NOTE: This is the conclusion to an unexpected five-part series about my first mammogram. To fully appreciate the context of what transpired, I encourage you to read the first three installments: My first mammogram saved my life, Respect my coping skills and I’ll respect yours, My lumpectomy was easy-peasy, and Post-lumpectomy recovery.

By about 4:00 Monday afternoon, I was climbing the walls with anticipation of the call from my surgeon. What I haven’t previously shared is that although I had decided I would wait for my post-op appointment next week to receive my results, I changed my mind minutes before surgery on Friday. Dr. Ganshirt told me that he would call me on Wednesday, but that it could be as early as Monday when he got the results.

I called his office, spoke with his nurse Laura and was assured that my test results were not yet in, but she checked and learned that they would be at some point on Tuesday and Dr. Ganshirt would call me.

Our agreed upon system was that if it was good news, Dr. Ganshirt would leave that news on my voice mail or tell me directly. If the news was anything, but an all clear, he would call me and ask me to come to his office at my earliest convenience to discuss the results and next steps.

After another night of off and on sleep, I got up, showered, and left the house for a meeting I had Tuesday morning. Not wanting to miss his call, I left the ringer turned on and my phone out in the open during my meeting. That’s not my normal behavior, but these were abnormal circumstances.

As I showered and got dressed, a mantra for the day came to me and I repeated it to myself all morning.

I am prepared to handle whatever today may bring.

Just before 12noon, as I was standing in the middle of the Jewel parking lot, my phone rang and Dr. Ganshirt was on the other end. He explained to me that I had a benign papilloma (not to be confused with Pamplona, Spain, famous for the running of the bulls and the setting of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, one of my all-time favorite books). This was not the phone call I was expecting. Tears of joy and relief ran down my face.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD. Please skip this section if you don’t want to know the details.

According to the information I received from Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, a papilloma grows in the milk duct, on a stalk like mushrooms. The milk duct is necessarily located very close to the nipple, explaining the location of my incision.

Women can have one or more papillomas, although if they have just one, they are often unfelt, only appearing on mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies. That said, they can’t be completely diagnosed without a lumpectomy and the standard protocol is removal. Although they are typically benign, they quite often turn malignant if left in place.

Women between the ages of 35 and 50 are most at risk for papillomas, and although they may not feel them, that does not mean that papillomas are symptom-free. If you experience discharge from your nipple, especially if it includes blood, see your doctor immediately.

RESUME READING: Graphic content over.

I was fortunate. My papilloma was found early, removed, and I have been given the all clear. I’ll see Dr. Ganshirt next week for my regular post-op appointment. Then I’ll return in 6 months for another mammogram, in order to ensure that no other changes have occurred, no additional papillomas have developed, and that the calcified cells that were biopsied, but not removed, have not changed. If that mammogram comes back clean, then I’ll be back to my annual mammogram.

During the course of this ordeal, I’ve been asked my opinion on whether breast self-exams even matter. They’ve been drilled into our heads as vital. Do they even make a difference?

I’m not going to look up the statistics on this. Instead, let’s think logically. We get a mammogram once a year. A mammogram is a snapshot in time. Obviously, if you’ve had a baseline mammogram, it gets compared to your previous exams where changes can be detected. But that’s still one day out of 365.

We live with our breasts daily. By knowing our breasts through regular monthly breast self-exams, we can detect changes that, if we waited for that mammogram, could result in much more invasive surgery or worse. Sure, we can also wait for our doctor to examine our breasts, but she isn’t going to remember our personal breasts from a year ago.

So hop in the shower, get naked in front of your mirror, or lay down on your bed and feel yourself up. Seriously. Enjoy it. Feel for changes, but enjoy the process.

In the end, I don’t have cancer. I’m incredibly fortunate and I remain focussed on my gratitude list. I’ve also learned just how important mammograms are for early detection and will be all over it from now on. I’ll never miss it again. Sure, they’re uncomfortable, but they save lives, including mine.

And that incision that freaked me out on Saturday night? I can now look at it and know that I won.

Oh, and I have a LONG list of people who’ve felt me up over the last month and owe me dinner.

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