My auntie sure is a smart lady, and that Bob Marley absolutely does right by his uplifting old school tune –  Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.  On this Thanksgiving Day they are both right – Everything is sure gonna be alright – and I could not be more thankful for this moment of peace over the upcoming holiday season.

As implied, I received some relieving results yesterday that my biopsy results came back benign. For 98% of me, this is outstanding news.  For the other 2%, I am left with a huge reminder that this will be an ongoing source of worry and I’ll explain why in a minute.  Of the 15 samples they took, they found some fibrocystic breast changes which are absolutely normal and happen to many ladies in their lifetime.

In addition…they did also find something they classify as usual ductal hyperplasia which is described here:  In usual hyperplasia (the most common form of hyperplasia) the proliferating (dividing) cells look normal under a microscope.  Women with usual hyperplasia have about twice the breast cancer risk of women without a proliferative breast condition [143-144].

So for now, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.  Another MRI is scheduled for 6 months from now to check that same area and keep an even closer eye on the party that may or may not be happening in there.  This new development + BRCA gal status just really lights a fire for timing on when I should be considering a major surgery so I can fulfill my Previvor journey and beat cancer before it finds me.  I’m just not there yet.

At least I now have some experience with the MRI guided biopsy in the event this becomes an unfortunate bi-annual ritual.  If any of you BRCA gals are curious, the link above does a good job explaining the biopsy process. Good or bad, I couldn’t watch this before going through it myself as it would have added to the anxiety of the day (tight spaces + needles + more needles = fainting and panic attacks for this girl).

That aside, the video highlights all of the steps of the process and reminds me just how amazing technology and medicine are at early diagnosis.  As I laid there during my biopsy, I leaned on all of the encouragement my dear friends and family had sent my way over the anxiety filled day.   One of my favorites was John 14:27.  It helped me through that day and has made the recovery afterwards bearable as well.

Thank you for the extra courage, love and support!  I need to un-trouble my heart a bit to live in the now, stay proactive as I have been and not worry about tomorrow, though I am fully aware of the road ahead.  The surgical research begins and so do considerations around timing.  Thanks to all for your positive energy and encouragement.   Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.

xoxo

Carey