I'd been thinking for quite a while about how the tumors didn't originally show up on my screening mammogram or the MRI last fall. It left me pondering why my oncologists/surgeons hadn't recommended doing a screening ultrasound on the left breast just to be sure.

With the sentinel lymph node biopsy coming up I reached out to my breast navigator to inquire about an ultrasound on my left side. It made sense to me, right. Because if there is something on the left side then we'd want to biopsy those lymph nodes too right? If we didn't and left it alone only to find cancer in that side either we'd risk having it spread (because we wouldn't have prophylactically removed any left nodes) or I'd have to go back for another surgery. I just figured why not get as much of the entire picture as possible?

Originally I was told that it's just so rare to have cancer in both breasts, especially when it originates in the milk ducts, that it wasn't normal practice. I still pushed and requested that the question/request was run by my surgeon and oncologist. 

Well, my surgeon agreed that it was a good idea to get some ultrasound imaging of the left side done before the sentinel lymph node biopsies. I'm so glad he agreed because I've seen multiple stories on reddit and in my facebook groups of people discovering cancer in the "good boob" during their mastectomies. It might be rare but it's certainly not impossible and I'd rather get ahead of things. 

So this Thursday I'll be back at the Breast Center for some imaging. Fingers crossed we don't have to deal with more tumors or a higher stage of cancer or anything that will further complicate my treatment. 

~Amy