Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Another Day, Another Follow-Up
The tech was arranging the ex-ray plates for my follow-up mammogram. I asked her, "If the thing they found six months ago was benign, how come I have to come back for a recheck? Did it turn evil in six months?"
"You have to have a six-month follow-up because you didn't have a biopsy. It looked benign on the scans, so if it's stable you don't have to come back for a year."
And if it's not...
After I was finished being stretched and posed like Silly Putty, I sat in the waiting area while she brought the films to the doctor. And for ten minutes, every time a human being passed by I looked at them with puppy-dog eyes. I reminded myself to breathe. I wondered what part of my breast would need to be cut and how much time I'd have to take off work.
"Okay!" And it was the tech again.
"Okay, I can go?"
"Yeah, see you in a year."
My exact words were "Yahoo!" And then I felt bad, because there were other people sitting in the waiting area and maybe they were getting bad news. I know the name of that tune.
"You have to have a six-month follow-up because you didn't have a biopsy. It looked benign on the scans, so if it's stable you don't have to come back for a year."
And if it's not...
After I was finished being stretched and posed like Silly Putty, I sat in the waiting area while she brought the films to the doctor. And for ten minutes, every time a human being passed by I looked at them with puppy-dog eyes. I reminded myself to breathe. I wondered what part of my breast would need to be cut and how much time I'd have to take off work.
"Okay!" And it was the tech again.
"Okay, I can go?"
"Yeah, see you in a year."
My exact words were "Yahoo!" And then I felt bad, because there were other people sitting in the waiting area and maybe they were getting bad news. I know the name of that tune.
