I always get my annual well woman's exams every year. This year I am transitioning from group insurance provided by my husband's employer to private pay due to the increase in premiums and decrease in coverage. I got sick of paying out the nose for nothing so decided to navigate the private pay route. In doing this I decided to stick my old insurance with all of the bills related to my annual well woman's visits.
Well, imagine my shock when the mammogram showed some "irregularity" that needed investigation. This all started on August 2nd. I was able to get in for the follow up mammogram, find out that it showed that I had some "micro calcifications" for which I was advised to get biopsied. The hospital staff, surgeon and my primary care physician were wonderful when I explained that if I did not get it done prior to my new insurance taking affect that I may not be covered and potentially be dropped. They all kicked into high gear and got it done. After 3 weeks of pure hell wondering if I had something serious or not I learned on Monday it is benign, no diagnosis.
What a freaking scare this was and a valuable lesson. We all have to take control of our health when possible, get regular screenings and not live thinking the worst (easy to say). I have always been a pretty strong person but have to admit that I had moments of weakness not knowing what direction I would be going, whether I would end up bankrupting my husband and me with astronomical bills for treatments. I had an aunt that died from breast cancer. According to the Drs 1 in 8 women get breast cancer.
This is what I learned about the current knowledge about breast cancer. For us women over the age of 50 - 50% of us will develop what they call micro calcifications which are microscopic calcium deposits that can develop in the drying up mammory glands. These calcifications can develop into breast cancer but only do so in 20% of women that get them, 80% are benign. The radiologists that examined my 10th mammogram told me that the calcifications were so small that they could not be seen by a regular mammogram only under magnified mammograms which reguire a particularly painful procedure. If there was cancer it was very very early and easily cureable.
Lesson and advice to all women over the age of 50 do not, do not postpone getting regular screenings. It is too important to your life. Believe me I am walking a few feet off of the ground since Monday. I am living my life differently from now on.
