So a few moments ago I blogged about basically what I wish was going on in my life. lol.
Now to get back to reality...unfortunately.

So a few months ago while performing a breast self exam I found a lump on my breast. Thinking it would go away, I did nothing about it. Basically, I just kept the information to myself.
However, it didn't go away like I was hoping it would.
Throughout these past few months I've continued to do self check ups to see if it was still there. And it was.
About a month ago, I finally told my mom that I felt something but wasn't sure what it was. I figured that it probably was a calcium deposit (something that my aunt had a few years ago that went away on its own).
My mom then scheduled me a Dr.'s appt. Oh what joy.
Never having been to that  kind of Dr. I really wasn't very excited. So my appointment is scheduled for Wednesday (my only day off through the week) July 9th. As I go in to the dr.'s I'm a little nervous and not entirely sure what to expect. I put on the little gown and the Dr. gives me a clinical breast exam.
To my joy, my Dr. feels what I'm feeling (I'm not crazy! Yay!). But this also means that there is something there. My Dr. says that he's pretty sure it's dense breast tissue, but he wants me to get a breast ultrasound just in case. Evidently they prefer not to give women under 30 mammograms so that they do not expose the breast to radiation.
So a week later (the 16th), I use another one of my day's off to go to the hospital to get the ultrasound. Upon arriving, I find that my Dr. had made the referral order for the wrong breast; therefore, I had to wait an extra 20 minutes to get an order for the right breast (literally).
Once the order comes in they have me put a cloak on that is open in the front. I lay down on the table, put my arm over my head while the ultrasound technician does her thing. It takes about 5 minutes. After she's done, the doctor comes in to explain what they have found.
A little nervous, but just ready to find out what's wrong with me, the doctor tells me that he is about 98% sure that I have something called a fibroadenoma. What a fibroadenoma is is a benign (non-cancerous) solid growth/tumor/mass (whatever you want to call it). He says that it's about an inch in diameter.
Having done a little bit of breast cancer/ lump research, I had at least seen the word and knew that it was non-cancerous. Apparently this lump grows in about 10% of white women under thirty and 20% of black women under 30. It's like a tumor in the breast glands. They're not really sure why it happens, but a lot of doctors think that it has to do with your estrogen and hormone levels. When it comes to older women, it usually occurs in women who are on the pill, or take hormone medication. It rarely occurs in post-menopausal women unless they are taking hormone replacement pills.

However, you have to remember that the dr. is not 100% sure that my lump is a fibroadenoma; therefore, I have to go get a breast biopsy. This meaning, I get to be numbed up, then have a needle shoved into me to remove tissue from the lump. You guessed, "oh yippee".
So I'm not out of the clear yet. There's something like a 5% chance that it could be breast cancer or something else. My biopsy is scheduled for the July 29th. So I'll find out a little after that.

Hopefully it's not cancer, but a fibroadenoma,.
If it's a fibroadenoma, I have the option of getting it removed or leaving it in there (and have at least one yearly clinical breast exam to make sure it's not growing or what not). If it's removed I have the chance that it will come back or another will appear in my other breast or somewhere else in this breast. Oh and I also will now have a higher chance of getting breast cancer in the future. Oh skippy.

BASICALLY, THE MORAL OF THIS TALE IS THAT IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, YOU SHOULD AT LEAST BE DOING SELF CHECK UPS. YOU SHOULD ALSO BE GETTING A YEARLY CLINICAL BREAST EXAM.
IF YOU EVER DO FEEL A LUMP OR ANYTHING UNUSUAL, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR AND SCHEDULE AN APPT, IT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO.
DON'T EVER THINK THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU, IT OBVIOUSLY CAN!!
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT AGE, RACE, OR EVEN SEX YOU ARE. GET CHECKED OUT!

GOD BLESS!!

LOVE,

Sarah