Feeling Relief

I had my doctor visit with the surgeon today. I think it went well. After discussing what was going on and then having another exam, he really felt like for the time being, things were ok and I don't have cancer. That is a relief.

So, I am supposed to watch it. Do an exam each month, and note if there are any changes or not. Keep a record of it. Changes include: pain, skin change (color, texture, etc...), discharge that is a color other than white, if the mass gets larger, or becomes hard.

The hope is that it will go down, get smaller, and disappear. Because of it's size and shape, the doctor felt that it was a milk duct that hasn't gone down because it's plugged/blocked. If that's the case, eventually the milk in it should reabsorb.

However, that being said, if it changes in the opposite way, I need to go back and see him again. He really doesn't think that will happen, but you never know. The symptoms that I have right now, he really didn't feel like warranted having an MRI done, but if I had really pushed for it, he would have scheduled one. (Pushed as in....just asking and saying  I would like one scheduled.) He really didn't feel like it was necessary though. So, I decided it wasn't necessary.

The reasons I decided it wasn't necessary....of course a big one was because the surgeon didn't think it was necessary. He has a lot more experience with this than me. He has seen a lot more unusual things then I can even possibly imagine, and he did part of his training at a breast cancer center.

Here are my other reasons:
1. It's shape
2. It's mobile (which is a big sign that it's not cancerous)
3. The skin
4. It's location
5. No pain
6. It can't be seen on ultrasound. (I know that some breast cancers can't be seen via ultrasound, but they usually have other characteristics that I don't have, so that's encouraging.)

Because he felt it involved a milk duct, he really didn't want to do a needle biopsy. He felt the risk for it causing a fistula was higher than the risk of it being done and showing something abnormal. So, I was spared that.

If I still have it in six months, I'm supposed to have another ultrasound done, and be evaluated again.

So, I admit, it is a tentative relief, but it is a relief still the same.