Hi there everyone, well here is the second part to the story I started to share with you the other day. Thanks so much for reading. I do hope these blog posts inspire you to take a leap of faith to live your dreams, despite obstacles that might come your way. It is also my prayer that you will educate yourself about your healthcare, become a partner with the many wonderful medical professionals ,both alternative and conventional that this world has to offer. Lastly , be still, listen to your inner guidance. it will give you the answers you search for.
And so my tests results came in.
No cancer. But some type of cell abnormalities were found. My OB/GYN physician wanted me to go
to a breast surgeon for further evaluation. I asked, why? I don't have cancer , why on earth would I go to a breast surgeon? She felt that this put me at "high risk." I thought to myself, high risk? Really? Because my Mom had breast cancer and there are a couple abnormalities found? I am not my Mother, we both have unique and beautiful bodies of our own, why does society try to put that belief system in our heads?
I called the breast surgeon's office and asked them what they would do for "further evaluation?" And the woman told me, well, we would perform a biopsy in the hospital. My response to her was: "I already had one and no cancer was detected, why would I need another one and what is the difference between the biopsy I just had and this one?" She stated that they would do an excision biopsy this time, just in case. "Just in case?" Really?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My instincts as someone who had been an Administrator in the Health Care Industry for over 20 years, said, " well, that really seems like a waste of health care dollars." And the personal side of me said that this made no sense at all!
I knew this didn't make any sense and intuitively I knew deep down inside myself that this was not the right course of action for me. I didn't quite know why I had that feeling but I did, despite the fact that I was scared. Not scared that I was delivered some kind of death sentence, just scared because I took a leap of faith to leave my nicely paid corporate job to pursue my dreams and now I was going to have to address this.
My friends and family all know how important being healthy is to me and that I will find a solution. However, I knew that solution was going to come with spending part of the money I had saved to live off of for the next few months. But, I know that taking care of me is the number one priority because nothing else is going to get done if I don't.
Once again, I went to my "go to strategy" and I asked that the results be faxed to me so that I could
begin to educate myself about what was truly going on.
What Did the Results Say?
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia with microcalcifications.
What Did I do?
I started my research.
Here is the definition from Wikipedia:
Atypical ductal hyperplasia, abbreviated ADH, is the term used for a benign lesion of the breast that indicates an increased risk of breast cancer.[1]
The name of the entity is descriptive of the lesion; ADH is characterized by cellular proliferation (hyperplasia) within one or two breast ducts and (histomorphologic) architectural abnormalities, i.e. the cells are arranged in an abnormal or atypical way.
In the context of a core (needle) biopsy, ADH is considered an indication for a breast lumpectomy, also known as a surgical (excisional) biopsy, to exclude the presence of breast cancer.[2]
And here is what Johns Hopkins had to say about it:
What is atypical ductal hyperplasia?
Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is not a form of breast cancer. Rather, it is a marker for women who may have a risk factor for developing breast cancer in the future. If you have a biopsy that shows atypical ductal hyperplasia in one of your breasts, your doctor will want to follow your breast health very carefully.
Armed with this knowledge, you will want to choose a comprehensive breast center. At the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, our team of breast cancer specialists is recognized for their expertise in evaluating and treating breast cancer. Further, our team of nurses, navigators and survivor volunteers are passionately committed to preventing, fighting and treating breast cancer.
Women with ADH should never undergo a voluntary preventative/prophylactic mastectomy. Our physicians and staff are specially trained to help women understand ADH and what their risks may be for developing breast cancer.
Ok, now what? That is the "conventional definition", now what do I do? Even with this information, I wanted to research further. I wanted to know what the integrative/alternative medicine folks thought about this.
And so my search continued.
I will let you know what I found in the next segment.
Much love, light, health and Happiness,
Kimberley
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