I was picking blueberries with my three children when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I got a notification that the results from the mammogram I had done earlier in the day were available on my patient portal. Between filling buckets of berries and wiping my toddlers’ faces, I looked at the results.
They were abnormal. There was a note that follow-up testing was required. I felt numb.
I could hear the voices of my children, but they were distant. It was a dullness pierced by shattering moments of a fearful reality where I was imagining their lives in my absence. My anxiety grew when, less than an hour after getting the results, I received a call from a very kind woman in Radiology Scheduling asking me if I could come in tomorrow for the additional testing. I looked at the time: 5:07 p.m. She was calling me after hours to schedule imaging for the next day.
I drove home with my sweaty, red-cheeked children with berry-stained lips, and every time I caught a glimpse of my one-year-old son’s sweet blonde tendril on his chubby face, I nearly lost it.
If something were to happen to me, would he remember how much he was loved? And how much his mother adored every piece of him?
I was struggling to push the negative thoughts away because only a few weeks prior I had an abnormal Pap screen. I was also called back to my OB/GYN’s office for additional testing. My physician found high-grade or moderate dysplasia, meaning I had abnormal cells that could become cancer and spread into normal tissue if not treated. I was scheduled to have a surgical procedure in two weeks, which would remove the abnormal tissue and assess whether I had cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer develops slowly and is very treatable . . . if caught early. Screenings are essential: by the time symptoms show up, the disease is fairly progressed and more difficult to treat.
I alternated between anxiety over the potential of having two types of cancer and feeling profoundly grateful that I was screened and given the opportunity to catch any abnormality early.
Prioritizing Wellness Visits
Despite being a public health practitioner and an advocate for prevention and wellness in my professional life, I am also an “I go to the doctor for myself only when there’s a broken bone or buckets of blood” kind of girl.
For my kids, totally different. I make their well-child visits for the next year when I’m checking out at their current visit. I don’t need the reminder from the pediatrician’s office. However, I have never prioritized wellness visits and screenings for myself. My cat gets more preventative care than I do.
Why I Went for Preventative Screenings
Since last fall, I’ve been undergoing evaluation to be a living kidney donor for a family member. As a part of that process, I’ve come to discover all the imperfections and anomalies of my body.
Preventative screenings, like mammograms and Paps, were required for the evaluation. Had I not gone through the work-up for donation, I never would have discovered these potential issues. I would have shown up in a doctor’s office years from now after I developed symptoms of cervical cancer, and the fear I experienced for a few short weeks may have become my reality.
Long story short, I’m fine. I’m lucky. The follow-up imaging to the mammogram did not find anything of significance, but I did learn that I need to be screened more frequently. The procedure that removed the abnormal cells showed clear margins. They got all the bad stuff out. I was approved to donate my kidney for my loved one.
I feel incredibly grateful for the experience of being a living donor. I truly believe it may have saved my life. I am now a poster child and crusader for preventative screenings. And I will practice what I preach.
Preventative Screenings for Women
Here are the statistics and evidence around cervical and breast cancer screening:
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. Effective primary (HPV vaccination) and secondary prevention approaches (screening for and treating precancerous lesions) will prevent most cervical cancer cases.
When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively (World Health Organization).
Cervical cancer screening saves lives. Over the past 30 years in the United States, the number of cases of cervical cancer and deaths has decreased by one half. This is mainly the result of women getting regular cervical cancer screening.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the following for cervical cancer screening:
- Women aged 21 to 29 should have a Pap test alone every three years. HPV testing alone can be considered for women who are 25 to 29, but Pap tests are preferred.
- Women aged 30 to 65 have three options for testing: They can have both a Pap test and an HPV test every five years. They can have a Pap test alone every three years. Or they can have HPV testing alone every five years.
Breast Cancer
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. Overall, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means there is a one in eight chance she will develop breast cancer.
Survival rates have been increasing. And the number of people dying of breast cancer is steadily going down. Much of this is due to the widespread support for breast cancer awareness and funding for research (American Cancer Society).
Advances in breast cancer screening allow healthcare professionals to diagnose breast cancer earlier. Finding the cancer earlier makes it much more likely that the cancer can be cured.
The US Preventative Services Taskforce recommends biennial (every two years) screening mammography for women aged 40 to 74 years.
Preventative Screening Options, Without Insurance
Most insurance plans cover recommended preventative screenings and annual wellness visits. Below are some options for women without insurance coverage:
- AccessHealth Tri-County Network
- Shifa Clinic – South Carolina
- Fetter Health Care Network
- Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic
- Hollings Cancer Center Mobile Health Unit
- MUSC CARES Clinic
Take the time, Mama. Make the appointment. Get the screening. Prioritize your health so you can pick the blueberries and squeeze those cherub cheeks for as long as your little ones will let you.
