In line with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this is another personal experience we would like to share with you.
“What would my dad say?” That should have been the last thing on my mind after finding out I had a breast lump while bathing but for some weird reason, that was all I could think about. My family considered me the awkward one because well, I have too many frequents visit to the doctor than anyone and I even had the nerve to be in need of glasses, how dare I not have 20/20 vision?
I already knew that the whole “na only you” talk would definitely come into play this time and I was just not ready for it, we had health insurance, so I went straight to the hospital for a checkup. It was really uncomfortable for me because a man had to examine me, but I went through with the checkup. The doctor eventually started hitting on me and asked me to sleep with him.
I scheduled an appointment to see the doctor and have my lumps removed, I had multiple lumps. I was going to do this without any of my parent’s consent, they didn’t know, I was going to solve this problem without involving them, I didn’t want them to see me as the weird and unusual daughter. The day came for the surgery and I couldn’t bring myself to go, partly because I didn’t want to see that doctor that wants to sleep with me touching me and I didn’t know the other reasons. I ended up telling my sister who told my parents and I went back to the clinic and they told me I needed a parents’ permission to have the surgery, and they called my insurance and they directed me to another hospital.
I couldn’t go through with a mammogram or an x-ray because I was too young, so I went for an ultrasound, and I had four lumps in my breast, the biggest was 12 x 15 mm by mass, Was I scared? I was. Before the surgery I asked the nurse, “Do people die from surgery like this?” she replied, “Yes, but you won’t”. I had the choice of being sedated or being awake for the surgery, I chose to be awake for 2 reasons, one, I was inquisitive as to what was going to happen, Two, it would be easier to know when I was dying. I remember the doctors asking me questions like “Any history of breast cancer in your family?” He didn’t say it but I could tell he was thinking, “You are just 15”.
I had the surgery done and turns out that I had more lumps than the ultrasound detected, I never checked if the lumps were cancerous or not, I’ve not been to the hospital for a check-up after that but I will now.
Anybody could have a lump, regardless of your age, I would advise that you self-examine and if you can’t, visit a doctor, my knowledge of breast lumps was useful to my friend 2 years later as my friend had a breast lump and I was able to provide her with the following details.
- Tell your parents or siblings.
- Go to the hospital.
- Just because it happened to you doesn’t make you weird or different than another person.
I remember my doctor saying lumps are like balloons in the breast, sometimes, they can be displaced, doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer.
Visit a doctor Today.
#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth.
By Oduola Olamide