questions for dr grissom

• why did you recommend me to read susan love’s chaper on DCIS — are you thinking there’s more of a chance i’ll have it?
• do calcifications, if benign, ever disappear, or are they permanent?
• how does the biopsy affect future mammograms? does it itself leave calcifications? how many additional biopsies can i look forward to in the future – how can i tell when to need to biopsy any calcification that remains?
• what affect does having a biopsy have on breastfeeding?
• what can i do in advance to prepare my skin?
  • is it true if you coat your skin all week in advance with olive oil the scars will be minimized?
• where are my scars going to be?
• what bras do you recommend as most comfortable while the incisions heal
• how will you contact me with the results? cell?
• how is the biopsy day scheduled? (how much idle time can i expect to wait, and when)
• thanks to komen.org, “If cancer is found, who will tell me the results and discuss treatment options? How soon do I need to make a decision on treatment choice? Where can I get more information?”
• what happens to the tissue you remove?
  • after you are finished with cloning me, can you save the leftovers in a tissue bank?

susan love says they’re trying to encourage the use of tissue banks for future research on my own little tissues. eve says they look like sushi. mmm.

of course, since it is five a.m., i had just awoken from a dream. in it, several people i know are suddenly getting mammograms and biopsies. in my dream, though, i knew i was somehow ‘special’ amongst them – and there it is, my fear of cancer. so all the questions stack up from my ‘bedtime reading’ – a mere five hours ago – of dr susan love’s tome, and i must excise them and biopsy them themselves before i can safely return to sleep.

obviously, i need different bedtime reading.