Positive Changes Noticed

So a week before the surgery on August 21st, I started to notice something different about the skin retraction or dimple. It was harder to see and seemed to be softer. I waited for a few days and each day it seemed to be less pronounced. I would look at it in various types of light and unbelievably, I could no longer really see it when standing in front of a mirror at 3 feet away. Ever since November, when I first discovered it, there had been no change except for perhaps a sharpening of the dimple over the months.

Finally, I decided that the softening skin retraction might be a positive sign that the tumor was reversing and perhaps shrinking. I moved the lumpectomy up to September 18th. I started to seek opinions on this change in the skin retraction but found no comfort in medical opinions and in fact one of my doctors (family doctor) acted like I was being delusional to think that it meant anything. I refused to be swayed and decided I would monitor it with tests such as another MRI, and any other tests that I could use to see what was going on in there.

I scheduled a second MRI with a different facility, one that has a very good reputation for their Imaging Center so I was hopeful they would be able to accurately gauge my progress.

As a side note, I’d like to describe the Breast MRI experience for anyone who is considering this kind of test. Overall I think a Breast MRI is much better than a Mammogram, which only really detects calcifications. A Breast MRI really sees the lump, it’s shape and location and other characteristics. It is not as risky as a Mammogram since there is no radiation. The contrast dye however is injected and there is some information out there about the dye being somewhat chemically toxic so you don’t want to get an MRI too often I would think.

A Breast MRI involves lying face down on a table with your breasts sort of dangling into two cups in the table. You are provided a pillow for your head and usually headphones with music and also a way for the radiologist to talk to you and give you an idea of how long each part will be. You are not supposed to move during the scan. The scan lasts about 25 minutes or so. You are moved inside a round tube and the better MRI places roll you in feet first rather than head first since the tube is fairly claustrophobic. I pretty much closed my eyes for the whole time rather than look at the tube wall right in front of my face.

When the test starts, the tube makes some clicking noises and then a very loud machine gun type of vibration. In some cases you can’t really hear the music during the test but it makes them feel better that they gave you music to listen to I guess. Each part of the test might last 2-5 minutes with some being longer. The radiologist usually warns you before each step how long the test will be and she tells you when you are close to the end.

When the magnet is on and doing the scan, I felt some strange sensations in my skin as if I could feel my protons being magnetized or something. It wasn’t unpleasant or painful.. just weird.. and the sensation was sort of similar to feeling a breeze against your skin. I felt a weird twitching sensation in what felt like my left kidney as well which stopped when the loud noise stopped and started again when the magnet was scanning. None of this was more than just a mild sensation but nonetheless it was real.

I’d like to mention that my first MRI did not produce these sensations so it might have to do with the strength of the magnet. All Breast MRI is using High Field MRI. I was told by a radiologist if a place wants to do a an Open Breast MRI that I should run.