March: In like a lamb and out like a LION

I was chagrined last month when my surgeon ordered a routine mammogram as a pre-op test. It was only 16 months since my last one, which is well within the one to two year window women my age are advised to have one. Well it started off poorly when I called Kaiser to make an appointment and April 11 was the earliest they could get me in so after almost resorting to tears I explained why I need it sooner and the appointment setter suggested I call radiology directly and explain my plight. I called and a very gracious operator gave an appointment the following Wednesday March 5th, so I was on my way. I was given an appointment the following day for the requisite breast exam in GYN so March 5th and 6th I was able to accomplish all the requisite exams including a pre-operative chest x-ray.
March 6th I received a phone call saying there was something on my mammogram and would I be willing to have an ultrasound. I agreed and the appointment was set for Thursday March 13. I arrived at Kaiser and registered and all of a sudden they were putting a wrist band on me as an in-patient which was explained as routine for a biopsy. Getting a little nervous now, I was ushered into a room with an ultrasound machine and a tray full of surgical items. A tech did an ultrasound, called in a radiologist who informed me they needed to biopsy my “suspicious lesion”. I was numbed and a core biopsy was done-in other words, a needle the size of a number 2 pencil lead was punched into my breast 5 different times to take out little “cores” of this lesion. The next day I received the wonderful news it was benign and nothing else needed to be done.
10 days later the radiologist called and asked if I would be willing to do another mammogram, just to be sure all was well and I agreed so Tuesday, March 25, I underwent another mammogram (whoopee). The radiologist read it immediately and only asked for several extra views to be done, but was satisfied it was benign and gave me the choice of having it out or having mammograms every 90 days for a year –just to watch it! Who wants to manage mammograms every 90 days so I decided to have it removed. I was able to meet with a surgeon on Wednesday who felt a wait and see approach was totally reasonable, but after talking to me suggested we just take it out once and for all, and she was able to secure an operating room for Friday the 28th so I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time stewing about it.
Friday at 8:30 I go through the out patient surgery admitting process and am made very comfortable for an 11:30 surgery. I did need to have a pre-surgical ultrasound to locate the “suspicious lesion” and have a wire inserted in it so the surgeon would be able to locate it during surgery. Well, surprise, my “suspicious lesion” apparently had an evil twin they missed the first time so I get two wires instead of one and am told they both can be removed at the same time.
Surgery went well and I recovered quickly only to have to wait a week for the biopsy of the second lesion. The plots thickens. . . . . .