- My doctor recommended that I have regular mammograms a few years ago.
- I have dense breast tissue, which makes it difficult for mammograms to detect potential problems.
- I wish I could have an ultrasound right after my annual mammogram and not have to wait a few days.
A few years ago I started going regularly. mammogram, Following my doctor’s recommendation, I quickly discovered that “routine” was far from routine for me.
i am one of them 40% to 50% How many women in my age group have dense breast tissue. The Susan G. Komen Foundation found that a woman with dense breast tissue was four to five times more likely to develop it. breast cancerIn addition, abnormal findings are difficult to detect on mammograms when breast tissue is dense.
When I had my first mammogram over 5 years ago, I was asked for additional images because of an abnormality. I missed a follow-up appointment for several days, and spent the day convinced I had cancer.
That weekend, the future was bleak. I thought about chemotherapy. I imagined telling my pre-teen sons that I was sick. I thought of all the mundane, everyday things my well-meaning husband was ignorant of. I thought they couldn’t live without me, but what if they had to? Luckily, an ultrasound revealed a harmless cyst.
The same scenario unfolds every year
Unfortunately, I was doomed to repeat the same scenario over and over again. Because, despite the inevitable need for an ultrasound, our insurance system requires routine preventive procedures to be performed every time.
This year, I had to wait five nights between my first 3D mammogram and a follow-up appointment for additional images and an ultrasound. That meant his five nights of worst-case scenarios and tearful negotiations with God.
I thought about the many women I know personally who survived breast cancer. I counted their names like beads on a rosary. Those were my moments of hope.
But I am grateful to be healthy overall. Other than a few stitches from the affected wisdom tooth surgery and an accident with a serrated knife, I dodged all serious bullets. Indeed, it had to be my turn. I wondered what my final days would be like. Those were my desperate moments.
After five endless days and nights, the promised morning finally arrived. I put on his vintage Johnny Cash T-shirt to remind me not to wear deodorant to appointments. Pulling on my favorite bralette cursed my small, dense breasts. If you’re not big enough to need a “real” bra, why deal with yet another breast cancer scare?
Ultrasound is considered a diagnostic treatment, not prophylactic
My appointment was scheduled at a breast specialty clinic where I received top notch care. Every step was explained as we moved from waiting room to waiting room and counting the time to get the results.
I asked her a question that had been on my mind for five nights before a gentle ultrasound technique cleared the cold jelly mass from my chest.
“Could I have avoided all this extra waiting time if I had come to this clinic for my first appointment? Would I have skipped all the unnecessary mammography appointments, starting with the ultrasound?” It became more awkward.
She patiently explained that I had to wait for an ultrasound because it’s considered “diagnostic” rather than “preventive.” My insurance company would not have allowed the booking to be made on the same day. Best case scenario, you can get an appointment for the next day, but you still have to wait.
I’m not the only waiting woman I know. My sister has the same dense tissue. My senior, her 7 year old, is currently undergoing a needle biopsy. I think it will be in my future as well. However, I get along well with several other friends who have had multiple follow-up mammograms and ultrasounds.
A doctor soon came over and shared the good news: another cyst.
Of course I was grateful, but ultimately I am frustrated with the country’s insurance system, its anxiety-inducing appointment system, and its system of extra fees that create barriers to treatment. , is an annual reminder of that dark reality.
