So there were a lot of things I said and did I recovered Some kidney damage here, little infertility there. But I learned over the years what triggers me and how to maneuver myself through the bouts of depression and anxiety that occasionally pepper my survivorship. I do not, however, do well with the prospect of having to face another cancer diagnosis.
So in the spring of , when my mom tested positive for one of the breast cancer genes and was soon after diagnosed with very early-stage breast cancer, I was Thinking I still had at LEAST a few years until my first mammogram, imagine my delight when, at my next check-up, my oncologist said that in order to be smart with the information we have, it was probably time to start mammograms and breast ultrasounds. Yesterday, I had my ultrasound and was anticipating a similar level of ease and simplicity.
She explained that fibroadenomas were common in your twenties and thirties and that they were benign. I was left on the table while she consulted the radiologist, and for the first time in eleven years, I really, truly considered what it might look like to have cancer again. If they say you need a biopsy, are you going to fling yourself on the floor and perform a Shakespeare tragedy in this exam room?
In those twelve brief minutes, there were many deep breaths. There were closed eyes. There were speedy heartbeats. I immediately got into bed or burrowed into the couch. And I wasted no time victimizing myself. I think my parents were too kind to demand it, and I was not mature enough to ask for it in the proper way. The technician came back into the exam room and told me that they just wanted to keep an eye on the fibroadenomas, and to come back for another ultrasound in six months.
The world came back into focus. But I did leave with what felt like a solid and effective outline for battling another cancer diagnosis. But knowing how you want to cope with health crises in the future is one. She enjoys puppies, yelling at her plants to grow faster, and having health insurance despite her pre-existing conditions.
