To panic or not to panic?
Early July, the 4th to be exact, I felt a lump in my breast. I had been having pain and felt my boob- it was there, there was no denying. I asked my partnerto check and he could feel it too. I tried to convince myself it would be nothing, a cyst, they run in the family, but my intuition told me differently. I'd been feeling off for a while and had terrible thoughts about things like cancer. You know when things are different to usual. I had never touch my boobs as much as I did over those next few days.
I made a doctor's appointment for the Tuesday as I was taking my niece out on the Monday.
Tuesday arrived and I met a friend for lunch- it was school holidays and being a teacher, catch ups fill up the holidays. I was distracted the whole time, but tried to focus. I then went for my appointment. Yep the doctor could feel it too. She gave me a referral for urgent mammograms and an ultrasound and said to try and make it as soon as possible.
So I did. The next day- the 8th of July. I went to the appointments still hoping for news of cysts, but I still think deep down I knew it would not be positive news- woman's intuition I guess. The mammogram really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Uncomfortable, but not unbearable. But when the lady doing the ultrasound said she'd try and get my results to my doctor asap, my heart skipped a beat.
Another lunch date, and again not focusing, but this time I told my friend what was going on. Convinced it would be nothing, I started to drive home. That's when things really changed. My phone rang. It was the doctor asking me to go back that day whenever I could for a chat. Maybe she just wanted to put my mind at rest, but really I knew better. It had only been 3 hours since my mammogram and ultrasound.
I arrived at the doctors on my own. My partner was at work and hadn't answered the phone. My mum said she'd come, but I said I'd be fine. Clinging to last minute hope.
Hope, that in a few minutes, turned to fear.
It couldn't be- how can they tell without a biopsy? Well apparently they can.
I was sent away with a referral to a breast surgeon. And I set up an appointment for the next day.
My surgeon could not confirm it was indeed cancer without a biopsy and was a little perplexed as to why my doctor had told me it was definitely cancer. I was sent for a biopsy and of course, had to wait a few days for the results.
Monday arrived and the news I was dreading was once again confirmed. Her2+ and Estrogen+. Apparently a good result in terms of treatments. The surgeon told me not to panic until they tell me to panic and that's exactly what I plan to do.
I was booked in for surgery two days later and the roller coaster ride began!
