So this happened

 The month of January is interesting. Early in the month we suffer from the holiday hangover and no one wants to do much of anything. Mid to later in the month we celebrate our January birthdays (we have 2). End of month Hubby and I get ready to depart for our month long sabbatical from Northeast Ohio weather - our now annual trip to Anna Maria Island, FL for the month of February. 

In and around those things mentioned above, I try and schedule appointments for annual stuff. Eye exam, dentist, physical, mammogram ....

So it was with no great concern I went for a mammogram on Tuesday January 24. I chatted with the mammogram tech about dog walking at the kennel as I was headed there next. She told me about her life long love of yoga and how when she retired she wanted to teach yoga to the underserved.  All in all, a nice visit. And that was that, for another year.

One full week later on Tuesday the 31st as we were en route to Florida, I got a message from my primary care provider thar there was an abnormality on my images and I needed to go in for additional screening. Talk about a kick to the gut. I remember very clearly where we were - at the welcome center/rest area in South Carolina. I tried calling her back to explain the circumstances and ask about the urgency of the timing of the additional screening. We played a very unsatisfying game of phone tag through the automated hospital phone systems. I finally got a message back from her, that I should have the additional screening done before I left for Florida. By the time I got that message, I was already in Florida.

I talked it over with Hubby and played out different scenarios. 1) I could call and make an appointment for the additional screening and fly home to get them. 2). I could attempt to find a place and schedule the screening on AMI or the  surrounding area or 3). I could just push this all to the back of my mind, schedule the screening for March when we were home and try and forget about it. I chose door number 3. I made the appointment for a diagnostic mammogram for Monday March 13. And then I drank

On March 13 after the diagnostic mammogram, which coincidentally was with the same tech, I was told to wait in a nice quiet room while a doctor read my results. When she came out to meet me I fully expected her to say, all good, see you next year. But instead she said I have two spots of something called calcifications on my right side that they aren't completely sure about so I need a biopsy. These spots are tinier than grains of sand so if they are something, it's early. And she left to send in the next person who would get me scheduled for the biopsy.

The biopsy was scheduled for the following Monday, March 27 at The Breen Brreat Center of University Hospitals at the main campus downtown. I don't know about you, but just going to main campus made all this real. Thay being said, I can't say enough about how great the team was that took care of me through the biopsy procedure. It took about two hours start to finish. They played Jimmy Buffett music for me and they distracted me by telling me all about their dogs. I was told again by this doctor that just because they biopsy doesn't mean they will find cancer, so try not to worry as you wait for results which should come in about 4 - 5 days.

Fast forward to Friday, in the car on the way to Pittsburgh to spend the weekend with my grandkids when I get the call. The results are in, it is cancer. Stage zero so very early, The kick to the gut this time made the earlier one feel like butterflies. We made an appointment to see the surgeon on Monday March 27. Jokingly I say i should stop going places in the car since I seem to get bad news when I do.

I tell my adult children what is going on and I get through the weekend. I see the surgeon on Monday morning, Hubby by my side. She spends a long time with us, explaining my biopsy reports from top to bottom, front to back. I feel very good with her. She is confident and it is catchy. I elect the lumpectomy + radiation approach which she feels is appropriate given my findings. We schedule surgery for Thursday April 6.

So today is Wednesday April 12. I am almost a week out from surgery which I have been told went well. I'm a bit sore but not excessively so. And now I am waiting on the pathology report from the samples sent from surgery which will dictate how much radiation is needed. 

Everyone wants to know how I feel. So I tell them, fine, I just want this to be over. I just want it in my rear view mirror. Hopefully Monday, I'll get positive results and I can put this behind me. Hopefully. Come Monday, it'll be alright.