Am I OK???

Simply.....I'm trying.

Life has been tough for quite some time now. First, there was the news that my Mom had breast cancer. Then, Bob's journey through brain cancer began. It was very hard not to let these two things intertwine in my head. My heart breaks for Bob and his family, but the same fate is not expected for my Mom. Praise God!.....I guess? I joyfully claim the miracle that our Lord did in my Mom's life, but I am beyond perplexed when I consider that Bob's children will have to finish growing up without a Dad.

Shortly after my Mom's diagnosis, my Mom's oncologist recommended that my siblings and I be tested for the breast cancer genes (BRCA 1 & 2). I immediately called up my doctor. She agreed that it was a good plan, and got right to the business of figuring out how to word the referral to convince the Medical Group to cover the test (at a cost of about $3500). In the mean time, she gave me a referral to get a mammogram. This would be my first, and baseline mammogram, as I am only 31 years old. Typically, women are not encouraged to start getting mammograms until they are 40 years old.

On May 4, I went for my mammogram. In spite of some of the horror stories I've heard, it really wasn't a big deal. A quick apology to my male readers....I know that all of us women have more "sensitive" times of the month, but the mammogram just wasn't that big of a deal. Ladies, I have some good sized boobs too!!! I get the whole "vice" reference, but the level of discomfort was not worth skipping the potential lifesaving value of the test. Go get your mammograms!!!!!!!!!!

Now for the icky part. Last week, I got a call from my doctor's office. It seems that my mammogram showed some abnormalities in a lymph node in my right breast. Now, I know that it is probably nothing. I had a clogged milk duct that was needle biopsied and aspirated shortly after kid #2 quit nursing. I also had a fibrous cyst that required ultrasound before child #3 was conceived. It turned out to be nothing. However, my Mom had all these things too at points in her life, and still ended up with breast cancer. I'm not saying that my faith has become weak, but I am human none the less. I go in for a "spot compression" on Friday. They will be taking more x-rays and an ultrasound. I would so appreciate your prayers. This is scary stuff!!!