The Unintentional Self-Breast Exam

I felt my first palpable breast lump in July 2012. When I woke up, my right arm was positioned over my head and my left hand was down my shirt and on my breast (yes, I realize how that sounds.) My middle finger of my left hand was directly on a small, hard lump just to the left of my nipple. I thought to myself, "well, that's not good." And then I forgot about it. Literally FORGOT! I was busy and tired and I just didn't think about it.

But then it happened again. 

And then a few weeks later, the EXACT same thing happened again. I woke up with my right arm over my head and my left hand down my shirt (yes, I realize there's now a theme!) Again , my middle finger was resting on that same small, hard lump. I'm not sure I would have found it upon a normal and intentional self-exam. It was deep and in an odd place. I remembered that I'd felt it before and felt dumb for not really doing anything. But I was glad that I was lead to feel it again. 

I was meant to find it!

That was on August 4, 2012. It was the day that we were leaving for a two week vacation in Hilton Head to visit my parents. I called my mom from the car and asked her to set up an appointment for me with her doctor in HHI. Within two weeks, I had a mammogram, ultrasound, Fine Needle Biopsy and an initial recommendation, "Find a breast specialist at home. There seem to be 4 masses and they all to need to come out." And so it started...