As many of you know, I went in to have my first mammogram last week after I was advised to do so by my gynecologist due to my paternal great grandmother having had breast cancer. It was supposed to be just a screening and, although the technician warned me that many women get callbacks after their first exam, I didn't really expect that it would be anything but normal. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy so I received a letter from the imaging place over Labor Day weekend asking me to return for a follow-up mammogram. The letter said that there was a "finding" that they wanted take further images of. It was terrifying and I couldn't help feeling that I was part of a cruel joke. You see, I'm only 36 so I was expecting everything to be alright because most women don't even have to have a mammogram until they turn 40. Also, I'm already living with Leukemia so the thought of having to deal with a secondary cancer is just too much to even have to wrap my head around. … [Read more...]
I Had My First Mammogram!
This past week, I scheduled my yearly appointment at they gynecologist to get a pap smear before going back to work in September. Prior to being examined, I answered a series of routine questions about my health and the medications that I am currently taking in order to get my doctor up to date on everything. One of the questions asked if there is a history of breast cancer in my family and I remembered to jot down that my paternal great-grandmother died from it. It never occurred to me that this would bring up the whole issue of having a mammogram with my gynecologist. After all, women don't have to start having them until they are forty, right? Apparently I was wrong because my doctor explained to me, as we debriefed in her office after my physical exam, that she likes to schedule an initial mammogram consultation for patients who are 35 if they have any kind of family history of breast cancer. I was faced with the following choice: Have a mammogram now and … [Read more...]
