Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Because my mom had breast cancer 23 years ago, I have been having mammograms done since 2007, at the age of 34.  This year I am 44, the same age as when my mom was diagnosed.  I have mostly been consistent with getting the mammograms done, with two gaps of a couple years and a few gaps of a year and a half in those 11 years.  

I had my yearly mammogram done last Friday, 13 months after my last one. I remember thinking when I went that I was the same age as when my mom received her diagnosis and having a feeling that this year I would get a call back for additional scans.  When I checked the online portal on Monday evening for the results (first time that I had setup the portal for PennState Health), not expecting the results to be there yet, I found that unfortunately my feeling was correct.  The report indicated a change in one of the scans of the right breast as compared to the last three mammograms and a request to have the patient come back for additional scans and an ultrasound if needed for clarification. 

Imagine my frustration when I didn’t get the call on Tuesday and when I called about it, to be told that my doctor had to authorize or sign off on the recall before it could be scheduled, so I needed to wait.  Fortunately I got that call on Wednesday morning.  However, more waiting ensued.  Due to the office replacing one of their mammogram machines, their schedule was backed up and the earliest I could go in for the additional scans and possible ultrasound was Saturday morning. It has been a challenging week, with my mind instantly preparing myself for worst-case scenario if this would turn out to be cancer and not a false alarm.  

I scheduled the appointment for 8:00 this morning to get it over with, even though it meant getting up early on the one day of the week that I can sleep in.  Two 3D scans, a single scan, and twenty minutes later and I was thrilled to hear the all-clear and that I was good for another year.  The possible explanation is that the breast tissue was folded on itself or scrunched up, creating the illusion of a change in the breast tissue.  

I can certainly tell you that I will be more vigilant in making sure that I am in there yearly as I couldn’t even see on the scan the area that they were concerned about, so I certainly wouldn’t have been able to feel it on a self exam.  

Early detection is very important.  Because my mom’s breast cancer was caught early and was not the most aggressive type of breast cancer, it was treatable with surgery and radiation and she has been cancer-free for 23 years.