Guest blog by: Lisa, patient of The Rose
About a week ago, I got uncertain news (Is anything certain anymore?). My doctor called me and told me that there was an “undetermined mass” detected on my mammogram and I needed to come back in for an ultrasound.
I made the follow-up appointment at The Rose and decided that if I felt good at that time, that was all that matters, and worrying was pointless. My Dad and I used to joke that while he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, he was still in better shape and feeling better than many of his acquaintances. Any one of us could get hit by a truck any day. Even a terminal illness does not mean that it will be what takes us down.
Telling my mom was the hardest thing for me because she is a breast cancer survivor, and I did not want her to worry or have flashbacks to her own treatments. I know she was concerned, but she was brave. One of the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine is swollen lymph nodes which can cause false positives in mammograms. Had I known this, I would not have scheduled a mammogram in the middle of my vaccine recovery. I was hopeful that this was all it was.
Today was my appointment and I found out that it was not just swollen lymph nodes. I do have a small tumor (scary word), but they are pretty confident that it is benign (Yea! Not going to kill me!). It is called fibroadenoma and they are common among younger women and frequently develop following childbirth. I just have to get checked every 6 months instead of every year for a couple of years and will not need a biopsy unless something changes. So indeed, worrying was pointless, but not for the reason I thought.
Love your body. Even the tumors, scars, squishy parts, pains, and oddities. Send love to all of yourself and appreciate what your body has given you. Take care of it, get your checkups, exercise, hydrate, and feed it well. You are powerful and strong and capable of more than you give yourself credit for. Stop worrying and live.
I plan to stick around forever.
PS: Every 3 insured visits to The Rose helps to provide 1 mammogram for a patient who does not have insurance, so more appointments mean I get to help more people. Bring on the lemonade! What a great way to be giving back while taking care of myself!
