My Two Cents

Test Results

Yes, I went AWOL on you. Now that it’s all over, I’m ready to talk about it.

I got an ear infection that sent me to the doctor. Since his files uncovered the secret that I hadn’t been there for almost two years, he scheduled all my yearly tests. This time, they found three spots in my breast.

It’s funny, but once you’ve been through a round of cancer, you’re always expecting it to come back. Since I’ve been through it twice, I’m always SURE that a spot means round three. So I started preparing for battle.

The radiologist said that two spots were cysts, and the third was a cyst that had abscessed. I had an appointment to have all three drained. The surgeon agreed that cysts can turn cancerous, but cautioned me to wait until the biopsy. I don’t wait.

Patience is a virtue, and I’ve never been accused of being too virtuous.

I told my boss, and we started trying to figure out how to find someone to cover for me for 8-12 weeks. Told Jess, my daughter, and we started figuring out how she was going to take full responsibility for the business AND take care of me.

Biopsy day. The doctor drained the first cyst. The fluid was clear green which he said was normal and good. He said if it wasn’t from my breast, he would have just tossed it. But my history meant it had to go to the lab. The second cyst wasn’t clear. It was a muddy green. When I asked what that meant, he just said “It goes to the lab.” Ah-ha! Exactly what I was expecting. Cancer.

When he examined the abscess, he decided it was a different type of abscess and couldn’t be drained. It had to be removed in one piece.

(I can’t remember what he called it. It’s hard to remember medical terms when you’re lying on your back, naked from the waist up, with your arms above your head and 4-inch needles stuck into your one remaining breast.)

The abscess has to be surgically removed. We decided to wait on that until the lab reports came back. If I had cancer, we were going to do a mastectomy and excising the cyst was a moot point. Obviously, the doctor was expecting cancer too.

More planning. Things were coming together, and I was preparing for surgery. Met with the doctor for results. I had notes on what type of reconstruction I wanted, and what we had to do ahead of time to make that possible. I was ready!

The doctor walked in, smiled, and said “All clear.”

I was too stunned to even think. Clear? No cancer? But…what about the muddy cyst? Nope, it was okay too. I dropped my trusty notebook back in my purse. The world spun. Crazy me, I was almost disappointed. My plans were coming together so nicely!

So that’s it. I’m having the abscess removed Wednesday morning, and then I’m good to go. Until next year, when we start the process all over again.

That’s where I’ve been. Next week, when it’s ALL over, I think I’ll expand on what goes on in my head every year when the testing starts. I think it’s an interesting psychological phenomenon. I hope you’ll be interested too.

posted by Audrey Shaffer @ 9:46 PM