Emphasis on Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Preventive care is so important yet so difficult to access in America. Ugh.
Discovery.
In July I noticed a pea size lump in my left breast.
I had just had an exam with my primary care doctor a couple months prior and I was breastfeeding so I assumed maybe a clogged duct or something. If you know my brain, I went through all the worst case scenarios for a good 30 seconds and moved on.
In August I officially stopped breastfeeding and stopped producing milk. However the tiny lump was still there. Same size. No pain. Just there.
I was annoyed that I had an anomaly in my body that I couldn’t just go get checkout out real quick because I didn’t have health insurance. The cost of being seen now would be out of pocket and my fresh self employed budget was confining.
Reluctantly, when I saw my mom in September I let her examine me because she’s a nurse assistant with 40+ years working in hospitals. She told me in her own special way to go get checked out and see if there were any free exams since October is breast cancer awareness month. Though my mom is usually a negative nancy and worst case scenario champion, she mentioned that all kinds of benign cysts can appear in our bodies and that was refreshing to hear considering what the worst could be.
I immediately began researching free or discounted breast exams and found plenty of options and organizations. I also reached out to a couple medical field friends in Georgia. When I got back from Jamaica, I called all these resources I compiled to discover phone numbers no longer in service, websites that have not been updated all year, and links to sites that were no longer available.
Ultimately I scheduled a breast exam with my OBGYN office. It was $150 out of pocket. I wasn’t going to wait any longer.
Research.
In calling around for quotes for breast exams I found 1 active resource through Northside Hospital called the Breast Care Fund. They covered all imagining and non surgical procedures at partnering locations after you receive an imaging order from your doctor.
The steps were easy:
1. Schedule your own breast exam with a doctor. Your Dr will order whatever imaging they recommend: ultrasound or mammogram or both.
2. Imagining order has to be faxed to the breast care fund. (Keep a copy of the order for yourself)
3. Schedule your ultrasound via phone and mention that you are using the breast care fund
4. Call the Breast Care Fund for approval. They ask if you are employed, if you have health insurance and if you have dependents. After answering those questions I was automatically approved.
5. Attend your Imagining appointment.
The breast care fund covers Imagining and non surgical procedures for 30 days at 100%. Incredible resource. Very timely. Grateful.
I miss health insurance already. Open enrollment is upon us and I look forward to getting coverage again. I also really miss my therapist. When I’m able to see her again I think I’ll need a 2 hour appointment just to tell her everything that she missed.
The Scans.
At 33 I had my first mammogram. My oldest sister calls the machine the boob smasher and I anticipated pain but was pleasantly surprised that it was not. It’s definitely an awkward apparatus but not painful. Today’s mammogram machines can detect cancer as small as a grain of sand. At least that’s what my technician told me as I backed away from the machine.
My OBGYN office told me that after my ultrasound, if the technician says a lot to me that might indicate something. Mine did not have much of anything to say except for “hmm the depth is tricky”. Her silence and return with the Doctor had me pause.
The Doctor, who came in awkwardly chipper and in a hurry to speak and leave, came in and confirmed that what I’m feeling is a nodule, which literally could be lots of things (scary and not scary) but it’s essentially a solid mass of something. Most breast nodules do not require treatment. My next steps would be a needle biopsy of the area to determine what it is exactly.
Immediately I thought Damn, this isn’t over yet.
Grateful for wisdom filled women like my friend Charee who reminded me that I’m still in the discovery phase. Knowing that she experienced everything I was going through and came out with non-scary results was comforting and a reminder that the best thing I can do is keep an open mind, open heart, and follow through. I’m still in the discovery phase. The exams that I’m doing are pretty routine and nothing crazy is happening. I actually have a very close friend (same age) who just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer. Another relationship I’m grateful to learn from and to cherish. There is an uncomfortable amount of unspoken experiences in the world especially regarding women and women’s health. Its literally insane.
Nothing is promised, not even tomorrow. So how will you use the time you are gifted? I’m starting to wonder if there is ever enough time. The time I may have spent worry about the time I have or lack of time I have would be much better spent just enjoying the time and prioritizing my joy, my desires, my heart song. Maybe this is my ultimate lesson or test on being present. I think God has been training my spirit and my temperament to be more still and more present in the now. I’m listening. I’m obeying. I submit.
Peace and Love,
Stephanie