time. Finally got it checked out. I started to freak out. The long diagnostic procedure was horrible, and I convinced myself something was majorly wrong. It was awful when I kept getting answers that said it might be something: you need to get imagining, you need a biopsy, without a lot of other information. The ultrasound techs didn't tell me a thing and it was only two weeks later when I finally got into the surgeon's office that I found out that it was almost certainly a fibroadenoma based on the ultrasound, it just wasn't 100% certain so they sent me to get it biopsied. I would have loved to known that right after they did the ultrasound, instead of weeks of worry.
Anyway, it was a fibroadenoma, and was removed with a quick surgery. Not a big deal. But without good communication from all the doctors and such it made me worry. The first doctor that was upfront and transparent about everything was the surgeon.
I did learn a lot about working though medical problems during the whole experience, and my number one thing was don't freak out until you know for certain. My worries influenced my decisions during that time period, causing me to make decisions (or accept decisions the medical profession made) that were not thought through and ended up costing me extra money.
Hope everything goes well for you too, and try not to worry too much. Praying for you.
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