Today was the day of the recall. I'd organised a Flashmeeting (videoconf) for 1pm thinking I'd be finished in plenty of time to leave for my 3.40pm appt. In the end i had to say I had a meeting at 3 in order to finish.
Scuttled off in a bit of a hurry, but arrived OK - more or less on time and was called in.
The nurse showed me the films of my previous mammogram. There was a disconcerting looking white patch of tissue on the left breast in both the images (the top down and the sideways one). So she did four more 'grams using the digital imager they had in the hospital. This is better than the film one as they can zoom in on areas they're interested in. Still just as uncomfortable.
After this, she sent the images to the Dr and took me to another room for an ultrasound scan. The Dr came in and said that the digital image showed pretty convincingly that it was just a cyst. He used the ultrasound (like when you have an ultrasound of a baby before it is born). The cyst area showed in black.
He said they'd drain it there and then under local anaesthetic. I wasn't keen, and thinking back, it was interesting that he kept saying "this is Ok with you isn't it" but I don't think it really mattered what I said. I wasn't keen, but figured that it would be better to get it sorted now than hang onto it.
So, nasty needle to inject the local, then another needle into the cyst (I could see it on the screen) and then when they pulled the plunger, the liquid clearly went out and the thing collapsed on the screen. Great. Not too bad at all although a bit uncomfortable.
Then to the car park - I'd left my purse at home in my rush to leave. I asked at the desk because the web site mentions how you can get free car parking if you're an outpatient, but she didn't have any £3 tickets. She suggested I go to the customer services area in the car park.
I did and explained and very kindly they gave me a ticket to get me out. Duh.
Left boob is a tiny bit achey now, but really nothing to speak of. Looking in the mirror it looks like a little pin prick - no bruising or anything. If I didn't know I'd had it, I wouldn't really notice. However I just had two innoculations yesterday for my Nepal trip so I'm feeling a bit like a pin cushion.
Phoned Fiona and told her. Now it feels like such a minor thing, I wonder whether it is worth telling anybody else. I told Esther, but may not bother further.
Poor Stephen got his mobile phone stolen yesterday evening so I had to post him his old one. He had the nice new one for about a month. Think it's better for him to just have cheap phones from now on.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
My Jane Plant book
Just a quick addendum. When I told Fiona, one of the first things she said was "So I guess you want your Jane Plant book back". I'd forgotten I'd lent it to her. I think she'd lent her copy to somebody else ages back and wanted to refer to something in it so I gave her my copy. At least I know where it is. I mentioned the recipe books that went with it and she said she'd also got one of those and it was really good.
Talk about advance planning!
Talk about advance planning!
Not worrying is an effort
I phoned Fiona on Saturday and told her. She's not working on Thursday, but she's going out that evening so I'll phone her after I've had the appointment. I think it's a good idea to have somebody lined up to talk to in case the news is bad, and somebody to share in the cheerful news if it's good.
Went out last night and had a brilliant meal with Rebecca and Kieron. Our edited book,
Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, is listed on Amazon and even has a sales ranking - although the printed copy is not out until 1st March. We planned our next book which we're hoping to get published by MIT. Rebecca had done a wonderful job. Kieron and I just have to add in two paras for K and one for me on the chapters we're experts in (mine, Geocaching, as if you couldn't guess).
Came home quite late. In the morning I'd had a really difficult icy journey along unsalted roads for 7 miles up to the A507, and this really worried me so I drove home really really carefully. Had a horlicks and went to bed.
Woke up in the middle of the night worrying, just I guess going over possibilities in my mind. I suppose it's not possible to avoid this. Anyway, I was wondering if I get a malignant diagnosis, will I still have time before treatment to go to Nepal? How long will a definite diagnosis take. I suppose that depends on how advanced it is. So, first thing I did was to actually check the Bupa travel cover that I have through ARM, Dave's company. That took that bit of concern off my mind, although I suppose if I do have cancer than losting £500 in non-refundable flight costs won't be top of my priorities. Still, it was probably a displacement worry now, so I discovered that I'm covered up to way more than that with a £50 excess.
I also found myself imagining aches and pains. Probably normal too, if you focus on a particular area of your body. Because I was in bed and it was happening again, I did start to wonder about the fact that if I sleep on my left side, my little finger and sometimes the finger next to it on my left handd start to go numb. I've always found that if I sleep with my arms above my head my arm will go numb, but this little finger numbness has only been going on more recently. Of course I cannot remember for now long. Could be a year. The fact that Mum had a lump during her breast cancer secondaries which ended up with her getting oedema in her left arm and completely losing the use of it is a concern.
Still, it could always be carpal tunnel or something innocuous like that.
I'm not going into work again until Friday at the earliest. I have a nurse appt on Wednesday to discuss innoculations for the nepal trip. Then I have the clinic appt late thursday afternoon. They say to allow 2h for the appointment, but as mine is at 3:40, I'm hoping that it's just a rescan because the previous one didn't come out very well - i.e. they don't expect it to last 2h!
Went out last night and had a brilliant meal with Rebecca and Kieron. Our edited book,
Virtual Worlds: Controversies at the Frontier of Education, is listed on Amazon and even has a sales ranking - although the printed copy is not out until 1st March. We planned our next book which we're hoping to get published by MIT. Rebecca had done a wonderful job. Kieron and I just have to add in two paras for K and one for me on the chapters we're experts in (mine, Geocaching, as if you couldn't guess).
Came home quite late. In the morning I'd had a really difficult icy journey along unsalted roads for 7 miles up to the A507, and this really worried me so I drove home really really carefully. Had a horlicks and went to bed.
Woke up in the middle of the night worrying, just I guess going over possibilities in my mind. I suppose it's not possible to avoid this. Anyway, I was wondering if I get a malignant diagnosis, will I still have time before treatment to go to Nepal? How long will a definite diagnosis take. I suppose that depends on how advanced it is. So, first thing I did was to actually check the Bupa travel cover that I have through ARM, Dave's company. That took that bit of concern off my mind, although I suppose if I do have cancer than losting £500 in non-refundable flight costs won't be top of my priorities. Still, it was probably a displacement worry now, so I discovered that I'm covered up to way more than that with a £50 excess.
I also found myself imagining aches and pains. Probably normal too, if you focus on a particular area of your body. Because I was in bed and it was happening again, I did start to wonder about the fact that if I sleep on my left side, my little finger and sometimes the finger next to it on my left handd start to go numb. I've always found that if I sleep with my arms above my head my arm will go numb, but this little finger numbness has only been going on more recently. Of course I cannot remember for now long. Could be a year. The fact that Mum had a lump during her breast cancer secondaries which ended up with her getting oedema in her left arm and completely losing the use of it is a concern.
Still, it could always be carpal tunnel or something innocuous like that.
I'm not going into work again until Friday at the earliest. I have a nurse appt on Wednesday to discuss innoculations for the nepal trip. Then I have the clinic appt late thursday afternoon. They say to allow 2h for the appointment, but as mine is at 3:40, I'm hoping that it's just a rescan because the previous one didn't come out very well - i.e. they don't expect it to last 2h!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
First post
I've decided to keep this shady blog as a kind of diary in case one should be necessary. Basically, having passed the grand old age of 50, I got called in for a mammogram. The mobile breast cancer screening unit was set up in a nearby village, so I drove there and was in and out of the mobile van in 5 minutes. Not all that comfortable but not as bad as I'd expected. I did worry a little that on the first screen (they did 4 in total) I hadn't heard the instruction to hold my breath, but I don't think I moved alot.
Yesterday, a week later, I opened a letter from the breast cancer unit expecting to read the all clear. Instead I was recalled for additional tests. An appointment has been made next Thursday 4th Feb.
Dave was leaving for California today, and always finds these travels a bit stressful, so I decided to keep the news to myself until after the next appt. According to the leaflet, the majority of recalls require no further action - maybe the scan wasn't clear enough, or there is some sort of benign anomaly. However I won't know for sure until after Thursday. Dave isn't back until Saturday so whatever happens it gives me time to decide on a course of action.
Of course, if the news is bad, it will mess up my plans for Nepal. But I guess that's fairly small fry compared to living or dying.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm not worrying particulary as I've always said that there is no point wasting time worrying until the thing you're worrying about has actually happened. I'd hate to waste a week worrying and then find that the only reason I'd been recalled was because my breast tissue was too dense to be easily scanned. This is my hope. Younger women have dense breast tissue which can't be scanned properly. Well, people always say I look young for my age. Maybe, physically, I am. That would be interesting (and quite a relief).
I have an overwhelming urge to tell somebody. My logical choice is Fiona as we both lived through our Mother's breast cancer and eventual death. However, again, I don't see any point in worrying her unless there really is something to worry about. But by the same token, if I get to Thursday and there is a real cause for concern, it would be nice to have somebody primed to talk it over with. To be honest, she's the only choice. She and I spent over a year managing our parents' slow deterioration to death. She is, at least, very pragmatic about things, as am I. Oddly enough, having seen breast cancer at first hand feels like a bonus. I don't think I have any illusions. I know how awful it will get, if that is what I am diagnosed with.
However, I don't intend to just give up. Both Fiona and I bought the Jane Plant book about the benefits of a dairy free diet for curing cancer (in a nutshell). I seem to have mislaid my copy - probably lent it to someone, but I've looked on Amazon and it's under £7 and there are other recipe books to go with it. So that's what I'll do if things don't go well.
Fingers crossed.
Yesterday, a week later, I opened a letter from the breast cancer unit expecting to read the all clear. Instead I was recalled for additional tests. An appointment has been made next Thursday 4th Feb.
Dave was leaving for California today, and always finds these travels a bit stressful, so I decided to keep the news to myself until after the next appt. According to the leaflet, the majority of recalls require no further action - maybe the scan wasn't clear enough, or there is some sort of benign anomaly. However I won't know for sure until after Thursday. Dave isn't back until Saturday so whatever happens it gives me time to decide on a course of action.
Of course, if the news is bad, it will mess up my plans for Nepal. But I guess that's fairly small fry compared to living or dying.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm not worrying particulary as I've always said that there is no point wasting time worrying until the thing you're worrying about has actually happened. I'd hate to waste a week worrying and then find that the only reason I'd been recalled was because my breast tissue was too dense to be easily scanned. This is my hope. Younger women have dense breast tissue which can't be scanned properly. Well, people always say I look young for my age. Maybe, physically, I am. That would be interesting (and quite a relief).
I have an overwhelming urge to tell somebody. My logical choice is Fiona as we both lived through our Mother's breast cancer and eventual death. However, again, I don't see any point in worrying her unless there really is something to worry about. But by the same token, if I get to Thursday and there is a real cause for concern, it would be nice to have somebody primed to talk it over with. To be honest, she's the only choice. She and I spent over a year managing our parents' slow deterioration to death. She is, at least, very pragmatic about things, as am I. Oddly enough, having seen breast cancer at first hand feels like a bonus. I don't think I have any illusions. I know how awful it will get, if that is what I am diagnosed with.
However, I don't intend to just give up. Both Fiona and I bought the Jane Plant book about the benefits of a dairy free diet for curing cancer (in a nutshell). I seem to have mislaid my copy - probably lent it to someone, but I've looked on Amazon and it's under £7 and there are other recipe books to go with it. So that's what I'll do if things don't go well.
Fingers crossed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
