I saw my surgeon for a follow up appointment this afternoon, and I usually feel a lot better after talking to him (with the exception of my ultrasound appointment on Feb. 3). He took a lot of time to talk to me during my appointment and also did a very thorough exam. I mainly wanted him to tell me what I should be looking for/feeling for during self-exams. He told me that my left side would probably always feel different from the way that it did before cancer and that it would probably always feel different from my right side.
It does, and I am glad to know that the differences are normal and expected. He also told me that I should be working very hard to move on with the caveat that "I am not sure how well I would move on so just do the best that you can." He said that he'd like for me to get to the point in which I only think about cancer 4-6 times a year when I go for follow up appointments. I don't see that happening anytime in the near future, but it is a good goal.
I also have an appointment for a mammogram in February. My hospital system just started using 3D mammograms last month, which are much better for women with dense breast tissue (me). I will have a 3D mammo that my surgeon and I will discuss before determining if I need additional imaging as part of my long-term care. If the 3D mammogram is not as clear as we would like for it to be, I will add ultrasounds and MRIs to the treatment plan. I will be interested to see how the 3D mammogram works for me.
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