Friday, June 25, 2010

from the ridiculous to .....the ridiculous

Years ago, when i was knocked up with Em, The Mister and i would go to prenatal appointments together.

When checking in at the front desk, we were always asked, "Is this work related or an accident?"

The possibilities for smart-assery were unlimited.

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Yesterday i went for an ultra-sound as a follow up to a mammogram.  This doesn't freak me out as i get a call back after a mammogram probably at least half the time, and i've been getting them for over 15 years. 

I have dense breasts, or, it's a cyst, i'm always told.  About 10 years ago, they wanted me to get a biopsy and i refused.  (I worry that to a carpenter, everything looks like a nail, you know?)  Whatever it was they saw, it went away.

So yesterday, after more mammogram pictures and then the gelling and wanding of my boobs, the technician and the doctor come in and ask me when i want to schedule the biopsy, just assuming that i will want to do that.   (As an aside, great bedside manner to not tell me anything, other than that the next step is a biopsy.)

They were pretty shocked when i said i wanted to think about it.

I kind of have a bee in my bonnet about the medical industry and the reason that insurance is so expensive.

Or maybe i'm just in denial.  I am still thinking about it, but i really don't know what to do.  I'll be pissed if it turns out to be nothing, which is the likeliest possibility.  But i suppose i'll be more pissed if it doesn't and i didn't do anything.

18 comments:

Ariane said...

I feel like a lot in the medical industry is absolutely unnecessary. We know our bodies better than anyone and should be consulted before our opinions are assumed.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

nick said...

If they can't give you any good reason for having a biopsy, why have one? If they'd seen something that looked nasty, that would be different. My impression of US medicine is that they always want you to have half a dozen tests and checks, whether or not there's any justification for them.

Bob said...

tough decision. knowing your history it's natural to think it's nothing.

waaaaaay on the opposite side of that argument is that it could be a tumor - or a pre-cancerous lump. They are most successfully treated when caught early.

Forget for a moment your opinion of the medical industry. Think of the potential outcomes of pursuing this vs. not.

Maybe have another mammogram somewhere else and get anther doctor's opinion?

I lost an aunt to breast cancer. My mother had a lump removed from her breast several years ago, and has remained clear since then.

the only field in which U.S. health care leads the world is in breast cancer prevention/treatment.

I truly hope that this is yet another cyst/cloud on an x-ray/non-event. You'll be in my thoughts.

Bob said...

I should have said: the only field in which U.S. health care leads the world is in breast cancer detection & treatment.

Mrs. Chili said...

I'm with Bob; get another opinion, then get it checked out.

Keep us posted.

Love ya,

Chili

sari said...

I agree on the second opinion.

When I was pregnant with my last one (who is now 2-1/2) I was 41. My doctor was FREAKED OUT to the point of acting like I was some grandmother or something having a child. I swear, he ordered an ultrasound like every month and a half. They wanted me to do all kinds of "testing" (aka "is your child going to be born with some kind of disability?") but I refused all of that stuff. It wouldn't have made a difference to me on if I had him or not, so why go through all of the agony? Especially with the amnio - let's just stick a BIG ASS NEEDLE in there with him and see how he does, right? Idiots.

I hope everything is fine, and again, I agree, go for the 2nd opinion.

Marshamlow said...

I agree get a second opinion. If you can try to do some research and find someone who comes recommended.

Taradharma said...

I vote yes with the second-opinioners. Think how shitty you'll feel if you do nothing, and it turns out to be something. The medical industry can be the most frustrating thing ever...and then sometimes it actually saves lives.

My best to you-

luckyzmom said...

Ditto.

Magpie said...

A long time ago, I felt a lump in my breast. I trotted off to my GYN, she tried a needle aspiration, and sent me to a surgeon. Both the GYN and the surgeon were pretty sure it was a benign tumor, and I sort of shrugged and figured it wasn't worth doing anything about. Then I told my mother. She freaked - "how could you even think of not having it out?" - so I had it out. It was benign.

That's neither here nor there. You might should have another opinion - your GYN? A surgeon? Why's a radiologist suggesting a biopsy anyway?

Anonymous said...

Well, there's always waiting six months.

Good luck!

meno said...

ari-audrey, i was just so put off by their attitude! And i do beleive that many/most procedures are unnecessary!

nick, well, they see something, but they don't know what it is.

bob, i know, i keep going back and forth. I feel that it's nothing to worry about, but what do i know?

mrs. chili, thanks sweetie. :)

sari, i will ask about getting someone else to look at it. It's really just a way to flash my tits! I agree with you about the amnio stuff. They are just SO HOT to do all those tests.

marsha, i think that's what i will do.

tara, i feel like such a cog in a big wheel, you know?

luckyzmom, thanks! :)

magpie, i don't really think it's neither here or there. I appreciate hearing about your experience. That's what i am worried will happen, a lot of pain and fuss and money, for nothing.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I have a similar history - dense, fibrocystic breasts but also my mother and grandmother had breast cancer, which always raises alarms.

While it's true that they seem to pad the bill as a matter of course these days, I also think a second opinion is in order - preferably someone you trust who will actually talk to you like the intelligent person you are, to say nothing of being the owner of said breasts.

Good luck, Meno! Please keep us informed.

Anonymous said...

I think I would go ahead with the biopsy, for peace of mind.

Clowncar said...

I had a colonoscopy that put me in bed for a week, and out of work for two, plus about $1000 out of my own pocket (the doc got paid 10k-ish). turns out the "polyp" was just a little harmless piece of fat. utterly unnecessary operation. except to the doctor, who clearly had the need for a second boat.

For Better or Worse said...

I'm not voting, but I put stock in knowing yourself ergo knowing your body.

Of course, one's self assurance rarely assures others

Stucco said...

Your boobs are dense. *snort* I've had a mammogram you know- or as I call it, the "Man-o-gram", as there was something growing behind my left nipple, making it rough enough to strike a match on.

Don't fuck around with booby cancer. Get a second opinion, missy.

JelliDonut said...

Let me get this straight--they just walk into the room and say "biopsy?" Nice. I'll bet they don't use lube at home either.

As an aside, you have just made my "must read blog list" impossibly long. 'preciate that.