It is breast cancer awareness month so here is a tid bit about the topic from me.
In 1987 I found a lump in my breast. At this point I had just turned 31.
I hadn't been living in Ohio long and didn't have a gyno yet.
I hadn't been living in Ohio long and didn't have a gyno yet.
So quickly I found one.
She told me to just see how it grows or doesn't grow because I was too young for a mammogram. I repeated that my mom died from breast cancer in 1969 and her sister has had breast cancer don't you think I should have a mammogram to be sure it's nothing?
Oh, it's probably nothing, a cyst or something.
Yeah, it's the something that concerns me.
Again I was poo-pooed and told to wait a while and see if it changes.
They also told me that if it hurt it wasn't cancer. It hurt but not all the time.
They also told me that if it hurt it wasn't cancer. It hurt but not all the time.
It seemed to hurt more during my cycle. So I go home. But it bothers me.
Why would they not want to give me a diagnostic breast exam, the only kind we had at that point, to see for sure since I have a family history? That seemed so crazy to me. But at the same time, I was thinking, I'm making this something it's not because of my family history so the doctor knows. (ha!)
Don't be a hypochondriac, Margaret!
In the coming months, it got to be more painful and it was hot to the touch.
I again went to my doctor. When she said no, I went to another. The new doctor said I was too young at 31 years old to have a mammogram. I asked the last doctor if I was too young to die from breast cancer too? He actually patted my back and told me to not be so dramatic and left the room.
I again went to my doctor. When she said no, I went to another. The new doctor said I was too young at 31 years old to have a mammogram. I asked the last doctor if I was too young to die from breast cancer too? He actually patted my back and told me to not be so dramatic and left the room.
I backed off until it was hurting in my bra. I decided someone was going to help me damn it. I got someone to give me a mammogram at University Hospital in Cleveland. It was awful but at least now I'd know. It also was not covered by my healthcare because I was not 40 or over. They let me make payments. 50% down and 50% financing. Pitiful.
Thankfully this all turned out just fine. No cancer but something that had to be monitored for years. It also gave me great relief.
This all came flooding back to me yesterday when I read a story about a young woman at age 29 who had the same situation of sorts. She too found a lump and no one would help her. They told her she was in great shape and her blood work was all fine. No mammogram was needed they told her because she was too young.
They even told her this was probably a benign cyst. How could they know that having never done a biopsy?
Then she found a doctor who did request a mammogram only to be denied by her health care because of her young age and no family history.
They said, "go home and we will monitor this"
But she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
She didn't think they were right but she kept pushing her feelings down and thinking, well the doctor wouldn't tell me it's okay if it is not okay.
She kept telling herself she had to trust the doctors.
Eight months after the last doctor's visit her lump grew so much larger that they finally approved a mammogram. They found stage 4 cancer that had now spread to her lungs, lymph nodes, and sternum. Yes, she had a mastectomy and after finishing radiation and chemo she was told she will be on oral chemo (sound familiar?) for the rest of her life.
She is all of 35 today.
All because the doctors said she was too young and ignored her requests for a mammogram. The remainder of her life is chemo. How awful to me and so unnecessary. This poor young woman.
What the hell is too young? People get sick at all ages. I will never understand this. I also don't understand how they don't cover other types of tests needed to see more of the breast tissue than what a mammogram will provide. Like Ultrasounds, 3D imaging to see more of the breast tissue if one has dense breast tissue,etc. I've had the ultrasound and again this is out of pocket because insurance won't pay for it all. Because of my family background, they would pay for some but not all, so I got "lucky". Not the best kind of luck but it was something.
15 comments:
How awful for that young !! woman. Stage 4 is nothing to sneeze at. I hope she is given the latest treatments and will survive to live a long time. I don't understand why they won't do diagnostic tests. "Not old enough" is not a reason at all. You can't tell me that the medical community hasn't encountered breast cancer in young patients.
Glad to hear yours was not cancer, but to make you pay for the test so that you can have peace of mind.....that's terrible!
I agree that denying further diagnostics to youngsters - especially for those with family risk factors - is awful. I'm glad that you were faced with something benign and can sympathize with all those young women who are put off too long. (My then-48-year-old SIL was put off too long and died at age 50, so I understand the grief.)
OTOH, we oldsters (I'm 84) are sometimes caught in a quagmire of diagnostics that I perceive to be unnecessary. There is a limited cadre of medical people to treat us masses, so are faced with possibly overloading an already stretched system. Medical people are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Medicine is not an exact science, by far.
In my 30s I was friends with a woman a bit older who had dealt with breast lumps all her life. She never did have cancer but in those days they did a surgical diagnostic biopsy, so she finally had both breasts removed instead of continuing to deal with the surgeries. Then when I hit 40 I started having lumps. For whatever reason they didn't resist giving me mammograms at that age but the tests were inconclusive so I had one surgical biopsy - it was a benign tumor. I'm always called in to do an ultrasound when they read my mammograms because my breasts are so dense (even now in my 70s). I've always been grateful that I didn't have to go through what my friend did, but it has been a nuisance to have so many lumps to contend with. It's awful that they were denying you the tests, especially with your family history!
Nina
This is what happens when the insurance industry drives health care. They look at their stats that say there are few breast cancer cases under 40, so they don't cover them. The doctors know the treatment won't be covered so they guide patients away. And those poor few who break the traditional mold are considered acceptable losses. It's criminal.
That's crazy! I thought mammograms would be justified at any age, particularly if there's family history.
Abby, scary right? Insurance should not dictate medical care period.
Yvonne. That's our medical community. Bottom line insurance should not dictate your care!!
Cop, funny you say that until I let my hair go gray no one suggested so many things to be done. And many I say no to because I deem them unnecessary and feel like it's for money not my health.
Nina, glad it all worked in your favor!
Bluz, AGREED!!
So crazy! This gal I know went for her first breast exam at 40 and had cancer in both her breasts. She's been fighting for years now with it popping up in other places in her body.
Julie, why are we waiting until 49? Is it an insurance thing or too much radiation? Something needs to change.
I am guessing this didn't make it to my reading list for I don't remember it. I too am surprised that age is such a defining factor for the doctors.
With both of my sisters getting different kinds of cancer within a couple of years of each other, I am a nervous wreck. I had forgotten that young people were not offered mammograms. Makes me sad that medicine can be controlled like that.
Barbara, just this morning on an early morning show, today or GMA or whatever, had a woman 36 that had this happen to her. It's real and since there is at least 2 then they should just change the rule. I get that it's radiation but they don't even have to do it yearly. I don't know the answer but I do know to not allow women this test is so damn sad and makes me so angry.
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