Breast Biopsy Results

Cancer.

The biopsy result nobody wants to get.

After my second mammogram and ultrasound, I was sent for a breast biopsy by the nicest surgeon. The procedure was so scary sounding to me, but once I was there, it was quick, and the worst pain was the numbing shot at the beginning. The longest part was having the nurse hold compression on the incision to stop the bleeding. Overall, not so scary.

After a few days, I got the pathology results in the Quest App: cancer. But no calls from a doctor. Finally, three days later, they called to schedule an appointment to talk through my results. EIGHT days after I found out I had cancer on my own through the Quest portal. I have no idea what is typical, but man, did it suck to wait so long.

I allowed myself 15 minutes of googling and a handful of TikTok videos, but largely waited until my follow-up appointment to get information from the surgeon. The internet is a scary place, and I don’t need to spend time learning about all the worst-case scenarios.

I was overwhelmed by the number of questions I had and the amount of information I knew I didn’t know.

Yesterday, I met with the surgeon to go over the results. We made a plan for a lumpectomy and radiation. Then she was able to get me in to see the Oncologist right away. We did some bloodwork and talked about what life will look like after surgery and radiation. Most importantly, we did genetic testing to see if I carry any mutations that might change our care plan.

So now I wait some more. And then I follow the plan. And then I move on as much as I can.

If you’re a praying person, add me to your prayer list; if not, send me good vibes. I’ll take all the positivity I can get while I walk through this journey. It’s scary, but I think I’ve got this.

Fuck cancer.