I have always been diligent with my self-exams and mammograms. In September 2008 I went to my gyn for my yearly checkup. Part of the check up is a breast exam in which the doctor felt nothing. He gave me the referral for my mammogram and I was able to get it scheduled 3 days after my gyn visit. Well, I got the dreaded call back from the radiology group I had gone to. I really didn't panic because in the late 70s I had two cysts removed from my left breast and sometimes the scar tissue throws the radiologist off. Imagine my surprise when I was told that it wasn't the left breat they were concerned about but the right one! I had a 1 cm lump that was very close to the breast bone and could not be felt during a breast exam. In November 2008 I had a lumpectomy and they removed 3 sentinel nodes. Luckily the nodes came back clean and I only had to do radiation therapy. It is coming up on a year for me and I can't stress enough the importance of getting your mammogram.

Lydia
Baltimore, MD