this time last year, it truly was "march madness" for me

it is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since i began my unexpected journey with breast cancer. it began in mid- march of last year, with a routine, or so i thought, yearly, mammogram. i remember getting the call from my doctor's office . one of the nurses said that they wanted to send me to an imaging center that did the newer 3d mammograms for a closer look. i have been "called back" before, several times in fact, so i was not worried. i went by myself, as i did not think that  it was serious enough to take anyone along with me.

at the imaging center, they did the 3d mammogram, then the doctor requested an ultrasound. o.k., this was something new, but i was not overly worried at the time. they did the ultrasound, then the technician gave me a long stemmed  rose.( at this particular imaging center, they give all of their female patients a rose at the conclusion of your test. it is a nice touch.). only this time, instead of being told it was nothing, i was asked to come into the radiologists office. i remember that i was holding onto the rose so tightly that the thorns were digging into my hands. the radiologist's office was dark, and he had my pictures up on his computer screen, i remember that it was cold in his office, and it was very quiet. it seemed as if the technician, radiologist, as well as myself were all  holding our breaths.  i remember placing the rose down quietly on his desk, while i looked at my pictures. surely these films belonged to someone else? although i am not a radiologist, i clearly saw the monster in my left breast.

i have used a phrase from the hobbit several times  in my blogs  about "even dragons have their endings". i can still see  the image of my tumors- i did not know at the time, but there were three of them. and combined, they  really did look like a dragon. that image is forever burned in my memory. somehow i made the drive home, it took an hour to get there, and during that time i was sort of driving on auto pilot. good thing my car knows the way home, i guess.

on that day, my own march madness,  my life changed forever. i somehow continued to work, to be a mom, to be a wife,a grandmother, a sister, a friend. i made it  through two biopsies, several appointments with surgeons, other doctor visits, until finally the big day arrived. on may 22nd, i had my bilateral mastectomies. it has been a wild ride, a bumpy road, and there have been  several things that have gone wrong. there are, however, several things that have turned out well, for which i am extremely grateful. i always want to be sure to thank everyone- my family, friends,and  excellent health care professionals who have helped me along the way. my faith has helped me through some pretty rough times, and i have done some serious soul searching along the way.

on march 10th, i have a follow up visit with the oncologist. they will do a lot of blood work, and i will have an office visit with the doctor to go over the results. later on that day, i also will  have another visit with my plastic surgeon. i am praying for good news from both doctors. i am hoping that i will have a calmer  spring this year. i am ready to begin a new journey. one that will be filled with happiness, good health, and the appreciation of what is really important in my life.