This is just a friendly reminder to all my lady readers out there to make sure and get your annual well women's exam, and don't put it off! I have been one of those women that did not always find the time to go annually, and I shouldn't have put my female health on the back burner. I would make excuses and managed to put it off for silly reasons, like because the exam tends to be slightly uncomfortable, or I was afraid they would find something wrong with me. But that is all the more reason to go! And after having a baby, I realize the annual exam is nothing compared to pregnancy and childbirth, ha ha! So my goal is to make it my priority to never put off my annual checkup.
Why so adament for everyone to call their favorite obstetrician and make an appointment today? Well, Monday night I was sitting on the couch and finishing up nursing my beautiful baby boy when I happened to feel a marble sized, hard lump in my breast. This was definitely new. Because I am a nursing mother, I am pretty familiar with my breasts these days! My first instinct was to blow this off - I didn't want to know if it was something bad! But, I cannot play the ignorance is bliss game with my health, so I called my OB Tuesday morning from work. They returned my call within a half hour and asked me to come in right away. Yikes. I started to get nervous but remained calm.
My doc wasn't in, so the staff nurse practitioner saw me....she chatted with me in a breezy tone as she examined both breasts, and she seemed so normal that I began to think everything must have been okay. She asked me to sit up and said, very calmly, that she didn't suspect they were cysts, and the lump was fairly large (2-3 cm in diameter) and she didn't know what it was - so it was best to send me for a sonogram. She wanted to also check with another doctor on staff to see whether or not I should have a mammogram (what?!). She left momentarily while I tried to not panic. She returned and confirmed they did want to send me to the Women and Breast Center in the hospital for a mammogram right away. She told me not to worry, that is was probably nothing since I am still young, but they felt is was necessary to find out what was there.
I got dressed, and as I walked downstairs I glanced down at the piece of paper clutched in my hand with the box marked that a 'Diagnostic mammogram' was needed. This seems much scarier than the 'Annual mammogram' box right below. I sat in the lobby waiting to be admitted and empathetically looked at the other women in the room, all sure to be there for the same thing as me. By not much surprise I was the youngest in the room, since mammogram screenings aren't required routinely until women are in their 40's. I definitely didn't anticipate when I got up that morning that by the afternoon, I would be having my first ever mammogram at 32 years old.
After being admitted I was guided into a dressing room and told to change into one of their gowns, ironically the exact shade of "Susan G. Komen" pink. I sat again in another waiting room. Before the mammogram I had to answer many questions, including "Do you have any family members with a history of breast cancer?". And I do - my mother is a breast cancer survivor.
The exam itself wasn't as scary as it's made out to be or painful like many women (including me) may think. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not comfortable either. The machine literally flattens each breast like a pancake and you're not allowed to breathe or move as the image is taken. Maybe childbirth and breastfeeding have increased my pain tolerance! The tech was great about making sure I was as comfortable as I could be and explained everything that was happening. I was then informed a songram was needed in addition to the mammogram, so I was again sent back to wait.
My mind raced, and I tried to prepare myself to receive news I didn't want. I flipped through a magazine and what page do I turn to but an article entitled "You found a lump in your breast, what next?". Ugh. I couldn't help it - I read it. Bad move. I was near tears in the waiting room, scared I would be told I needed a biopsy, petrified that I might have a malignant tumor, that I would have to have surgery, or that I might have to stop breastfeeding my dear Ronan, which broke my heart.
Finally I was taken back for the sonogram. I only have fond experiences with sonograms to look at images of my wiggly baby in the womb. This was definitely not the kind of sonogram any woman wants! My technician was sweet and we swapped stories of our births and little ones and before I knew it she said I could sit up. Then she pointed to the screen and showed me a large cluster of cysts, clearly so because they were liquid filled. The radiologist came in and cheerfully indicated they were not worrisome and that if they bothered me I could have them drained, otherwise they usually just leave them alone. Hooray! I have never felt such relief in my life. For today, I am healthy. I now have only an extremely small taste of the terrifying process that my mother went through, and am still so happy hers was caught early and that she has been cancer free for over a decade. So, ladies - do right by yourself and don't skip your annual exam!
Wishing Health & Happiness
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