Wish I could say it was a lump of coal for Xmas. But it wasn't. Found a lump in my left breast this past Saturday. Pretty good size. At least to me.

Went to see my doctor yesterday morning (1/4/10). He asked all the right questions:

Do you drink coffee? (Would have said, Hell ya, buckets-full about 5 years ago, but anymore I just drink green tea a few times a day).

Does it hurt? (Define "hurt" -- now that I'm aware of it, it feels like it's burning hole in my chest. But that could be because I keep MESSING with it --)

Has anyone in your family been diagnosed with breast cancer? (Um, you mean besides my mother, my maternal grandmother and two of my maternal aunts?)

Now ask me about MY cancer history. . .uterine and ovarian cancer at age 27. Granted that was over 25 years ago, but still. . .

My last mammogram was last December, so I'm pretty much due for a new one anyway.

He said his office would schedule a "Diagnostic" mammogram, focusing on the left breast, about the 11 o'clock position and asked me if any days were not good. I told him any day, any time was JUST fine with me. He said his office would call tomorrow with the appointment date/time.

They called me within 3 hours. The diagnostic mammogram is scheduled for today at 1:00 p.m.

Here's hoping for a cyst!

UPDATE (8:42 1/5/10): The mammogram technician was great (aren't they all, though? what a great attitude these women have!)

She had me wait around while the radiologist reviewed the films.

The radiologist had me go right into the Ultrasound department to get a "better" look.

The lump measures at 1.3 centimeters (about a half-inch diameter?), and they have determined it is NOT a cyst.

Before I had a chance to change clothes, they contacted my primary care doctor and secured his "order" for a biopsy right then and there.

So that's what they did. They took 4 samples of it and I will have to wait 48 hours for the results.

But, as I said, it is not a cyst. And the biopsy doctor did tell me that there were several things it could be. . . .but then did not tell me what those several things were. Only that with my mom, aunt and her mother all having had breast cancer, that my odds were narrowing on the possibilities. She DID say that my mammogram films from this time last year show no mass at all, so if it is a tumor, it is a fairly "young" one.

So now I wait until Thursday afternoon to call my doctor.

Happy New Year. . . . .