Better Safe Than Sorry

At my six week postpartum check up with Chloe, the doctor noticed a slight lump or tissue in my right breast. Just as a precaution she ordered a mammogram. I was 27 years old. It turned out to be nothing but I was thankful to have my baseline mammogram out of the way. (My mom was diagnosed at the age of 41 with breast cancer and had never had a mammogram prior to her diagnosis).

A couple weeks ago, I noticed some tenderness in my right breast. I stopped breastfeeding at the end of January and ever since I've been wearing new underwire bras. Those things are awesome by the way! Way to give you a self esteem boost at one of the times when you desperately need it!

I mentioned it to JJ and kept a close eye on it. I don't know how to properly do a self exam, but let's just say that right one has been felt up a lot lately by myself! I couldn't pick out a specific lump, but it felt lumpy in general. The best way to describe the feeling was like the onset of a blocked duct which I am all too familiar with from my breastfeeding days. I attempted to hand express twice in the shower and got a tiny amount of milk to come to the surface but I wouldn't even call it a drop.

I went ahead and made an appointment with my OB and was surprised that on the phone they said "they didn't have any appointments today but they wanted me to see the nurse practitioner tomorrow." I was surprised at the sense of urgency but happy for the quick appointment.

Once there, she noticed the same feeling as I did and called it "inconsistent tissue." She ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound which I had today. I'm 30 years old. I've now had two mammograms - not something I thought I'd ever have under my belt at this age (but I'm very thankful for preventative care)!

They first did the 3D mammogram. I had marked 2D on my paperwork but I guess the lady didn't look at it, and even if she had, they would have asked me to do the 3D instead because apparently I have "very dense tissue." After pushing and squeezing and standing in very odd positions for about eight images. I went back out to the waiting room. She came back after a while and said they wanted to get more images. That worried me a bit but I understood.

We went back in and she took about four more images and then I was off to wait once again for the ultrasound. I sat there a long time and again was starting to worry, but I guess the radiologist was tied up with a biopsy.

The ultrasound was actually more painful than the mammogram itself just due to being so tender. Once the tech was done, the radiologist came in and did another ultrasound. Basically they chalked it up to hormones and my body still trying to regulate itself. I'm not so sure I believe that because it's just popped up out of nowhere. I really wasn't worried about them finding something that would need a biopsy (pain isn't often a symptom of cancer) but I was thinking it had something to do with milk supply.

I left with no resolution other than to keep an eye on it and see if it gets worse. It's not horrible pain, but I especially notice it when one of my kids is sitting in my lap and leans back on me. Or after I take my bra off at the end of the day, I just feel...heavy.

What did surprise me is that I am now due for annual screenings. I thought I was to start at age 35 but now they have patients start 10 years prior to the parent's diagnosis. This counted as my first screening today. Then since I'm high risk, they want me to talk to a genetic counselor to see about setting up MRI's once a year so essentially I will be checked twice a year. It seems a bit overkill to me, but then again, maybe not.

So this is your PSA ladies -get your mammograms! It might be a little early for some, but it never hurts to have that baseline done.You'll probably get a comfy robe to wear!

The Scene

We had all just gotten home from being out while our house was being shown (more on that later) and JJ had stopped by McDonald's to grab some lunch.  We put away the dining room chair that D eats on so he and Chloe were eating on the floor in the kitchen.  Sammy, our big dog, has been on my last nerve lately - always right under the kids while they eat and stalking them if they have a snack in their hand.  Chloe was being sweet and gave Drake a piece of bread, and he held it out towards Sammy.  Well that's all Sammy needed to have happen to grab it from his hand and eat it.

I was pissed and attempted to take off after him.  I think I was trying to run around Drake and in doing so I misjudged the corner.  Before I knew it, my knee and back were in pain and I was on the floor crying.  I had hit my left knee on one wall and the force of that caused me to literally flip around in the air and land, hitting my back on the corner of the opposite wall.  I wasn't sure what hurt worse.  I was lying there trying to gather myself, fighting back the tears, as I heard both kids start to cry inconsolably. 

I was coming from the kitchen, where the hardwood floors are, and heading down the hall.

 Except I only made it as far as that wall that juts out next to the closet door.

They had both been right there and seen it all, Chloe walked over to me crying and Drake was a few feet away just screaming.  JJ was in the bathroom and Chloe ran to him.  She had been eating her food with ketchup so she had ketchup all over her nose and mouth and I'm guessing spit (from crying) on her shirt, so when JJ saw her walk in crying, and after hearing the commotion, he thought she was hurt.  He couldn't understand what she was saying, so for him to then walk out into the hall and see me on the floor and Drake crying too, he was beyond confused.

See that moon-shaped crack?  Yeah...that's new.

 Annnnd the dent in the wall. 

After lying there another minute or two and wiping the tears, I moved to the table and just started laughing.  I couldn't believe I had just done that.  I've never fallen like that before in my life.  And then the kids' reaction really surprised me.  I think they just got really scared that I didn't get right up after falling.  I guess it's good to know if something really goes wrong, Chloe at least might be able to help in an emergency if she senses something bad.

So yeah, it was not good.  My knee is throbbing and the wall has seen better days.  We have metal trim around the corners and I managed to bend that and even cracked the wall a bit.  Definitely not what we need right now at the top of the steps when we are trying to sell our house.  Hopefully I can sand down the bit of blue paint that peeled off and can patch it without drawing too much attention.  Good lord, I am falling apart in my old age (30 in two weeks).  First my wrist and now this.  I guess I'd rather it be me that one of my kids though - I'd take their pain away any day if I could.

Cell Phone Photo Dump

I feel like I've taken so many random photos on my phone lately but they don't warrant a post of their own.  So instead, here is a post full of those pictures (and a few nice camera photos thrown in there as well).

JJ's first time wearing the Er.go

  D and I at a baby shower for one of my best friends

 Out for First Fridays trying the infamous Boule.vard Choc.olate A.le. My first drink in years.

 The best!

 First double bath without the infant tub

 I took both kids to gymnastics by myself

 We pulled out this table for D, and C has been rattling off (her own version) of the ABC's and 123's with it.

 Her first time at a play area at lunch, she had a blast with the other kids

   Daddy got C her very own chocolates for Valentine's Day

 Chloe has become quite the photographer with my cell phone.  She took this picture.

 Trying the fresh food feeder for the first time.  Yummy bananas.

 His favorite thing is to army crawl behind the couch

A new do

 It was hard to get a picture showing off his spikes

Winding down, my favorite time of day

They don't look too enthused that it's Valentine's Day

  But in this shot it looks like he's the one hyped up on chocolate! :)

Flashback

In one of Courtney's recent posts about exercise I commented that I was a cheerleader growing up and haven't done much physical activity since I quit.  She commented back that I should post a picture.  It got me thinking back to those days and I pulled out some of my old pictures.  Man, do I have WAYYYY too many cheerleading pictures from over the years!  I cheered for about 10 years, and tried out in college, but didn't make it due to my lack of tumbling skills.  It was such a fun time in my life and I have lots of great memories to look back on.  I, along with two other girls, were the first freshman to ever make varsity, and I lettered all four years of high school.  I was even the captain my senior year which was fun.  Here are a few pictures I came across, out of literally hundreds I have.  (They are all scanned pictures, and a few are pretty dark, so the quality isn't that great)

Most of these are from high school

 But my love for cheering dates way back before high school. :)

I hope Chloe might want to follow in my footsteps and be a cheerleader just like her mama.

A Pain in the Neck

I wrote about a pain in the butt a while back, well Chloe had a pain in the butt.  Now I have a pain in my neck – in the form of scoliosis.  I had no idea you could have scoliosis that high.  I’ve always had sore backs but don’t we all?  It used to be my lower back, but for the last several years I’ve dealt with neck pain on the right side which often led to headaches.  I thought it was fairly normal to get headaches multiple times a week.  I guess I was wrong.  While we were TTC I saw a chiropractor for a free introductory session.  My main worry at the time was infertility, but he took some x-rays and I noticed just a slight curve in my lower back.  I didn’t think too much of it and never went back to the guy.

Fast forward to about a month ago.  I’ve been having shooting pain down my chest and my back on the right side, almost like a pinched nerve.  The aching pain was constant, which is something I wasn’t used to.  Our old neighbor Dave is a chiropractor and JJ finally convinced me to go in and see him, and let him take some more x-rays.  I did that last week and that’s when we saw the scoliosis in my neck.  It’s not a major case of it, but you can definitely see the curve and that is what is probably giving me the pain in my neck.  It’s compressed on the right side, so it all makes sense.  He wrote out a plan on how he wanted to treat me.  Before taking the x-rays he thought maybe I’d just have to come into the office once a week and then he could adjust me at home (he’s the one who lives at my dad’s house now) on Tuesdays during lunch because he only works a half day.  But after seeing the x-rays he wanted me adjusted at least three times a week for about a month. 

I’m new to the whole world of chiropractic care, but I’m not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet.  He’s warned me that it will take every bit of three weeks or so to get to the relief stage but damn!  I leave there more sore than I came most days.  He has a really hard time adjusting my upper back and neck due to scar tissue (thank you cheerleading) and the curve in my neck, but my lower back adjusts like crazy.  The adjustments are no joke though, you really have to dedicate some time to getting yourself back to where you need to be.  He said he doesn’t think he can get my neck perfectly straight, but definitely thinks he can improve it.  If I can get rid of the constant pain and some of the headaches, I’m all for it.  In the meantime, I’m taking full advantage of the time I get on the massage chair every session.  That chair is heavenly.