It's been almost three months since I discovered the lump in my left breast. I was panicky at first, but now it's sort of become just another part of me. I don't even check it very often - maybe every few days, rather than every few minutes like when I first felt it. However, this breast MRI appointment had been looming in the horizon so I couldn't ignore it completely.
To bring you up to speed, I am supposed to have an MRI once a year until I hit menopause. My last one was in April, right after the DCIS diagnosis. She doesn't think the mass it is anything too concerning, but she moved the MRI up a couple of months because the lump wasn't going away.
A breast MRI has to be performed during the part of one's menstrual cycle when the tissue is the least dense. That means between days 7 and 10 after your period starts. Just so you know. I was hoping to get into the new breast MRI center at Westhealth, but they delayed their opening until March. Doing the math, days 7-10 of my March cycle would be right in the middle of spring break, when we are planning a skiing trip to Colorado. Now you know all about my menstrual cycle! Yay! Besides, I sort of want it done sooner rather than later. So today was the day. Taking another trip down to Abbott.
The drive in wasn't too bad, since it was the middle of the morning. However, I had to park on the roof of the parking ramp, and even then it was difficult to find a spot. So I was already a little late. Then, when I checked in at the information desk, they sent me to the wrong imaging center (being a hospital, there are of course multiple MRI machines). I finally ended up at the Piper building, checked in, and removed my clothing and jewelry. I was pretty anal about making sure I took anything metallic off of my body, since a few years ago i read an article about a little boy dying in an MRI machine because an oxygen tank was left in the room and the strong magnets pulled it into the MRI like a missile. The radiology technician got my IV catheter in right away (yay!) and I was ready to open up my gown and lie facedown on the MRI table (with cut outs for the breasts). They gave me headphones to play music (which is kind of a joke because the machine is so loud you can't hear much) and started the first cycle. I immediately felt my fingers vibrating. Dammit! I forgot to remove my rings!!! How could I let that happen??? I squeezed the panic bulb to get the technicians' attention and almost bolted out of the machine when she didn't stop it right away. Oops, sorry, I left my rings on! The technician yanked them off and re-started the first cycle.
The procedure took about 30 minutes and other than breathing, I didn't move at all. Last time they told me there was some movement artifact towards the end and I didn't want that to happen again! They pulled my IV cath, I changed into my street clothes and replaced my jewelry, and spent over 45 minutes trying to get home (they re-routed the street due to construction).
Man, my breasts sure do cost me a lot of time. And now, because we have a high-deductible insurance plan, they will be costing me a bit of money as well (I'll let you know how much this test is going to cost me when I get the bill).
Funny thing is I think of myself as a healthy person. I don't have any chronic medical conditions and I'm in good shape. But I think have been to more doctors in my 41 years than most people. I believe that I've had 6 MRIs and one brain CT scan. Heck, this is my 20th appointment in the past year just for my breasts! And that's only one part of my body!
Anyway, I should find out the results in the next day or two. I am trying to be zen about it, but I have a weird feeling I'll be called back for more testing. I will certainly let you know.
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