You've got a lump

The ultrasound was a non event. The technician used something that looked like a computer mouse to move over the breast. She continually took pictures. I knew because she would click a button and the machine would beep. 10 minutes of beep – beep – beep – beep – beep – beep – beep…

The Radiologist came in and repeated the process. Beep – beep – beep – beep – beep…. Once he was done, he said, “I want a biopsy of this before Sunday”. It was Wednesday. The next day I was back for my biopsy.

They did a core biopsy. This is when they insert a needle into the offending lump and extract a tissue sample. It is a bit different from a needle biopsy because the needle is a bit bigger than the standard needle. The good news is they freeze you first, so all you feel is pressure.

I quietly reclined on the examining table, while the Radiologist did the procedure – he took two samples. When he was done, he said, “Well you took that well”. With my usual humour I replied, “oh – if you would like you can do it again and I can get hysterical for you”. He smiled and responded, “I mean you seem very strong and I thing you like things straight” then continued with, “You’ve got a lump, it’s got to come out, don’t delay and expect the worst”.

What do you say to that? Looking back, I am grateful for his honest blunt approach as it mentally prepared me for what was next.