On December 22, 2022 I found a lump in my breast.
I have been getting mammograms since I was 30 years old. My aunt is a breast cancer survivor. I had always wondered how I would ever know if I had a lump. It’s something you don’t know until you know. You know?
But there it was. I was in the shower and it wasn’t even a breast check day (this is your PSA that you should do a self check on the first of every month). I ran my soapy hand along the side of my left breast and up into the armpit and back down. What the fuck was that? I pushed a little deeper. Sure enough, there was definitely something there that wasn’t before.
A little history: When I was pregnant with my second child, the doctor found a mass and I had to have an ultrasound and a mammogram. I remember being so scared because not only do I have family history of breast cancer, but I was pregnant. After all the tests I was informed that I had very dense breasts and the “lump” was a weird formation of tissue.
So when I found the lump right before Christmas, I wasn’t too worried. I figured it was the same thing as it had been years before. I am a smart adult woman and knew that breast lumps are not to be taken lightly. I picked up the phone and made an appointment to have a mammogram – I was due for one anyways.
Now here is where I start talking about how lucky I am in spite of the scary possibilities. Because from that moment on, things seemed to line up in my favor.
The next day there was ONE opening for a mammogram. The. Next. Day. I took that appointment. It was the smartest move I made in the entire year of 2022.