
I wasn’t even ‘checking’.
I wasn’t even aware I was touching my breasts one night while watching television, when I felt something that resembled a frozen pea under the skin in my right breast.
My mind wandered… and wandered. I called my husband to come over and have a feel; he was equally as concerned as I. So I quite literally made an appointment for the next day to go to the doctors.
The doctor had a good feel around, informed me that most of the time it’s a cyst but good to be sure just in case. I got sent off for an ultrasound and mammogram a few days later.
Watch: How to check your breasts. Post continues below.
The mammogram.
Originally they weren’t going to give me a mammogram due to my age. But with my family history, being close to 40 and having children, they said they could do it. Apparently younger women’s breasts are much denser, so mammograms aren’t the most effective way to detect breast cancer for that demographic. Ultrasounds are the way to go (if you find a lump and your doctor doesn’t want to refer you, go see someone else and ask for an Ultrasound referral).
But off I went, into my beautiful gown to get my breasts completely squashed in this machine. It was a lovely woman conducting the session who made me feel as comfortable as someone can in that environment.
It didn’t really hurt, it was just a little uncomfortable and short-lived. When it all wrapped up, off I went into the next room.
The ultrasound.
It was the day before the AFL grand final and it was a long weekend. As I lay there getting the ultrasound, I expressed my concern to the woman as she did it. She was so kind; she was doing everything she could to try to comfort me as she scanned my breast.
She told me that it appeared to be nothing, but there was a little section of it that they would probably want to biopsy as it had blurred edges. She wasn’t ‘meant’ to tell me anything, yet she didn’t want me waiting freaking out over the long weekend. It was a very kind gesture, which I appreciated even though I knew it there was no certainty to her words.
She then started scanning my armpit, lymph node location, and her entire demeanour changed. She no longer looked me in the eye; she was doing those big gulps. I was lying there watching her reactions silently freaking out. I looked on the screen myself and swear I saw something where she was looking. I’m clearly no expert, but there was something different looking on the screen.