Lynda's Pink Ribbon Breakfast

HOW DID I FIND OUT?? Did it get found on a routine screening, did I find a lump??

Each year since turning 40 I have been having regular screenings at Breastscreen Qld. A government funded service that provides breast screening for women and men. 

I had my last mammogram with Breastscreen 7 months ago and heard nothing further. I assumed that everything was clear [and possibly it was ????

Approximately a month ago I noticed a small lump in my left breast whilst lying in bed. I sat up and felt what appeared to be a small pea size lump. I rang Breastscreen the following day to advise and was told - "You will need a GP referral and we currently have a 6 week wait. " I saw my GP 2 days later - whom is very thorough and very knowledgable and who actually worked for many years at the Breast Health Centre. She felt the lump and didn't feel it was anything to be concerned about. She thought it was a ridge in my breast tissue but said "Anyone that comes to see me with breast lumps or concerns needs to go and have a check".  

On 21st March I visited the Breast Health Centre at St Vincents Chermside and underwent a routine breast health check. BReast check by doctor, mammogram and then an ultrasound. I then saw the doctor who advised that there were a couple of lesions on the ultrasound, however she didn't believe it was anything sinister but would like to take some biopsies.

I would need to return 48 hours later for the results from the biopsy.

On Wednesday 23rd March, Scott and I returned to the Breast Health Centre to be told "you have stage 2 breast cancer".  To be honest the rest of her words were irrelevant. I tuned out and held it together. I couldn't believe I was hearing those words - Again!!!! She said that they were also concerned about some other areas on my breast and my lymph gland [which was extremely swollen and was showing descrepencies on the scan] and wanted to take further core biopsies.

As Scott and I sat in the room waiting to be taken through for more biopsies we both cried and cried and I just wanted to curl up in ball and fall asleep and not wake up.

The second lot of biopsies were excruatingly painful as my breast had already undergone three biopsies just two days prior and was still bleeding and sore.  The sonographer said that she needed to speak with the doctor  to confirm whether the node biopsy was required. I was left alone for about 5 minutes on the table and just sobbed and sobbed. Thinking about leaving my family behind. Thinking about all the travel I wanted to do. Thinking about why was this happening to me when I was a good person??

After the further biopsies had been taken we saw the doctor again who had booked us in with the breast surgeon 2 days later [Friday].

We saw Breast Surgeon Dr Melinda Cook. She was thorough, she was knowledgable and she was clear in her explanation as to what was happening . She provided a very detailed diagram detailing what the problem was, what her aim was and how that aim would be achieved.

Her analogy was "it's like you have some prisoners in your breast. They've escaped and we need to find out where they are and how far away they are?".

NB the tumourss were NOT seen on the mammogram, however very distinct on the ultrasound