The mammogram can be an emotional roller coaster for any person. After you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, even good results can tap into deep emotions.
PUBLISHED October 28, 2018
Felicia Mitchell is a poet and writer who makes her home in southwestern Virginia, where she teaches at Emory & Henry College. She was diagnosed with Stage 2b HER2-positive breast cancer in 2010. Website: www.feliciamitchell.net
Yay! I just received a form letter regarding the annual mammogram of my remaining breast. "There are no signs on the studies to indicate cancer," the letter affirms. I guess this is good news. Being a survivor makes me feel both relief and ambivalence.
The year I was diagnosed with stage 2B, HER2-positive, HR-negative cancer, the initial mammogram and subsequent biopsy revealed only an in situ tumor (Stage 0). It took a mastectomy to reveal another invasive tumor lurking close to the chest wall, which makes me thankful I had no interest in breast-conserving surgery.
While a mammogram is a great tool, it is imperfect. Even my form letter says to be wary. "We want to remind you," it states, "that mammography and/or ultrasonography does not find all breast cancers." To remedy that fact, and make it more likely that we do find breast cancers not indicated by a mammogram, the letter cautions me to do self-breast examinations monthly and to get an annual exam by a doctor.
The year I was diagnosed with stage 2B, HER2-positive, HR-negative cancer, the initial mammogram and subsequent biopsy revealed only an in situ tumor (Stage 0). It took a mastectomy to reveal another invasive tumor lurking close to the chest wall, which makes me thankful I had no interest in breast-conserving surgery.
While a mammogram is a great tool, it is imperfect. Even my form letter says to be wary. "We want to remind you," it states, "that mammography and/or ultrasonography does not find all breast cancers." To remedy that fact, and make it more likely that we do find breast cancers not indicated by a mammogram, the letter cautions me to do self-breast examinations monthly and to get an annual exam by a doctor.
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