Mammogram: The Final Saga



photo by jonny2love flickr.com



G ood news!  I got the all clear.  Whew, what a relief.  The technician was the same one I had the first go around, and she was great.  She showed me what the radiologist was worried about...a bright cluster of tissue that looked different than the rest or "irregular" she said.  She explained that they would need to take a few views to see if the cluster moved apart, suggesting normal tissue, or stayed together in a mass in which case it would need further investigating.

She took four more images, one with a boob twist technique, to try and move the tissue around, and one with small pads to focus the study on the trouble spot.  When done, she showed me the images again, and fortunately they looked vastly different.  Now the whole breast looked the same and there was no evidence of a grouping of cells.

To be on the safe side the radiologist recommended an ultrasound.  I was feeling better at this point, but was still nervous, as I had read that the ultrasound could still see things the mammogram had not.  Having to wait a while before the machine was ready I asked if my husband could come in and wait with me.  He wasn't allowed in the women's area unless invited.  When he entered the room, it was immediately apparent he was out of his element.  Jokingly I told the technician that he was not my husband, that she had brought in the wrong man.  Ha Ha.  The streamlined mammogram machine sat looming in the middle of the room, a foreign part of the landscape to the male eye. 

Soon it was off to the ultrasound where my poor husband was invited to hang out.  "Sure, I'll come in," he answered reluctantly.  I whipped out the offending mammary and she went about sounding and clicking views to take to the radiologist.  She was also very nice and said "Umm Kaay" alot like the gay teacher on South Park, which was nice.  When finished she left the room to consult with the radiologist.  A short time later she returned with good news, all was normal, and they would see me in a year for my next routine scan.

I get to keep my boobs, at least for the time being, which is a plus.  I have a new appreciation for how different this experience can be for so many women, how frightening for some.  I hope to keep all the promises I made bartering for a good outcome.  "If it's negative, I will never eat junk food again"..etc.