So many tests………
My head was spinning. I needed to finish getting things ready at home. I still had to get an MRI, a dose of radiation (apparently in my boob), a needle localization and finally surgery to remove the cancer. Next in line was the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This takes a more detailed image. They will check to be sure there isn’t other cancer in either boob that didn’t show up on the other tests. I was thinking that with all the mammograms I’ve had in the last few weeks if there was anything else in my boobs it probably got squished away. So I show up for my MRI and of course I need to “don the gown”. They have to inject a contrast dye so the MRI machine can better see what may be lurking in Minnie & Lulu (my boobs). They injected that into my arm. Yay! I briefly thought it may have to go into my boob. I think Minnie was also relieved. I know a lot of people are not comfortable getting an MRI. You need to lay on a table while the table is slid into the machine. It’s like going into a tube just big enough for the table and you. It can be claustrophobic. The MRI for boob images requires that you lay on your stomach. There is a type of cradle that you lay into and it sort of conforms around your boobs. It’s actually more comfortable than it sounds. You do have to have your arms forward over your head. I had a flash back to the biopsy and Minnie twitches a little. I am very happy that there is no clamping involved. I’m sure if Minnie could smile she would have. While you are in the tube large magnets spin around you taking images. It gets pretty noisy. Personally I find the noise soothing. It is loud and rhythmic. I have been known to doze off while getting an MRI. I have no idea how long I was in there, but it didn’t seem too long. The test was done. I got dressed and headed home. Another one down…..Next on the list was the radioactive injection. That one kind of scared me a little. The injection was scheduled for the day before the surgery. I did do some research on this and was a little sorry I did. I found out that the radioactive dye is injected into the boob, yikes! They use the dye to help locate the sentinel lymph nodes for removal and testing. They test the lymph nodes to check if any cancer has made it to the lymph system. It is much better if it hasn’t gotten that far. The dye is injected the day prior to surgery so it has a chance to travel to the lymph nodes. Thankfully they don’t have to do any clamping for that one either. Although I’m not sure getting radioactive stuff injected into my boob is much better. I spent the next few days getting ready for the surgery and trying not to think about things.
The day before arrived and I went in for my injection. Of course I had to change into the gown and wait for the doctor who would do the injection. I felt like I should just buy one of those gowns to take with me and save them all that laundry. Or even better I could just wear it to my appointments, no changing needed. Maybe I'd get a designer hospital gown and be all the rage. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yea, radioactive dye. I remember the dye being carried in within a small industrial looking container, just like what you would think a radioactive substance would come in. Yowsers! That’s going in my boob? Must be that thought showed on my face. They quickly explained that to me it really poses no danger, but to those who handle it often it can. Ok, that makes sense and I feel a little more at ease
(sorta- kinda). I honestly don’t remember if they numbed Minnie before the injection or not. I don’t recall there being any real pain and there definitely wasn’t any clamping. They were done with the injection,I got dressed and on my way I went. I wondered as I was walking out if I would set off a Geiger counter if there was one nearby…… Next up was the needle localization and then the surgery. There was just so much to look forward to. At least those both were scheduled for the same day and I would have some down time after that.
Nothing here that will hurt You want to put that where?
you, honest.....
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