Repeat Mammogram--Scary!

I woke up Thursday morning and wandered into the kitchen for breakfast. As I sat, bleary-eyed, eating my cereal and berries, the phone rang. It was someone from Greenville Radiology telling me that my recent mammogram had changed since the previous one. I needed to go in and have further tests. I felt as if I was in a dream, writing down directions and instructions in slow motion.

Luckily, they had a cancellation that very day. I had just enough time to finish eating, walk Mini Me, shower and get over to the Patewood Medical Campus. As I wandered through the neighborhood, I wanted to tell anyone who'd listen that I had an abnormal mammogram; it seemed like telling the story might weaken its clammy hold on me. No one was out, though, so I didn't get to test out my theory.

We arrived at Patewood just in time to register and be whisked back to the Breast Center, where they separated us, the mammography waiting room being reserved for patients only. As I waited, I looked at the two or three other women sitting in the tastefully upholstered armchairs lined up along the walls. It seemed to me that we were all isolated in our own cells of terror, even though none of us were screaming or crying.

Soon, a female staff member came to escort me to a beautiful dressing room with a small tv, a mirror, and a dressing table complete with upholstered Parsons chair. I exchanged my blouse for a mammo gown, and she showed me exactly what was worrisome about my mammogram; a dark area indicated a mass of tissue that might or might not be something ominous. Then, she explained that they needed to take more films and see if the offending tissue would flatten out--meaning it was okay--or if it would stay stubbornly firm, which would warrant a trip to ultrasound.

We took the films and I went back to the dressing room to await the results. In just a few minutes, the tech returned and told me the tissue had flattened out. She even gave me a letter stating that my new mammogram was without significant abnormality.

I dressed and went to tell Gary the good news.

Patewood was fabulous. The speed and efficiency were the best I've ever experienced. I liked the process of staying in the dressing room while the films were read. Best of all was finding out my results immediately. I would recommend Patewood Breast Center to anyone. I've had mammograms in multiple facilities, and this was the best experience ever.