My Personal Journey - a call back to Breast Screen

My bi-annual breast screen had been due in October but because we were travelling overseas for a month, during mid October/November, I was told that it could wait until my return.

Having arrived back in early November, I was a bit lax and didn't get around to making my appointment until mid November.

Breast Screen is in Hobart so it's always a good excuse to be able to travel into the City for the day to have a mammogram  and afterwards wander around the shops and to have lunch. etc.

Once home, I didn't even cross my mind that I might have a call back until I received a call early the following week saying that they needed to see me again as calcification (small white spots) had been found in in one  area of my left breast.

Even though the call back was unexpected, I wasn't too worried ... I had had a call back about 4 years ago and nothing had been found untoward at that time.

Within a few days I found myself heading into Breast Screen with my husband  in tow, for further mammograms and an ultrasound.  Small white spots (calcifications) were definitely present on the mammogram and after discussion it was decided that I would have an ultrasound.

Nothing could be seen via the ultra sound so after further discussion with the doctor it was decided that a core biopsy was necessary, which was explained to me in detail (the look on my husband's face said it all!)

Shortly after, I found myself  in the x-ray room with my poor left breast being squeezed by the machine ready for the core needle biopsy. Strangely other than the prick of the first needle to numb the area I didn't feel a thing!

Then a small incision was made in my breast and a needle was inserted and 6 samples were taken (each sample taken sounded just like a staple gun as the needle was fired into the breast and tissue was extracted from the area)  I smiled (or was it a grimace) all through the procedure and even joked with the doctor, nurses, etc. I made them laugh by saying that a jumping jack ant bite was far more painful as I had been bitten on the foot over the weekend by one of those blighters.

All through the process re the  mammograms, ultrasound and core needle biopsy, people spoke to me and my husband and explained what was happening and why.   The probability of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ was mentioned and explained to me, but until the pathology came back from the core needle biopsy we wouldn't know for sure.  I headed home in the early afternoon with one sore (though not painful) breast with an appointment to return to Breast Screen a couple of days later to receive the results of my biopsy.

I left Breast Screen feeling relatively positive, not happy about what was happening, but positive - I knew that if I did have breast cancer I was lucky in that it had been caught early.  I also knew that the next couple of days were going to be stressful.  The next couple of days were definitely going to drag.