Lumps and Lymph and Tests, Oh My!
If you follow me on IG and Facebook, you probably saw my post about having my first Mammogram at 35 years old and having them find a lump.
Typical protocol per the CDC is starting mammography at 40 – 49 years of age if the individual is of “average risk” and the patient chooses. The test should be repeated once every two years afterwards.
In September, I started having some weird lymphatic swelling of my armpit area. The lymphatic system is a system of organs, tissues and vessels that help to move lymph and helps to clean out waste, toxins and unwanted materials from the body. It is common for some increased lymphatic working or swelling to occur around injury or infection, but I hadn’t had any of this.
I mentioned it to my primary care practitioner and my gynecologist (I just happened to be going for my annual exam) and they agreed I should have a mammogram. A mammogram is a low dose x-ray image of the breast tissue to help assess breast health and screen for breast cancer. This can be accompanied by ultrasound of the breast and axillary (armpit) region.
I went for this test, which was far more pleasant than I expected. They placed my breasts in a variety of different positions with plastic positioning trays (kind of like the shelves in your fridge). They then performed ultrasounds of these areas. The doctor then came in to discuss the results until I felt safe and educated.
They had found a lump that was about 2 cm, which was considered clinically significant and large enough to warrant further assessment. Although they were pretty sure it was nothing to worry about, the protocol for breast health dictated a biopsy of my right side.
This test was scheduled 2 weeks later and was far more comfortable than getting a cavity filled or a thyroid biopsy I had years ago. They took 4 samples of the lump, all with local anesthesia and a funny and kind staff and promised results 3 days later. They called a day early to tell me I did NOT have cancer and the lump was a fibroadenoma.
I hadn’t heard this word since PT school but basically its a non-cancerous but solid lump very common in females my age. It can be exacerbated by increased Estrogen in the system, but since I don’t use birth control pills or ingest much soy, there were not many lifestyle changes I could make to affect this lump. They put a tiny titanium marker to keep track of this lump on further testing and I’ll just have to get it re-checked for growth next year.
So LONG story short, alls well that ends well and early detection, screening and monitoring are key in Breast Cancer Prevention!
