My new doc spoke with Eric this afternoon. I need to return to Mayo for an ultrasound of ANOTHER questionable area next Thursday. I'm slated for the ultrasound, a possible biopsy (depending on the ultrasound), and meetings with this new specialist and my oncologist (which I would have had anyway, we just hoped we'd be able to cancel them).
As far as we can tell, the area originally flagged by the radiologist in Waterloo was ok, but there's a different area that Mayo has flagged. My mammogram was deemed normal, which is frustrating, but still good news. An abnormal mamm and abnormal MRI would certainly have painted a darker picture.
And it could still be nothing. Thanks for the positive thoughts and prayers.
Oh, to all my cute work people who ask BEHIND me and are nervous to ask me themselves: I currently have ONE breast (the right one) and one VERY good prosthetic (the left one). (Therefore all of these questionable tests are on the RIGHT side... because doing a breast MRI or mamm on the left side is impossible.) It's been like that for a year and a half. And yes, I'm ok with that.
Carpe diem. Trela
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Back In Iowa
There were a few scheduling complications at Mayo this week -- I ended up NOT having an appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday was equally messed up. All's well that ends well, I guess. Yesterday Eric and I drove the 100 miles north and met with a new breast specialist. She was darling, from Ireland, and hoped my whole reason for needing to meet with her was "rubbish." The second I heard her accent I felt better. When I asked her where she was from and she responded, "Ireland," I managed to restrain from rolling my eyes and instead asked her to be more specific. We got on very well. : ) On a medical front (ha), she also didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, so that helped immensely. She was able to squeeze me in for a mammogram (ha again) yesterday afternoon, so we did that before the MRI.
The mamm was fine -- if you remember from my original mammo ordeal, we're in a waiting room (which is much like I imagine purgatory, but with HGTV) sitting around in equally unattractive gowns. They've upgraded since my first go round, now the gowns are a hospital blue color instead of the previous dusty pink. They call you back for your mamm one at a time, do the test (which is only slightly more complex because of my implant) and send you back to the waiting room to - wait -. If your test looks fine (I'm not yet sure if "fine" means "you're healthy" or simply, "we don't need any more pictures") you're free to go. On my previous two journeys to mammography I've needed to be called back for an ultrasound so I fully expected that. The poor woman sitting across from me had been coming to Mayo for 40 years for her yearly check and had NEVER had a problem before -- until yesterday. So I sat there for most of my 20 minutes of waiting chatting with her. Surprisingly, they didn't need more images from me, so I got out of there with just the original mamm -- yippie!
MRI was next and Eric and I were a bit concerned I'd be late. No worries, though -- the computer at Imaging was pitching a fit and my 3pm appointment was delayed until almost 4:15. Delays persisted after I was taken back and changed and I didn't actually get into the tube until nearly 4:45. The scan was no big deal except for my arm falling asleep (it always does) and by 5:30 we were on our way, with complimentary parking for our inconvenience.
We ate at Chipotle on the way home and the extra helping of guac did much to soothe my irritation over an annoyingly long day. We won't hear for a bit how my tests went, but certainly NOT needing an ultrasound and having an expert feel no problems are points in my corner.
Now I'm sitting at work - exhausted - and should finish my kids' warm up for the day. Fortunately I'd already planned a decently easy work day for myself because I'm definitely not up for super high energy teaching today. Don't tell my boss. : )
Carpe diem -- Trela
The mamm was fine -- if you remember from my original mammo ordeal, we're in a waiting room (which is much like I imagine purgatory, but with HGTV) sitting around in equally unattractive gowns. They've upgraded since my first go round, now the gowns are a hospital blue color instead of the previous dusty pink. They call you back for your mamm one at a time, do the test (which is only slightly more complex because of my implant) and send you back to the waiting room to - wait -. If your test looks fine (I'm not yet sure if "fine" means "you're healthy" or simply, "we don't need any more pictures") you're free to go. On my previous two journeys to mammography I've needed to be called back for an ultrasound so I fully expected that. The poor woman sitting across from me had been coming to Mayo for 40 years for her yearly check and had NEVER had a problem before -- until yesterday. So I sat there for most of my 20 minutes of waiting chatting with her. Surprisingly, they didn't need more images from me, so I got out of there with just the original mamm -- yippie!
MRI was next and Eric and I were a bit concerned I'd be late. No worries, though -- the computer at Imaging was pitching a fit and my 3pm appointment was delayed until almost 4:15. Delays persisted after I was taken back and changed and I didn't actually get into the tube until nearly 4:45. The scan was no big deal except for my arm falling asleep (it always does) and by 5:30 we were on our way, with complimentary parking for our inconvenience.
We ate at Chipotle on the way home and the extra helping of guac did much to soothe my irritation over an annoyingly long day. We won't hear for a bit how my tests went, but certainly NOT needing an ultrasound and having an expert feel no problems are points in my corner.
Now I'm sitting at work - exhausted - and should finish my kids' warm up for the day. Fortunately I'd already planned a decently easy work day for myself because I'm definitely not up for super high energy teaching today. Don't tell my boss. : )
Carpe diem -- Trela
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Mayo Week
My Facebook status update this morning says "Trela Hansen Rottinghaus is not interested in spending two days at Mayo this week. If everyone thinks it's fine, why do I have to go prove it?"
Tuesday I have a mammogram sometime in the early afternoon (probably should find out when...) because it's a prerequisite for having a breast MRI with them. They have to do it the day before so I get to make the drive twice. I decided there was no point in staying overnight in a place I didn't want to be, and it's only a two hour drive. So, mam on Tuesday, I'll just head north on my own and get that taken care of.
Eric comes with me Wednesday for a typical "Mayo Day." (Read: Day filled with lots of appointments and probably no time to eat lunch.) We see my dear onc at 8am, a breast specialist at 10 something and finish the day with an MRI. So, yet again, I'll be waiting for a phone call... There's a decent chance my doc will have seen my mam before our appointment on Wednesday morning, but he won't be able to say anything definite until the MRI read is done.
I'm hoping that by Friday I'm looking at this as a HUGE inconvenience and nothing more.
Carpe diem. - Trela
Tuesday I have a mammogram sometime in the early afternoon (probably should find out when...) because it's a prerequisite for having a breast MRI with them. They have to do it the day before so I get to make the drive twice. I decided there was no point in staying overnight in a place I didn't want to be, and it's only a two hour drive. So, mam on Tuesday, I'll just head north on my own and get that taken care of.
Eric comes with me Wednesday for a typical "Mayo Day." (Read: Day filled with lots of appointments and probably no time to eat lunch.) We see my dear onc at 8am, a breast specialist at 10 something and finish the day with an MRI. So, yet again, I'll be waiting for a phone call... There's a decent chance my doc will have seen my mam before our appointment on Wednesday morning, but he won't be able to say anything definite until the MRI read is done.
I'm hoping that by Friday I'm looking at this as a HUGE inconvenience and nothing more.
Carpe diem. - Trela
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