Boob-o-Gram

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No - it's not some new kind of stag-night fun :-)

 I had an appointment for a mammogram today at the hospital's lovely new Breast Care Clinic. It was at 9am and the Main Building was the busiest I've ever seen it. Luckily I didn't need to check in on the machines in the foyer (as outpatients have to) as I'd been instructed to go straight to Breast Care Reception, just down the corridor. I am certainly good at finding my way around this hospital now - I've been to enough departments!

I didn't even have time to actually sit down and get my book out before my name was called and I was whisked off down a corridor. I was given a gown and a dressing gown and asked to take off my "top things" and then put them on and return to another waiting area. Then I sat in there for around half an hour. It was a shame I had left my book with Nathan back in the main waiting area - but they had not allowed him to come through with me. "Patient only!" the nurse said to him when he rose to come with me.

Anyway there were a few magazines to amuse me. I had no idea that Fern Britten was so addicted to car boot sales - did you? It was fascinating. I also learned, from OK magazine, that Chantelle someone had had a baby but couldn't decide what to call her. Shame..

Anyway, after this I was called through to a shiny new mammogram machine. The nurse who was doing the mamo was called Bernadette too! This hospital is full of them! The last one I met was in Endoscopy. (The less said about THAT the better!) She said it was a different type to the ones you get at Breast Screenings. I was asked to take the two gowns off (I was getting a bit hot!) and I had to stand in front of the machine. it was a tiny bit uncomfortable as I was prodded into place then squeezed by the machine - but it really didn't take long and the great thing was that she told me the results straight away! She said there was nothing there that she could see to worry about. Then she emailed the images to the consultant - and got a reply right away!

They decided to do an ultrasound on the left side, where the mysterious blob had showed up on the scans. So I was taken into another room and cold jelly was applied to the offending side. Then I could see the screen while she moved the scanner over it. She showed me that there were some tiny cysts which were huddled together - and could be what showed up on the CTs scans. She pronounced them entirely harmless and extremely common. I asked her why they had formed there and she said it happens when there are hormonal changes and didn't need draining unless they grew and became painful.

Again she emailed the images to the consultant while I was getting the jelly off me and putting my top back on. After a very brief sit in the waiting room again she came to me and said that the consultant said there was no need for further investigation and she would send a report to my own consultant. The whole thing took less than an hour.
I felt very happy with that and went home in the sunshine with a smile on my face :-)