When it rains, it pours

I went for a routine mammogram last Tuesday, which turned into a double breast ultrasound (which, by the way, is not nearly as exciting as the "big ultrasound" for a baby). Finally, the radiologist personally came in to talk to me to tell me I have microcalcifications in my left breast that are "probably benign," and that I should come back in 6 months to get them checked again to see if they've changed.

After a lot of prayer, plus researching it a lot on the internet, and talking to David and family, I decided to call my doctor and ask for a biopsy. Breast cancer is well documented in our family, including my great-grandmother, grandmother and aunt, so we don't want to take any chances. Plus, I don't think there's anyway that I can live with the uncertainty for another 6 months.

I met with my doctor on Thursday morning, and he provided me with the complete results from the mammogram and ultrasounds. They found 5-8 small clustered calcifications in my left breast that were "indistinguishable" - meaning they were very small and they couldn't tell the shape. They weren't seen on either of my previous mammograms, but the previous mammograms were analog, and this one was digital, and it's possible they didn't see them before because the technology has improved. However, the grouping and size of the calcifications may mean there is a small amount of cancerous tissue in the area. Even if it is there, they would have caught it extremely early, and the odds are very good that it's all benign - with only a 2% chance of it being malignant for an "average" person. Of course, with our family history, those odds are increased, therefore my doctor told me that a biopsy was "cautious, but warranted." So, we've scheduled the biopsy for Thursday morning, October 26. It will have to be a needle biopsy, which means the surgeon will have to review the film and decide the appropriate place to test and try to guide the needle to that location, so he told me there's always a chance that they won't test the exact spot. So, even if the results come back as benign, he still wants me to go back for another mammogram in 6 months to check the area for changes.

Here's the next kink in our story: On Thursday morning, the left side of David's face suddenly became paralyzed. It was diagnosed as Bell's Palsy, the result of inflammation around a cranial nerve due to a viral infection. Upon further research, we think it's probably related to the Epstein Barr virus, resulting from his horrible case of mono a few years ago. He had been to the doctor earlier in the week for a very bad sore throat. Stress is also supposed to be a trigger factor, so given everything we've been through this week, it's not hard to figure out why it happened when it did. The doctor told him it will probably take several weeks to return to normal, and there's a 10% chance it will remain paralyzed permanently. Fortunately, he's handling it very well - and has actually kept us all laughing about it with his jokes and mannerisms. I've had to thank him for that, because if I wasn't laughing at the moment, I'd definitely be crying.

Our sermon in church this morning was regarding "Survival Tactics" when bad things happen. Definitely appropriate for us this week! I've decided to hold tight to Joshua 1:5:

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

I'm remaining optimistic that both of these conditions will rectify themselves quickly (mine through a good biopsy, his by disappearing). If not, I know we will deal with things as they come. Please keep us in your prayers, and we'll keep you all updated!