mammograms

Yesterday on the TNBC boards there was alot of discussion about mammograms. Numerous stories about how the mammogram didn't show someone's tumor that they were able to feel. Also some fear mongering site was referenced that claimed squishing the tumor causes it to spread and that the radiation itself causes up to 20% of BC. No evidence for that at all.

My mammogram probably saved my life. I say probably because still this nasty, evil tumor could kill me. Maybe in 3 years I can know for sure. I should have had my annual mammogram in May but I didn't want anything to stop me from going to Italy. My tumor seemed so fast growing, perhaps they would not have seen it in May 2008. By May 2009, it would have been huge and spread but maybe I would have felt it by then. I guess I'm lucky that I went in when I did-large enough to detect but probably not advanced enough to have spread. I had 'clean' nodes but 50% of the time tumors can spread in the bloodstream. I just have to hope that the chemo killed them. Yesterday at the support group, the one woman went through the same chemo as I but afterwards they found a tumor in her opposite breast and nodes. Scary. She had a different kind of tumor but still the chemo should have killed it.

The bottom line, mammograms aren't perfect especially for the under 40 ladies but it is very important to get them.

Hopefully the worst of the myalgia is over though I still feel it. It was sunny out yesterday and I took Sunny out for a while to play trying to ignore my sore legs. It's the Moms group tonight though one of the moms is away dealing with her father's estate. No picnic there. If stress really causes cancer, dealing with my parents' estates and lawsuits over the past few years did me in. I had to go to court 5 times in the year after my dad died both as a plaintiff and a defendent. Fortunately all of that is over but for a while, it occupied all of my free time and caused much anxiety.