[jessica]

Sherry~
I think the reason that I didn't push for mammo's is b/c I was (& still am) getting PET's every 12 weeks and I thought certainly the PET would be comprehensive enough. We had been so focused on my liver & monitoring the lesions there,anticipating the resection & honestly, I really believed that after a successful lumpectomy, clean scans for 3+yrs, that the chances of something to popping up in my breast would be slim to none! BUT, it's important to remember that scans are less reliable detecting anything under .5cm.
I'm told that a mammo would have picked up the very pervasive & very obvious calcifications much earlier. In fact, it wasn't until I flew back to Atlanta (I was recuperating from my liver resec. in Hawaii @my parent's), immediately did a PET scan, did that darn thing light up! It was already 1cm by the time I had the excisional biopsy. Since then we've followed up w/Breast MRI's - which are another complete lesson in humility...lying on your belly, propped up on a pillow-thing, w/your breast hanging through the cut-outs...w/ear-plugs!I almost expected someone to come in & put an apple in my mouth, too!
Regardless, I'm very proud to say that thru this very complicated journey, I've made very few mis-steps...not doing mammo's & instead relying on PET's was definitely one of them...but inspite of it all, I'm here, with my own hair, my own liver (re-generated!), & what's left of my own breasts-for as long as I'm allowed to keep them.
And ofcourse, unflappable Faith and HOPE! There's always FAITH & HOPE!