MRI results
tl;dr surgery is still on for this Friday, then follow-up check on Right Boob.
First-time MRI impressions: Paranoid fantasies about large metal objects flying across the room in magnetic catastrophe were not realized. Claustrophobia, loud noises, and chill are not a problem. I enjoy a good noisy tube. The sound effects were a little repetitive, but very creative and weird. Also nice of them to provide an angled mirror so I could watch my hands above my head. I have pretty good-looking hands. Lying still face-down with boobs a-dangle without sufficient padding on the chest supports, instructed to not move and breathe shallowly for 45 minutes: a problem. Not fun. Very uncomfortable. Enough to make me not notice the pain of the IV in the back of my hand. Do not recommend. Next MRI, I will demand more pillows.
Got a Covid test done this afternoon, first time to have a stranger stick a swab up my nose. He was gentler than I am to myself.
This evening Luke and I went to a bicycle die-in protest, where we lay down ourselves and our bicycles in the street on Hopkins in Berkeley. The Berkeley city council took the craven and cowardly move this month of postponing decisions and action to install bike lanes and other safe street infrastructure on Hopkins due to the NIMBYs on the street getting upset about losing parking spaces. As we were lying on the ground, my phone rang: Dr. Chu calling.
"Unfortunately, the MRI turned up another lump on the right side."
Right side? Yes, the other breast.
A 1 cm blueberry baby companion to the 3.3 cm chestnut on the left. Bad news and less bad news. I don't know exactly where this blueberry is located, and we don't know yet if it's Cancer #2. MRI is very sensitive, so much more likely to turn up any abnormality. But we're definitely going to have to follow up, presumably with an ultrasound and biopsy. The upside is since it's the other breast, we can just proceed with the current surgery plan and address #2 afterwards. So no more delays (whew).
Tomorrow I have the first pre-op appointment, and then Thursday I have blocked off for any prep work they need to do (dye injection, mainly) as well as wrapping things up with work. Also I am worried I have an infected bug bite on my stomach -- hopefully that doesn't get worse and cause additional issues--it's been swelling up throughout the day. And it itches! Ugh. I will spare you the picture I just took, and share that with my doctors instead.
On that fun note, until next time.