Yearly mammograms have been on my to do list probably since I was 30 years old in 1976 when I established my residence in Atlanta. I started getting mammograms at Crawford Long Hospital on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. Eventually Crawford Long was taken over by Emory Hospital so when that happened I eventually switched my mammograms to Emory where my gynecologist also practiced. Winship Cancer Institute which is part of Emory became my go-to place until I moved to Ponte Vedra, Florida in 2019. My first mammogram in Florida was done in January 2020 at Baptist Medical Center South and year except 2020, the COVID year. Having mammograms at the same medical center is important so a radiologist can compare the screenings over many years.
When I first moved to Ponte Vedra, I tried to get a primary care doctor at Mayo but they were refusing Medicare patients so that is why I ended up with Baptist. When Baptist Primary Care opened an office in Nocatee where the YMCA building is, I hopped in and registered with them to be my primary care physician. My current primary care physician is Dr Joshua Harrison which I have had good experiences with and he is very thorough. He is also a good listener when I bring up other concerns.
When I had my yearly Medicare physical with Dr Harrison, he inputted the order and the next day the Breast Clinic called me and set up an appointment for May 18, 2023 at Baptist Medical Center South which was the day before I broke a bone on the right side of my right foot in New Smyrna Bech at a restaurant called The Breakers. The foot was operated the next week. So much was going on in my life.
Baptist South is very convenient for me so it was a good place to have it done. Nothing unusual was said but only two days later I got a call from Dr Harrison’s nurse that I needed to have a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound since there was an abnormal spot caught by the radiologist and the technology they use to compare the previous years mammogram to the current one.
I read the radiologist report that my right breast needed more scans. It stated there was a focal asymmetry seen in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast.
The diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound was done at Hill Breast Center downtown at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center. It was scheduled for Friday May 28. The center was very professional and efficient. The technician who did my diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound was very good and I knew she got good scans of it. She took the scans and ultrasound to the radiologist who said that I needed a needle biopsy of the spot that was above my breast. I took a big breath and usually these things were benign. About twenty or thirty years ago I had a needle biopsy on my left breast done at Emory and the results were negative.
The results were on line at my.Baptistchart.com and the news was not good. The radiologist compared the previous mammograms from 5/18/23, 5/16/22, 5/12/21 and 1/12/2019. It stated my breasts were dense. It stated there was focal symmetry with speculated margins in the superior right breast at an anterior depth,
The Ultrasound findings said the right breast was examined at 12 o’clock 3cm from the nipplr it stated the measurements showed an irregular shape ( which I knew was not good ) with indistinct margins measuring 1.0 x 0.9 x 0.9 cm. There were no other suspicious lesions.
The radiologist impressions was that the irregular mass in the right breast was highly suggestive of malignancy and that an ultrasound guided biopsy was recommended.
I got the call very quickly from Hill Breast Center and my primary doctor about the negative results but I already know it since I saw the results on line. I was impressed though how fast they both contacted me.
Now it was hurry up and wait for the needle biopsy which was scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 at 12:40 pm at the Hill Breast Center. My dear daughter in law, Jennifer Hoffman, went with me. Having her there was calming for me so I learned that support is very helpful to one’s mental well being,
The Center again was very efficient and professional form the technician, nurse and the radiologist. I was confident that the radiologist would get an excellent sample of the growth. The only part that hurt a little bit was the landocaine shot near the nipple. I watched the ultrasound screen as he went in and took four samples of the growth that would be examine by the pathology department. They said it would take 2-4 business days to get the results but I knew from experience that it would be sooner rather than later which turned out to be true. The nurse put a liquid bandage on the incision then wrapped my breast with two ace bandages. She said the incision bled very little..
I was mentally okay with it and having Jennifer there to drive me home was good, On the way home I had to take off the ace bandage since it was extremely uncomfortable. No issues happened because of it. Jennifer worked from my home the rest of the day.
Now it was hurry up and wait for the results……………………..
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