Biopsy

I spent the first day of the year with my family celebrating Christmas late due to a Covid outbreak the week before.

I spent the second day of the year at St. Joseph’s Hospital – Center for Breast Imaging getting a biopsy of a 1.5cm growth that had slightly changed from two years before.

The start of 2024 is a reminder to prioritize your health and the time you have left. Be sure you are spending it the way you want to!

Three weeks before I had (stupidly) scheduled a routine 3-year follow-up colonoscopy for my Crohn’s Disease the day after my mammogram. I halfheartedly tried to change the mammogram on a late Friday afternoon and didn’t reach anyone. I usually don’t schedule more than one doctor appointment in a week. By the time they called back the next Monday I figured, why bother, I had to fast and be miserable for the colonoscopy the next day, might as well get the mammogram over with at the same time.

The news that the spot they had been monitoring via ultrasound for the last 2 years had grown was completely out of left field. I was more worried for my colonoscopy procedure the next day given I had an active disease. It was a slight shock, especially sad, that I couldn’t go eat my feelings after, but my Mama assured me she did that for me.

I went for some retail therapy instead.

I called up Ang to whine to her and she spouted joke after joke in order to make me laugh. I wish I remembered what she said. I ordered her to repeat it after so I could write it down and she laughed at me and said she couldn’t remember, she was panic talking to cheer me up. Le sigh.

I did make a note to never schedule these things next to each other ever, ever again.

My biopsy was scheduled for a month later which felt SO long but the next day they called with a cancellation on January 2nd which I just figured, why not?

My kids were worried and asking me how the first mammogram went. I was very evasive and said they were continuing to watch it. They sort of quizzed me a few more times but I just walked away and didn’t tell them I had a biopsy coming.

Good or bad choice? It was the right choice for me.

I ended up telling each of them individually in a very non-threatening way two days before the event. G internalized it a bit and brought it up later with my Mom and Sam accepted it pretty easily and didn’t ask any other questions. Woot!

I didn’t really tell too many people. I kept it off my bestie chain beyond telling two girls individually. I didn’t tell a lot of family. I figured it would be easier to just say something after.

The day of the event had a little anxiety attached to it. It was supposed to be “just like the dentist” where they would numb the area and take it out. I was able to drive after (although J came with) so I knew it would be over quickly.

But there was still anxiety.

The thing I look forward to in these things is the warm blankets. The nurses are so kind and I’m already shivering because I’m cold and they grab one for me and make sure I’m tucked in tight. At my first appointment, she even gave me a hug while putting it around me.

I’m technically not a huge “hugger” but it was greatly appreciated in the moment.

The event took about 35 minutes. The biopsy part was so quick, although the staple “punch” sound is distracting and they way they prepped me for it (with the nurse holding down one of my shoulders) freaked me out for 3 seconds.

What sucked is the 5+ minutes of the doctor pushing down violently in different spots. I found out later it was because I was bleeding a little more than normal so he was trying to help the clotting process.

They took three spots and popped a carbon clip in me. Look how tiny they are?

The process was not as painful as I expected but zommmgggggg, the epic colors of my poor breast right now. At day 5, I took off the steri strips and it was yellow with some purple on the side. The site of the actual incision was small and a tiny dot of purple.

The whole underside side however? Largely purple.

14 days later? BRIGHT purple, super dark, spots of green and yellow. And it’s still getting WORSE. My besties got to “enjoy” decorative photos and commiserate with me.

Day 19 now – still haven’t published this – and it’s getting a bit better.

It being at the underside makes it hard to even see and luckily doesn’t really hurt. Maybe it’s a bit tender.

Why must I bruise so easily? I brush against the kitchen counter and my thigh is purple for three weeks too.

The result, btw: Fibroadenoma

Benign. Specifically: Fibroadenoma with pseudo angiomatous stromal hyperplasia and usual ductal hyperplasia.

Oddly enough, which is maybe why I didn’t hit publish on this… I got a call TWO WEEKS after my initial results that I had an addendum to the report.

Recommend referral to surgeon for additional management recommendations which may include surgical excisional biopsy. Alternatively consider a follow-up six-month ultrasound to assess for stability if not surgically biopsied.

Please call a breast surgeon. Lovely. What the hell. TWO WEEKS LATER.

It’s not cancer. But maybe you should take it out. Maybe. My risk assessment (why is there no easy linkable graph? Come on Susan Komen) is 20%. Anything over 20% is higher risk… I’m at the borderline so they are recommending I talk to a breast surgeon and get under the care of one so I can do yearly mammograms and then yearly MRIs/Ultrasounds (I think?) so I’m officially doing one every six months to stay aware.

It does sound smart. Also, if this is one of those fibroadenoma that tends to keep growing and in 3-6 years develops into a potential cancer, it probably would just make sense to take out the darn thing.

Just another thing to do on the list of getting older.

Add that into the multitude of doctor appointments I need to keep making.

Good times!

But it’s not cancer…

Yayyy