Tuesday, February 3, 2015

JUST A LYMPH NODE !!

Yeah, they can tell us this all day long and we will still fear the "call back".  After getting a call back after last Monday's yearly mammogram, today was my re-check appointment.
I got up hurried through chores ,grabbed a protein bar and my travel mug of coffee and headed across the mountain. Only good thing about early morning appointments is I didn't have time to think about being nervous.
I was called back immediately and called in for the specified mammogram shots before I could even sit down in the little waiting room with all the other ladies in our pretty pink wrap around tops.
When I saw the original mammogram of last week and the area that was in question, my heart sank, I knew this did not look like the lypoma that was found in my left breast a couple years ago during my last "call back".  This was more denser and round in shape. 
The machine operator had a special paddle on the mammographer which zeroed in on the area in question only.  It hurt when she tightened it down but she told me it would and that she was terribly sorry, like that was going to make it any easier ??
From there I was taken to another even smaller waiting room where only one other lady was sitting quietly. There was no TV in this waiting room like the other one and silence was heavy. I guess neither of us felt encouraging at this point. I was called back first for my ultrasound.
The ultrasound operator kept searching until I finally ask if she saw anything. She said not yet it was a very small spot.  To make matters even more scary the questionable area was almost under my right arm in the back side of my breast.  (I'm thinking , not a good spot at all, to close to all kinds of lymph nodes).
She finally said I think I've got it so lay very still while I go get the doctor.
When he came in he was a foreign looking man, maybe Indian, just like the last doctor at my last "call back".   He had a friendly face and as I watched his expression while the operator attempted to find the spot again, I thought how he must dread these meetings with patients. I can't imagine a more difficult job than to tell someone they might have cancer.  I tried to read his expression as she said she found the spot and he said zoom me in.
I saw his face soften and a quick smile come to his lips and felt relief even before he delivered the news that he was looking at a perfectly healthy lymph node.  I asked why it showed up this time for the first time and he said it happens all the time. It could have been because of the weight I lost that moved things around a bit.  Anyway it was sweet relief, although he did ask that I pay close attention to this area in my self exams to make sure this node doesn't enlarge and I be able to feel it.
I almost skipped aback to the van and headed home. I could hear the relief in hubbie's voice when I called him.
As I passed the gas stations along the road home I thought about what they said on the news last night about prices being as low as they are going to go and now will start climbing again.
Gas has been the cheapest it has been in years this winter , but I guess all good things must come to an end, sigh !!
It is a beautiful ,beautiful day !!!!

I made it home just in time for lunch.
After I ate I did house work until it was time for daughter's basketball game. This is officially the last home game of the season unless they make up a JV only game they missed because of testing earlier.
Daughter gives final instructions before the game starts.
They lost this game by a pretty good margin to Pisgah high school, the varsity girls also lost tonight.
I came home after her game and did chores then had supper of kale chips and some of the left over Boston butt #2 son brought by to vacuum pack for his freezer.
After he left hubbie and I relaxed for the evening.
Today has been a sunny but cool day with a high temp of 43 degrees but thankfully no wind.
Grateful for God's company this morning and always as I know He is always with me no matter what and He is loving me all the time.
Good Night and God Bless



3 comments:

linda m said...

All praise to God that your recheck went well and it was only a lymph node. God answered our prayers. Blessings

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Marilyn, Great news on your mammogram... I'm sure that call-back (and the waiting) was SCARY... I am scheduled for my mammogram this month ---along with my yearly physical. Now that I am totally off of all prescription medications, I'm anxious to see how my lab reports come out....

My knee is still painful --but gradually getting better. The doctor said that she did A LOT of work in that knee --so it will take quite a bit of time to get totally well... I am not good at being patient...

Hugs,
Betsy

Sandy Livesay said...

Marilyn,

Wooohooo.....great news about your mammogram. It's so stressful having to wait for results and doctors. I had the waiting game myself not to long ago. I found a lump, the doctor found the same lump, and immediately scheduled me for a bi-lateral mammogram, and a sonogram. Come to find out because my body was changing with going through the change it was nothing to worry about. The good Lord watched over us :-)
Don't work to hard!