browser life

Got my annual mammogram on the 21st. Did the standard number of scans, and they said I was done. I thought that seemed too easy, but went home happy I wouldn't have to come in again for another year, a rarity for me.

But sure enough, the next day, I got a call from my primary care doc's office telling me that I needed more scans on the left breast plus an ultrasound. That's unfortunately what I'm used to. In the eight years I've been getting mammograms, only one year did I not require extra scans either because of my dense breast tissue or because they found lumps that turned out to be cysts.

So yesterday, I went to the clinic that does the more specialized testing. They showed me one of the previous week's scans, which featured a good sized lump, which wasn't there last year and which is larger than any of my previous cysts. To make sure it wasn't a fluke, they re-scanned the breast six ways to Sunday, including angles that hadn't been done the previous week.

When they did the ultrasound, I was surprised that I could actually see the lump myself on the screen without anyone having to point it out. It did not look anything like the ultrasounds from previous years. I had the sinking feeling that this would mean a biopsy, since I'd required one three years ago for a much smaller lump that they couldn't initially dismiss as a cyst.

The doc came in after viewing the scans and said that the lump resembles a tumor. It doesn't necessarily mean cancer; two possibilities are hyperplasia (which I've had in lymph nodes in the past) or a fibroadenoma. Either way, I need a core biopsy, one that will be more involved than the one I had in 2007 but not as extensive as open surgery.

The biopsy is scheduled for October 7th. I'm more cranky than concerned about it. The chances of me having cancer are pretty small, but if the lump is a complex fibroadenoma (a non-cancerous lump of multiple tissues that can grow quite large), there is a chance I would have to surgically remove it.

I am sooooo tired of biopsies! For various reasons, I've had biopsies of the following in addition to the left breast: salivary glands, thyroid, lymph node, skin, intestine, and a tumor in my foot. I know it could be a lot worse, but at the moment the twins seem to be more trouble than they're worth.

Stupid boobs.