Women's Imaging

When my Kind Doctor said he was booking me into see the top top radiologist in the state at Women's Imaging, I said I had already booked (in my hour before the airport) a mammogram at the free Breast Clinic for 2nd Feb. No he said, not fast enough or good enough! (not what he said when at my Pap smear he gave me their card and said as I was on my way to 50 it was time to organise a mammogram!) This is all going to happen very fast he said, and gently but firmly pushed me onto the Rollercoaster.

I had to tell my dear friend D and my sister (as I called them for their respective birthddays) that I had this lump and would have a mammogram on Friday. As loyal SIC's (sisters in Christ) they promised to begin praying for me, and Serenity settled in until Thursday.

On 27th the good CEO returned from her month off work to be met with an ill admin assistant ( who had been cheering me up since Monday afternoon) and my news of needing time off on Friday for these scans. Always supportive she nevertheless freaked out a bit in concern for me, a reaction always guaranteed to ensure Lady Serenity puts on her show. While we talked, Women's Imaging called and asked me to come in at 2 that day...

In nervous anticipation I was a bit early, so crossed the road to the Op Shop and skulked around in there for a while, and saw a woman get a good looking pair of shoes for $2 dollars. I know how she felt, and this was confirmed when I saw her put them on in the parking lot. Cheered, I then sauntered off down the road to the furniture shop and kitted out our "TV Lounge" and the older PS's room. This all amounted to being firmly strapped onto the rollercoaster, and waiting for it to start moving.

After my window shopping there was no avoiding going into the clinic. On the outside a fairly ordinary building in Moonah, on the inside...

I stepped into a world of luxury, gloss and style. It looked like the offices of a glamour magazine, and I immediately felt pampered and cared for that someone had clearly put a lot of design thought into the rooms. ( I know this because I have a clever and talented interior designer sister). After a short wait I was taken down the wide thickly carpeted passage, to a beautiful sunny room. In the corner was an old fashioned dressing table and an exquisite vase of pink roses (did I say pink is a colour to watch out for?). In the middle was a big machine, that looked like it would eat me up, and it did.

Topless once more, the kind nurse squished, squashed pressed and squeezed my little breasts in the maw of the great machine (thank goodness for scrabble). Reassuringly I could see my face in the mirror of the antique dressing table. I actually looked quite pretty with my pink cheeks framed by roses and the sunlight shining on my hair. An interesting subject for modern art I thought.

It hurt.

Then after a wait, the nurse who could not disguise her worried body language no matter how smiley her face, came back to tell me I would have to have an ultrasound scan. Now my KD had warned me of what the rollercoaster would do: mammogram, then if there's something, ultrasound, then, possibly a biopsy.

So I was gently taken to the ultrasound room, and lain on the bed to look (t's up) at a beautiful pressed ceiling. I failed to notice I had my own tv screen to watch so got a crick in my neck looking at the radiologist's screen. She detected my SA accent as she was ex- Cape Town, so we chatted away as she manoeuvred the scanner through the squelchy gel, which had previously allowed me to see better things, such as my PS's.

After what seemed ages, she excused herself from the room and came back with the top top radiologist and their equally serious faces. The TTR quickly re-scanned me and said I'd have to come back tomorrow for a biopsy. Whoosh the big dipper!

The radiologist from SA squeezed my fingers after helping me dress, and gave me a kind smile, before leading me out to make tomorrows appointment.

In the car I called DH whose lovely voice calmed me and then my dear friend D who promised to keep praying. As I pulled out into the traffic, I pressed the cd button and Sara Groves smoothly sang

We were pressed on every side

Full of fear and troubled thoughts

for good reason, we carried heavy hearts...

I smiled and drove back to work.