There’s That C Word Again

I guess life, or something, decided that Hubby shouldn’t have all the fun. Nope. It decided I should experience the fun with him.

That’s right. I have cancer. Breast cancer.

I found out the day after I returned from Dragon Con. Certainly hadn’t seen that coming, either, because I’ve had breast issues for decades. Breast issues that had always been benign.

I went in for my annual mammogram back in July. It was my first annual exam after having a biopsy back in January 2016 for a suspicious shadow on my ultrasound (one that came back negative, but I was told to come back in six months. That mammogram came out okay, so they put me back on the yearly schedule.) This time they found something suspicious in the same area as before. Calcifications, they called it. Probably from the previous biopsy, but just to be sure…

After all the mess with Hubby, I went ahead with another biopsy. Better safe than sorry, I said. Truer words were never spoken.

When it came to make the appointment with general surgery to find out the results of a biopsy I was sure would be like all my others—negative—the only open spot I could make was after Dragon Con. Probably just as well. Don’t know how much fun I would have had with that hanging over me.

Surgery is scheduled for Oct 4th. I decided to go with the lumpectomy, followed by radiation (which will start in November). Radiation kind of scared me, what with my leaky heart valve, but I was assured that it won’t be an issue. Whew!

Prognosis is good, though, since they caught it early. And I probably won’t need chemotherapy (that’ll be determined after surgery, when they remove some lymph nodes), since the cancer is so small. So small that I can’t even feel it.

So… if it’s been over a year since you (or a loved one) have had a mammogram, go get one now. I never thought this would happen to me and I’m soooooo thankful I get the yearly exam. You just never know.

Stacy