I had alluded here to my saga of the breast lump that was biopsied and found to be benign in early 2022. The radiologist who did the biopsy told me I could consult with a surgeon to see about it being removed, but I figured it wasn't bothering me, so I wouldn't bother it. I thought it was the end of the story.
Not quite. I had a mammogram in April and learned that the offending lump had grown larger since it was biopsied. The radiologist strongly recommended that I have it removed. I, the person who spends a lot of time trying to persuade children to "use their words," responded with a series of monosyllabic grunts.
I met with a surgeon in May. He explained that if the lump continued to grow, it could press against nerves and cause discomfort. Also, this type of benign lump (a fibroadenoma, if anyone is interested) could sometimes obscure more problematic things. Fortunately, since they felt it was most likely benign, they allowed me to have the surgery after the school year ended so I could recover without missing work. I scheduled the surgery for the week after school ended.
This surgery was my first time having general anesthesia, so that was an experience in and of itself. I still think it's truly amazing to have no recollection of anything that happened during the surgery. The surgery itself was quick and successful. With my lack of experience with surgery, I had a constellation of weird symptoms in the immediate aftermath that I spent a lot of time googling, including blurry vision and general allover poofiness. There were other symptoms that I expected, like a sore throat from the breathing tube, and general fatigue and wooziness for several days. Amazingly, the pain at the surgical site was very manageable throughout.
I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon last week. The lump was indeed a fibroadenoma, like they thought. Also, there were no abnormal cells in the tissue surrounding it, so the news seems very encouraging. I was happy to receive another clean bill of health, and hope this is truly the end of this particular saga.
