The “pirate” echo: catharsis of my week of worry and uncertainty / El eco "pirata": Catarsis de mi semana de preocupación e incertidumbre (ESP-ENG)

_{This post is both in English and Spanish, you can go directly to english by clicking HERE}

¡Hola hivers!💜

Espero que se encuentren bien y felices. Aunque el nombre del post pueda parecer gracioso y curioso, es mi forma de lidiar con todo luego de una semana corriendo, llena de preocupación tanto para mi como para mi familia.

En marzo de este año me puse en control con un mastologo por un bulto que senti en mi seno, resultando ser una fibrosis quística categoria 2 en el seno y no un quiste.

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Estaba tranquila al respecto. En octubre decidí hacerme mi control ginecológico y el medico me indico que me hiciera mi control de eco mamario de los 6 meses y así aprovechaba y me lo veía. Relajada y tranquila, encontré una jornada en un centro médico de mi ciudad para hacerme el eco.

Siendo honesta, el día del eco estuvo fatal, llegué a las 11am, se fue la luz y a las 3pm fue que me hicieron el eco. No quedé conforme con el eco, primero me reflejaron un examen físico que no me hicieron y segundo, aunque no lleve el eco anterior, me lo sabía de memoria, le conté y lo obvio, en el informe coloco que tenía una lesión simple y me dio una categoría 3. No hubo mención de la fibrosis, solo eso. No le di vueltas al asunto y llevé los resultados al ginecólogo.

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Aquí empezó el drama. El doctor me indica que si al hacerme el eco no me indicaron que debía hacerme una mamografía, porque con este cambio había al menos un 10% de posibilidad de algo maligno. Que si bien suena poco, si no es tratado a tiempo puede empeorar.

Salí de la consulta en cero. No sabia que pensar, que decir, que hacer. No tenía ni la fuerza de llamar a mi mama ni a nadie para contarle. Llame a uno de mis tíos, que conoce médicos, me recomendó con quien ir pero justo iba saliendo de viaje, así que no podía acompañarme. Le escribí a una amiga, a mi cuñada, pero no me salía nada, hasta que logré tener la fuerza y llamé a mi mama. Se encargó de contactar a mi hermano y entre él y mi cuñada hicieron un plan de acción. Intenté ir para mi mastólogo y estaba full, el otro que me recomendaron no estaba atendiendo.

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Mientras esperaba, parecía la llorona. Mi cabeza pintaba los peores escenarios. Una vez que llegaron, me llevaron a hacerme la mamografía y otro eco, ya habían contactado a un cirujano oncologo, que conocían de antes, para que me evaluara. Mi mama dice que cuando me enfermo me pongo bruta y los años que estudie Bioanálisis se pierden, mentira no es. Hice lo que hacen los pacientes que tienen miedo, escondí la orden de la mamografía porque no quería hacermela, estaba negada.

Me explicaron que está establecido en Venezuela que las mamografías se hacen a partir de los 35 años por factores existentes, antes de eso no, a menos que haya una orden médica. Bueno, escondí la orden, no pregunten porque, porque ni yo entiendo. En cuanto me di cuenta que estaban llamando al doctor para solicitar una, decidí sacarla y hacer caso. A partir de ese momento, creo que temían que huyera de la consulta. Ahorita me río, pero antes no.

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Me hice mi mamografía, lo resumire como que senti que me paso un carro por encima de los senos. Cero agradable pero necesario para salir de la incertidumbre. Luego me hicieron el eco. En resumen, lo que converse con las que me atendieron, que soy bien curiosa y me gusta que me expliquen que ven, era consistente con lo que me dijo el mastólogo el mes de marzo, nada que ver con el eco pirata.

Eso me dio cierta paz, que duraría media hora, porque ahora tenía que esperar al jueves para que me atendiera el médico. Fueron días donde aunque dormía, me sentía agotada y las ojeras no podía esconderlas, mi apetito no existía, y mi humor iba de la mayor tristeza al mayor enojo. tanto desconcierto me tenía mal, no podía trabajar bien, ni escribir ni nada y era algo difícil de controlar.

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_{El temido mamografo}

El jueves asistí a mi consulta. No pudieron atenderme. No enviaron los resultados al doctor, no querían entregar el disco y me estaba volviendo loca. A última hora entregaron el disco, pero ya tendría que esperar al viernes. El viernes mi humor estaba horrible, ya no aguantaba tanta incertidumbre ni saber.

Cuando logré entrar al consultorio en compañía de mi mamá, en serio creían que huiría, y el doctor metió el disco con los resultados de la mamografía lo único que dijo fue: esta es una mamografía normal. Respire hondo y definitivamente quería respuestas. Me prepare y me hizo otro eco mamario y confirmó lo que había dicho mi mastologo: mis senos son fibrosos y al ser madre se terminan de desarrollar y deberían cambiar, de igual forma me dijo que debía seguir con una alimentación sana, vitamina E con selenio y hacerme mi chequeo anual.

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_{Parte de mi círculo de apoyo}

¿Estoy mejor? sí, claro. Ya respiro. Mi paz mental volvió. ¿Que paso con el eco “pirata”? no se, y decidí no ahondar ahí, porque el mal rato que pasamos gracias a él fue bastante largo y desagradable. Mi único consejo es que si sientes un bulto, asistas directo con el mastólogo y sea quien haga el eco y responda tus dudas. Aunque siendo honesta, no le deseo esto a nadie, pero es parte de la vida. Agradezco contar con un buen círculo de apoyo, tanto de amigos como familiares.

Gracias por leerme
Con cariño, G.

English

Hi hivers! 💜

I hope you are all well and happy. Although the name of the post may seem funny and curious, it is my way of dealing with everything after a week of running around, full of worry for both myself and my family.

In March of this year I checked in with a mastologist for a lump I felt in my breast, turning out to be a category 2 cystic fibrosis in the breast and not a cyst.

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I was calm about it. In October I decided to have my gynecological check-up and the doctor told me to have my 6-month breast ultrasound check-up so that I could take advantage of the opportunity to have it checked. Relaxed and calm, I found a day at a medical center in my city to have the ultrasound done.

To be honest, the day of the ultrasound was terrible, I arrived at 11am, the power went out and at 3pm I had the ultrasound. I was not satisfied with the echo, first they showed me a physical exam that they did not do and secondly, although I did not bring the previous echo, I knew it by heart, I told him and the obvious, in the report he placed that I had a simple lesion and gave me a category 3. I didn't give the matter a second thought and took the results to the gynecologist.

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This is where the drama began. The doctor told me that if when I had the echo they did not tell me that I should have a mammogram, because with this change there was at least a 10% chance of something malignant. Although it sounds small, if it is not treated in time it can get worse.

I left the consultation in zero. I didn't know what to think, what to say, what to do. I didn't even have the strength to call my mom or anyone else to tell her. I called one of my uncles, who knows doctors, he recommended me who to go with but he was just leaving on a trip, so he could not go with me. I wrote to a friend, to my sister-in-law, but nothing came out, until I got the strength and called my mom. She contacted my brother and between him and my sister-in-law they made a plan of action. I tried to go to my mastologist and he was full, the other one that was recommended to me was not attending.

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While I was waiting, I looked like a crybaby. My head was painting worst case scenarios. Once they arrived, they took me for a mammogram and another echo, they had already contacted an oncologist surgeon, who they knew from before, to evaluate me. My mother says that when I get sick I get gross and the years I studied Bioanalysis are lost, it is not a lie. I did what patients who are afraid do, I hid the order for the mammogram because I did not want to have it done, I was denied.

They explained to me that it is established in Venezuela that mammograms are done after 35 years of age due to existing factors, not before that, unless there is a doctor's order. Well, I hid the order, don't ask why, because even I don't understand. As soon as I realized that they were calling the doctor to request one, I decided to take it out and do it. From that moment on, I think they were afraid I would run away from the doctor's office. Now I laugh, but not before.

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I had my mammogram, I'll sum it up as feeling like a car drove over my breasts. Zero pleasant but necessary to get out of the uncertainty. Then I had an echo. In summary, what I discussed with the women who attended me, I am very curious and I like to have them explain what they see, was consistent with what the mastologist told me in March, nothing to do with the pirate echo.

That gave me some peace, which would last half an hour, because now I had to wait until Thursday for the doctor to see me. They were days where although I slept, I felt exhausted and I could not hide the dark circles under my eyes, my appetite did not exist, and my mood went from the saddest to the angriest. so much confusion made me sick, I could not work well, or write or anything and it was something difficult to control.

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_{The dreaded mammograph}

On Thursday I went to my doctor's office. They could not attend me. They did not send the results to the doctor, they did not want to deliver the disk and I was going crazy. At the last minute they delivered the disc, but I would have to wait until Friday. On Friday my mood was horrible, I could not stand so much uncertainty or knowing.

When I managed to get into the office with my mom, they really thought I would run away, and the doctor put in the disk with the results of the mammogram the only thing he said was: this is a normal mammogram. I took a deep breath and definitely wanted answers. He confirmed what my mastologist had said: my breasts are fibrous and when I become a mother they finish developing and should change. He also told me that I should continue with a healthy diet, vitamin E with selenium and have my annual checkup.

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_{Part of my circle of support}

Am I better? yes, of course. I can breathe. My peace of mind is back. What happened with the “pirate” echo? I don't know, and I decided not to delve into it, because the bad time we had because of it was quite long and unpleasant. My only advice is that if you feel a lump, go directly to the mastologist and let him do the echo and answer your doubts. Although to be honest, I do not wish this on anyone, but it is part of life. I am grateful to have a good circle of support, both friends and family.

Thank you for reading me
With love, G..