After the wait, the mammogram and scan day arrivied.

Twenty-four days after I first contacted my medical centre, I attended an appointment at our local imaging centre.  A mammogram was on the agenda first, to be followed by a scan, as requested by the young doctor I had seen.  I had a mammogram at this same centre about ten years before as part of the national breast cancer screening programme, but they could not find evidence of it in their systems which was kind of weird.  Where did it go?  Did someone see something in it and refer it on, only to have it dismissed?  

I was asked about the position of the lump that I had discovered and then, after the standard procedure, the radiographer took the images away and came back into the room to take a more focused mammogram using a smaller, squashier paddle in the region of the lump.   Mammograms are never comfortable for me.  They squeeze a part of your body that should not be squeezed so hard, and I would give someone a left uppercut if they ever squeezed me so hard without valid scientific reason. 

The second lot of mammographs was then taken and the radiographer went away to speak to the "doctor" and on her return, I was moved into the scan room to meet the second radiographer of the day who was about to look as closely at my breasts as my husband.  This scanning also covered both breasts and then focused on where the lump was supposed to be.  Those images were also taken to the "doctor" who was in another room, and then a second set of images was taken at her request, and reported on again.  

Finally, the "doctor" who was a radiologist (a doctor who specialises in radiology) came into the room and used the scanning equipment to take another look inside my breast.  She talked to the radiographer about seeing a couple of small nodes as well and then addressed me, telling me that she was concerned about the images and would like to book me in for a biopsy.  I was beginning to think, ugh, another delay before I find out what this is, but she said she could do the biopsy pretty much straight away, if that was alright by me.

I was ushered into another room and met another radiographer who introduced herself as someone I might know, and it dawned on me that she was the daughter of a friend.  She was the fourth person of the day to get to see my poor breast, as she prepared to help guide the doctor (radiologist) with a scan while she extracted three samples of tissue from within my breast.  After signing all of the necessary permissions to go ahead, I was given a local anaesthetic to numb the area and this was a fairly straightforward, painless procedure.  I then went home and waited to hear of the results of the biopsy, as I was told that someone would contact me when those were available.

Within a couple of days, the results of the scanning procedures were posted in MyIndici (medical centre health app) and I read that the lump was judged as "probably malignant".  While some may not like reading this kind of information, I was okay with it.  I think my science background enabled me to digest the data about the lump and it also gave me time to reflect on the fact that I was probably about to experience the life of a breast cancer patient.  The prognosis was not wrong as the biopsy result was also posted a few short days afterwards to confirm that I had Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) in my right breast - about 2 cms tall and a little under wide.  It was a grade 2 cancer (not grade 1 which is slow growing, but also not grade 3 which is fast growing).  

Afterthought: Interestingly, I discovered later that mammograms often miss "seeing" the type of cancer that I have and I feel no regrets about not participating in the National Breast Screening Programme and subjecting myself to the squeeze over the years.  That is not to say that I would discourage others from participating, as I am sure that early screening does make a difference for life expectancy, but every woman has the right to decide what is right for her and live with the consequences.

In the beginning, there was a lump.

Disclosure:  I am not very proactive when it comes to health issues.  My parents both lived to the grand old age of 90  and generally, my family has good health.  As a 70-year-old woman, I had sporadic moments of proactiveness,  attending to smears and mammogram checks, but with the least bit of interest and consequence expected.  Mammograms revealed I had lumpy breasts (cysts) but further investigations revealed nothing untoward. 

In October, 2023, as I lay in bed at an awkward angle because sciatica was giving me pain down my leg and I was trying to relieve it, I absentmindedly stroked my right breast and found there a firm lump that seemed too big to be true.  I stood up and went to the bathroom and stroked downward on my right breast again.  Yes, there it was, especially if I lifted my arm above my head, a lump, which seemed to say to me that this might not be right.

There was no corresponding lump on my left breast, so I asked my husband to investigate as he is probably more familiar with the shape and size of my breasts than anyone and he agreed that it did not seem to be right.  So it was the time for action.

So the first step happened, as follows.  I used my health app to try to make an appointment with my doctor (whom I had never met before, as I kept good health) and as an appointment with her was only available in 4 weeks,  I messaged the medical centre.  I said that I had found a lump and would like an urgent appointment with my doctor. Several disjointed messages were interchanged through the app, as it is managed by the medical centre so you cannot respond to the person who sends you a message.

 Eventually, I was rung by a nurse or manager.  Their advice was that the earliest that any doctor in the practice could see me was in two weeks.  I then made that appointment but asked if I could be booked in for a mammogram, as well, so that the doctor would be able to make a diagnosis and plan of action supported by more concrete evidence.   

The medical centre person refused - "not part of their protocols" - I had to see the doctor first.  I said, you know the first thing the doctor is going to require is a mammogram so let's save time and get this booked in now.  She said that the doctor needed to make that decision after examining me, and again refused.  

I railed against this decision.  I am an intelligent woman, with two degrees and two post-graduate diplomas as well as common sense but I was restricted by protocols and a lack of consideration of the patient's knowledge of themselves and medical matters.  

The newest doctor with the least appointments could see me in two weeks.  He turned out to be a very competent young doctor, explaining the procedures that he would carry out and what could happen as a result of those procedures.  This was very reassuring and I agreed to his examination and next steps.  He ordered a mammogram (SURPRISE!!!!) and scan to be carried out.  However,  the earliest I could get in to have these done was 10 days, even when going private.  So a further wait loomed.

A 24-day wait is a long time when you know there is something not right.  Days ticked by very slowly but I finally attended the mammogram and scan appointments and from that point on, the medical system kicked into top gear.   

How many women get flicked off in this kind of situation?