Biopsy or 5

December 20th 2022- Headed back to the Women's Center at Riverview Medical Center to get what was going to be 4 biopsies and was 5. 4 on my left breast and 1 on my right. This time I was not alone, my husband Doug took off from work and drove me in. I met with Dr. Won and Chris, my RN before anything started. My vitals were taken and Dr. Won explained what procedures she would be preforming. She also told me the results usually take 48 hours and asked if I wanted to know before we went to Disney. And I said yes, I couldn't go on vacation not knowing. So off the the dressing room to get my beautiful front opening gown on.

Dr. Won performed 2 mammogram guided biopsies to take samples of the calcifications in my left breast. This procedure I had to lay belly down on a table with a hole in it for the breast....As you can imagine this was quite uncomfortable but luckily I was mostly numb. I won't go into further details on that one... Then she performed 3 ultrasound guided biopsies, 1 to take samples from the left lymph node and the other 2 took samples from the masses on either breast. Chris, the same RN from the Friday before stayed with me through every biopsy. She held my hand and talked to me about my kids. We were leaving on Christmas for our family vacation to Disney so she helped keep my focus on that. She kept me calm and sane while my stomach was in knots.

After many hours I was finally finished. Chris helped make sure all my dressings were clean and secure and I was wrapped in a breast binder (which by the way I had only seen used after a boob job- I have watched many episodes of Dr. 90210 and Botched on E! ) and given a ton of ice packs. As I sat in this dressing room with her I asked, "What are the odds this isn't cancer?" and she was very honest and said, "We won't know for certain until the pathology results are back but the change in the nipple and the swollen lymph node is a huge sign pointing that direction." I kinda in my heart already knew the answer.

"Well this is the most dramatic way to get my husband to agree with me on a boob job! Apparently I have to have cancer to get these sad things lifted. " Chris responded with, " How do you think mine are so perky!" We both laughed and she told me that she said the same thing when she went through her treatment too. There is always a silver lining to everything and focusing on that and humor are going to get me through this.

The last thing Chris said to me before I left that tiny dressing room was, "If I were you I would go home and have glass of wine. You have been through a lot today."

Oh thank God I thought! "I'm allowed too?"

"Absolutely! You are going to have a hard battle this year so you deserve a glass tonight. You will make it through, it's just going to be a tough road. And do yourself a favor and Don't google. I know it's hard but there is so much misinformation out there, just let us guide you."

And after a hug goodbye I was on my way home to wait for my results.