FU SIRA

 

A friend got a letter from SIRA today, reminding her that it’s time to schedule her annual mammogram. This year, the letter included additional information- the pink sheet above.

The highlighted section says this:

“Patients are our #1 priority. Our physicians and support staff are committed to integrating modern technology with ‘old fashioned’ care. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.

SIRA patients who have been diagnosed with heterogeneously dense or extremely dense breasts now can schedule an automated breast ultrasound screening (ABUS) test during the same visit as their screening mammography. This added level of screening is very beneficial to those women who qualify. Your scheduler can confirm if this test is for you.”

Wow.

I am glad that they’ve changed “their policy”, I really am. I am certain that it will save some women’s lives and improve the outcome for many more. But I’m currently regressing into  a rage spiral over the fact that they refused (multiple times!) to do this exact test when MY DOCTOR ORDERED IT in November!!!! 

I have no doubt that what happened to me influenced this policy change. In fact, the doctor who gave me the news said that they would take a look at their policies to see if they should make any changes. I had 2 doctors who were pretty mad, too, after it turned out that I do have cancer, so they may have had some influence there, as well. But for every great medical professional I’ve seen over the years, there were a couple more who got it wrong, who didn’t listen, who treated me like a chart instead of a person… and I’m just so furious and so, so tired of it.

I asked my doctor if she thought they missed it in November, or if she thought it didn’t “appear” until later. She said that, based on what we know about the specific type of cancer cells that I have, she didn’t think it would  have gotten to this size in that amount of time (November to late July). She felt confident that they missed it, and I also believe that to be true. Which means, it’s possible that we could have caught it at a stage 0 which, if you’re going to have cancer, is the most ideal time to discover it. 

Maybe my treatment plan, prognosis, and outcome would have been the same if we’d caught it all those months ago, but since they chose to ignore both my concerns and the orders written by my doctor, I’ll always wonder if all of this could have been easier- especially if any unexpected complications arise in the coming weeks.

Ugh. Anyway… 

Since we didn’t get to go to the concert, we spent way too much money on a mini vacation in Indy. 

We stayed at the Bottleworks Hotel, which used to be a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

We went to The LUME at Newfields, and saw the 3D VanGogh exhibit as well as 3 actual paintings! Landscape at Saint-Rémy was my favorite out of all of it, and I’m sad that there’s no possible way for a picture to come anywhere close to doing it justice. (I still took a picture, though. 😆)

And, we finally got to eat at Bluebeard! (And it was worth every penny!!🤤🤤🤤🤤)

My MRI is Monday, so I’ll report back after we find out what additional information that imaging provides.