Follow-Up Appointment

I continue to encourage you to get an annual mammogram once you are 40 and older. My mammogram last month showed something the doctor wanted to take another look at, so I got orders for a second mammogram and an ultrasound. I went this week. 

I'm sure you can guess I was nervous. It seems like everything makes me nervous. But I reminded myself that I'd been through much more invasive appointments many, many times and followed through with my follow-up appointment. 

And it started out good. Well, really, the whole thing was good. Everyone I encountered was kind and gentle and did their jobs well. 

But halfway through the ultrasound, I started crying. I just got scared. Thinking of the worst case scenario. Thinking of all of the other ultrasounds I'd had. Just thinking how hard life is for everyone everywhere. I felt very, very emotional. So I cried. And the ultrasound technician was just so nice, so kind.

(I'm glad I don't feel bad about crying. Because I cry often. Lol. But seriously, it is so important to feel your feelings. It can be a lot, but it's better than the alternative. Denial is confusing and repression sucks even more. In my opinion anyway.)

I'm not surprised I had an emotional response to my appointment. I usually do for medical things. Part of it comes from feeling scared like a little kid, and part of it comes from enduring infertility and lots of medical appointments (none of which were any good). 

Anyway, the doctor came in, looked at my x-rays and ultrasound, and told me he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was something concerning or just the way my body is. He wants to see me again in six months. So really, it's good news. We have baseline data and we will do another follow-up to check for changes.

Interestingly, I learned that women who do not get pregnant and have children typically have much denser breasts, which makes things like x-rays and ultrasounds more difficult to read. Great... Just another thing about my reproductive system that makes things harder...

But hey, overall, I'm glad. I mean, that's the point of getting a mammogram in the first place--to keep an eye on things. It's important to do. Go ahead and schedule yours if you're due.