The nurse navigators were awesome who scheduled my biopsy and one of them explained everything in detail with me on the phone for about a good half hour.  Both nurses explained that it was a good 80% of this being negative and to not worry.

On the morning of 09/18/2014, it was time to head to the hospital for a double breast biopsy.  For the last 2 weeks, I was up and down emotionally.  One minute, there was no way I could have cancer.  The next minute, what if I did?  How will I deal with this and what about my family?  What about the costs?  Did the cancer spread?  Darn those what ifs!!!!  My precious daughter drove me to the hospital for the biopsy.   I really felt I could handle this on my own, but the wonderful nurse navigator suggested I get a ride home after the biopsy.  My husband just started a new job and had meetings to attend.  There was nothing really for him to do, but sit and wait in a waiting room.

As I walked into the hospital, I was a nervous wreck.  I just could not get it out of my head that it was in BOTH breasts.  After I registered, I sat in the waiting room.  The waiting room was quite large.  There was a glass shelf with all kinds of pink cancer items, like a hat, wig, ribbon pins, etc.  Looking at these items didn’t sit too well with me.  My name was called and I was directed to a room to change into a hospital gown.  At least this gown was a nice polo green color.   I was then directed to another room and in this room was a long, high-rise flat table with steps on the end to reach the table.  The nurse, Sharon, was awesome.  She explained everything in detail and I was told that it was a good 80% chance that all the results would be negative.  I was able to see the magnifying mammogram pictures of my breasts and each breast showed 5 tiny grains of white salt in an area, the size of a dime and almost in identical locations of each breast.  I hopped up on the table and laid down on my tummy.  My right breast was done first by placing the breast in a hole and then paddles were placed on each side of the breast to stabilize it and a machine was placed right in the pinpointed area of microcalcifications.  All the equipment is beneath the table.  Of course I couldn’t see anything, but Sharon explained everything.  The most time-consuming was placing the machine into place.  Then the doctor came in and numbed the area.   An incision was made, right in my cleavage area and then you hear a pop sound where a vacuum-power probe was inserted and you can feel a bit of the tissue being pulled away.  This probably took about 5-10 minutes.  Then another mammogram was done to make sure everything looked clear and no more microcalcifications.  The doctor told me that the results would be an 80% chance of being negative and the biopsies were being done to cover the radiologist’s butt.  The results would take at least 3 days and sometimes up to 10 days because if there was a question, the tests may have to be redone.  I should hear something by next Monday or Tuesday.   The doctor leaves the room and then a bandage was placed over the open wound and I am holding the bandage as I sit up and lay on my back.  The nurse then places a Steri-Strip over the wound.

I then switched sides on the table and the left breast was done.  I noticed the only difference with the left breast was more suctioning and the feel of tissue pulling which started to get uncomfortable.  The doctor finally ended up stopping right when I was just about ready to say, “Are you done house cleaning with that vacuüm?”

The whole process was a piece of cake for me.  The nurse, Sharon, then had me go to another room where I had another mammogram.  Then I was directed back to the changing room and I was wrapped with 2 large Ace bandages and ice packs were placed to the open wound areas.  The biopsy sites were practically mirror images of each breasts.  I walked out to the waiting room feeling like Dolly Parton.  Thank goodness I had a huge sweatshirt to wear over the icepacks and bandages.  My daughter was in the waiting room and took me home and checked on me through the day until my husband came home from work.   I had peace over everything and knew I was going to get through all of this, no matter what the outcome was going to be, cancer or no cancer.  After all, the nurse, doctor, and radiologist who read my mammogram stated it would be an 80% chance of the results being negative.