I had routine mammogram done July of 2008 & everything came back normal. The following January I was doing a routine self exam & found a lump above my left nipple. I really had thoughts of ignoring it since just 6 months earlier I had a normal mammogram but thought better of it & made an appointment with my doctor who scheduled me for a mammogram and ultrasound. I had both procedures done & anxiously awaited the results. I get a call from my doctor saying that the lump was actually a metalic foreign object that had calcified to form the lump & that it was nothing to worry about. I told my doctor that I did want this "foreign" object in my breast & asked him to refer me to a surgeon. Months later I saw the surgeon and we decided that he would simply freeze the area, make a small incision and "pop" the lump out. The procedure did not go as smoothly as he thought it should & he ended up having to cut out alot of what he thought was scar tissue - never once actually seeing a foreign metal object. He sent the tissue for a biopsy.
Three weeks later we find out it was cancer. I had a further wedge resection and sentinal lymph node removal 3 days later. Thankfully the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes but still underwent 21 sessions of radiation.
I am thankful that I persisted and was my own advocate for my own well being. I know I still have a long road ahead of me having to under-go breast exams every 3 months and mammograms every year as well as having to take Tamoxifen for the next five years.
Kitchener, Canada
