Minnie and Lulu
So the surgery and the MRI were scheduled. There were so many things to do before the surgery. I had to get paperwork filled out for work for the disability insurance and the Family Medical Leave Act for work. I had to get the house cleaned. I can’t be sick when the house is not clean, much less recover from surgery. If I thought I was getting sick I would clean the house before I got really sick. I know…poor priorities. I was going through my list of things to do and I get a call from the local breast center. They want to schedule a mammogram. Schedule a what? I have already had more mammograms in the last few weeks than I can remember. Why do I need another mammogram? They explained that they need one done here (local to the hospital where I am having the surgery) that they can use to assist with the Needle Loc. The needle what? The “needle localization”. Didn’t they tell you about the needle loc?” Ummmmm, no-no they didn’t. They went on to advise me that just before the surgery they would place a wire in my breast that goes right to the tumor. It’s a guide wire that aids the surgeon in finding the tumor for removal. Oh boy, more things to do before the surgery. So another mammogram went on the schedule. While I am trying to get everything scheduled I am also trying to let everyone outside my immediate circle know about my diagnosis so they don’t hear it through the grapevine. I was told that some of my younger female relatives were very concerned about my diagnosis but didn’t know how to ask about it or what to say.
As you have probably figured out reading this blog I am very open about my breast cancer and will answer any questions or talk to anyone who asks. That is how Minnie and Lulu came to be. They are my boobs. Yes, I named my boobs. Minnie is my left boob (the one with cancer) and Lulu is my right boob. I picked the name Minnie because I thought my boob was going to shrink from the radiation (that’s what I was told), and Lulu just seemed like a fitting name for my other boob. When I talked to the younger women about the cancer I just told them I don’t have cancer, but Minnie does and we are going to do whatever it takes to get her better. I told them Lulu was going to make sure Minnie did everything she was supposed to. Of course they asked, “Who are Minnie and Lulu?” So I told them, “Well, they are my boobs”. I guess hearing that I had named my boobs and what the names were immediately lightened things up. We talked some more and I let them know they could ask me anything about it that they wanted. I think it helped. By moving the cancer 1 level away from me it didn’t seem as dire. It also became kind of fun talking about Minnie and Lulu (which we still do). People had no idea we were talking about my boobs.
So that was handled. I decided I should take the week before my surgery off so I could make all the appointments I needed to get to without too much stress. First up was the mammogram. The cubbies at the local breast center were larger than those at Borg Imaging. They were actually small rooms, nice. Maybe, I thought, their mammogram machines were nicer too. By nicer I mean not as painful. Guess what? A mammogram machine is a mammogram machine. No variance on the discomfort factor. You would think after all the mammograms I have had in the last few weeks Minnie & Lulu would still be a little numb……Oh well. One test down; next up…. the MRI.
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