Every journey has a beginning or a point that anyone can say, yup that was the start. This is the start of my cancer journey.

In November of 2021, I had my routine yearly mammogram as I was 43 and started mammograms at age 40 as recommended. In December of that same year, my family and I moved from one state to another. I, being 43, was healthy and did not set up new primary care provider (PCP) until July of 2022. During that first visit, the PA stated that my mammogram report stated that I needed an ultrasound and was I aware of that. I said I had no idea. Later I found out that they were going to schedule the ultrasound with my next yearly mammogram. But the PA wanted to get the ultrasound done. When making my appointment for the ultrasound, I was asked to get a copy of the images and the report from the last place I got my mammogram so that they know what exactly they were looking for. I called the last place I had a mammogram and they stated they would get a CD and report out right away. I waited some weeks, called my PCP office to see if they had gotten them, they stated they had not. I called back to old place and asked for them to be send again. Again I waited some weeks, no CD or report had been seen. I called again and this time asked if the images and report be sent to the hospital that I was going to be getting the ultrasound at because I wasn’t sure where the issues was in getting this items where they needed to go. Again waited some weeks, called the breast nurse at the hospital who I had specifically asked the items to addressed to, still nothing. I called the old place again, ask that they print off a CD and a report and that I would drive 3 hours one way to pick them up. And so I did just that. That trip was a Friday, so the following Monday I took the CD and report to the radiology department at the hospital where I was getting the ultrasound and also work. I am a registered nurse (RN). (This small occupational fact will come into play a little later.) By this time, I was over due for a routine mammogram. So they scheduled me for a mammogram and an ultrasound to follow. Now another important fact I want to share right here, the recommendation for the ultrasound was due to ‘asymmetry’. I know that most women have asymmetry in their breast so I personally wasn’t concerned about anything at this point. Went to my mammogram appointment. After the images were taken I was asked to sit and wait while the radiologist read the mammogram and compared it to the old one. Well I knew something was off when the mammogram tech came in and out of the room I was in about three different times. On the fourth time, she asked me what my date of birth was. When I told her, she was clearly uncomfortable. I looked at her dancing back and forth from one foot to the other and said, ‘what seems to be the problem?’ She informed me that the mammogram that was in my chart did not have my date of birth on it. Now at first, what I said was “Are you f*@king kidding me! This is the mammogram that never ends”. But took a breath and said “just read this mammogram you took today like you know nothing about me because I am so done with this whole thing right now!” The breast nurse came in and said that the radiologist didn’t feel that I needed an ultrasound that day. But they did really need the old images. I stated they would get the images and not to worry about that. I left that appointment and on my drive home called the old place and asked to speak to the manager. The receptionist asked if she could know why I was calling to let the manager know. I told her the whole story. When the manager got on the phone, I tried very hard to stay clam and not raise my voice. As I mentioned, I am a nurse and work in healthcare, so I know how some patients can be and it’s not nice. I explained what happen. Service recovery 101, you always say ‘I’m so sorry this happened to you’. She did not say that. That started down the angry path. The manager stated that she was going to look into this situation. She wanted to know if the hospital that I was going to get my ultrasound at participated in an image sharing program. I had not heard of this before. The manager explained to me that if the hospital did participated in this program, she could send the images electrically. So now I’m mad. I asked why was that not presented to me early as an option one of the other times I called. She stated she was going to look into. I was not happy with the outcome of that conversation. I called the quality person for the hospital. My goal in this was not to be a ‘Karen’, but to ensure that this didn’t happen to some body else. I my head, ‘What is this was something more serious than just asymmetry?” They were going to look into this. The radiologist got to review the old images with the new ones and did want me to have an ultrasound. Went for my ultrasound. The tech was having issues seeing the problem area at all angles. She struggled for about 10 mins and went and got the radiologist to help her. They finally got the view they want and the radiologist told me that there was something of concern and I needed a biopsy and an MRI. I will tell you, still at this point I was not thinking cancer at all. The breast nurse was going to get me set up with the general surgeon. My PCP messaged me and said she would like for me to go to a breast specialist. So I was scheduled at a breast center. They were going to do a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy all the same day. Went to that appointment, had a mammogram. The doctor came in and did the ultrasound. Showed me on the screen what she was looking at and what the concerning problem area was. She said she would get me ready for the biopsy. While waiting, someone came in and talked to me about doing another mammogram for research as I had an area that was getting biopsied. My thought was ‘what’s another mammogram!’. So I agreed to another mammogram. Came back to the room where the ultrasound was done, and was prepped for the biopsy. I was given local anesthesia, and three small biopsies were taken and a marker was placed into the tumor. I than had another mammogram to ensure the marker was placed in the correct place. I was given some ice and headed home. This was a Friday afternoon. The following Monday, the doctor called me to tell me I had cancer.