Jyst A Cyst

Last week I put the following as my status update on Facebook:

Amy Anspach Aspiras thinks it’s so refreshing to go into a medical office and have EVERYONE be SO nice and seem HAPPY to serve you…and NOT keep you waiting. (‘specially when it’s a mammogram!) The same goes for the kids’ pediatrician. 😉

The people over at Sheila R.Veloz Breast Imaging Center must have thought that meant that I wanted to come back and visit them again and give them $253.85.

Rewind…

I had a routine mammogram last Wednesday (baseline was last year). I came home Friday evening after being out all day to a letter from them saying that I needed some further diagnostic work done on the left side. Of course, I panicked. Here it was Friday evening, my bro-in-law and in-laws were in town for Easter, we had just had a nice day, went to Elliott’s dance class and eaten dinner at Souplantation. I was looking forward to a fabulous Easter weekend and then I read the letter. The first thing I wanted to do was cry. So, I did. I tried not to go THERE. But, I did. However, I am also an eternally positive person. So, I was.

But, there was still the unknown. The unknown was shadowing me all weekend. I tried to be upbeat, but the unknown would still reemerge every so often and I would slip into a fog and go THERE again.

I would look at my children and imagine the worst and want to cry. But, I didn’t.

I worked for an Oncologist for 3 years in college so I have been around plenty of cancer patients, chemo and seen more scary radiology and pathology reports than I’d prefer to. But, I also saw so many survivors and that is what I held onto.

I know I’m probably sounding a bit over dramatic, but that’s how I felt. I had no feedback other than a form letter on letterhead that said I needed to come back to a place that I was not expecting to visit for another year. The staff is wonderful there, but they are not the people that you like to see too much of.

Finally, yesterday morning I made a few calls to my doctor who received the report ~ she was on vacay and “someone” would call me back by the end of the day. I called the imaging center and they were nice enough to put me in touch with a nurse and go over the report. I wanted something to chew on…

The good news was that it wasn’t life shattering as far as radiology reports go.

Yes, there was a”mass” in my left breast at the 3 o’clock position, but there was no mention of a “suspicious malignancy” or anything of that magnitude.

I felt a little better, but still knew I had to get through the sonogram this morning @ 10:30.

I went in, sat in the waiting room, and when my name was called went back to take care of the insurance forms, blah, blah, blah…I joked with the lady that I wasn’t expecting to see her again so soon and that even though the soft sugar cookies and coffee they serve are good, they aren’t THAT good to get me to come back twice in a week’s time. I paid the “estimated” $253.85 (gotta love the $250 deductible) and went back, changed into the lime green wrap around top and read a People magazine until my name was called again.

The same technician did my ultrasound ~ it was very brief and she said the word I was hoping to hear….”cyst”. After reviewing with the radiologist, it was confirmed that the “mass” is indeed a cluster of 3 small cysts. Possibly looking something like this I would imagine:

{Photo: Google Images}

I am so relieved. It was a scary 4 days. I am so grateful that I only had to wait about 96 hours to hear this news. I know some people have to wait much longer for word that is NOT positive. For this, I am so thankful.

I look forward to seeing the nice staff at Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center in 12 months and NO sooner!

Thanks, Ladies for being so sweet and making scary, uncertain situations a little more bearable.

And many thank yous to Karen for keeping an eye on the munchkins while I took care of this today (and also for serving me lunch!).