So, I found a lump. I've named her LaVerne.  LaVerne the Lump.  LaVerne Duct Lump.  Yep, this lump has a full name, including a first, middle, and last name.  Let's just hope I don't have to name any of her friends.  

I first noticed LaVerne a bit ago.  She was tender.  I scheduled an appointment for a well-woman visit with my midwife (yes, they do well-woman visits in addition to delivering babies).  She examined me and referred me for a Mammogram.  

I reported for the mammogram, donned the double gowns, waited in a an empty waiting room to be called while looking at bedazzled bras framed on the wall.  While having the test, I enjoyed a talk about CNMs.  Apparently, they don't get many mammogram requests from midwives (yet), and as she confirmed my name, date of birth, and who referred me.  She stumbled over CNM, obviously not an acronym she sees often. I provided Certified Nurse Midwife.  That led to the discussion about the difference between CNMs and CPMs.  And a bit on the recent changes in legalities of midwives.  Turns out, she is friends with a local CPM.  I digress.  You are here to learn about Laverne the Lump.  

Then the tech sent me back to the waiting room to be called to have an ultrasound. I don't recall having an ultrasound with my first mammogram, which was a few years back.  Had I had a breast ultrasound before? I really am not sure. The waiting room was filling up with people.  I haven't been this close to so many people at once in a year, so it feels kinda strange.   I liked the empty waiting room much better.

Finally, my name is called.  The ultrasound tech repeats the procedure of confirming who I am and why I am there.  We discuss midwives, but not in as much detail this time.

After the ultrasound, a physician came into the room and shared they wanted to get a biopsy of the area.  He explained why, and shared a nurse practitioner would speak with me next.  Here's the point where things got real.  The nurse practitioner scheduled my biopsy for the next Monday morning.  And she asked me "who is your surgeon?  In case we discover something, we want to get you an appointment immediately?"

Needless to say, I didn't have a surgeon.  Aside from having impacted wisdom teeth removed, I've never had surgery. I asked her if I could think about that answer.  As she reviews my paperwork to confirm my provider's name, we have a  conversation on CNM acronym again, including how many are now practicing in our area.  (We have 3 CNM's practicing locally now!  This is exciting as two or so years ago we had NONE).  The nurse practitioner offered to contact my referring provider's office for the name of a surgeon.  I've never been asked for the name of my surgeon before.  

I went for the biopsy four days later, which was pretty uneventful until the numbing shots wore off a few hours later.  The very next day I got a phone call that my lump was a malignant tumor.  Invasive Ductal Carcinoma is my official diagnosis at this point.  I was scheduled for an MRI for the next morning to get a better measurement of LaVerne's size.

Mammogram to a malignancy diagnosis was five days.  I didn't expect my life to change in an instant with a phone call, but suddenly everything is different. 

LaVerne is on the right side. The smaller side.  More on this and how everything is different soon . . .