I never had a secret language with a best friend, but if I did, I image it might look something like this: wbc rbc hgb hct mvc mchc neut lymph mono eos baso. And then, with a handy dandy secret decoder ring, we could interpret the message:

A cancer patient walks into a bar, sits down next to another cancer patient, and says: “Hey baby, are you a white blood cell? Because I can’t get enough of you!” 

Those of us diagnosed with breast cancer belong to the “Breast Cancer Jargon Speaking Society of Jargon Speakers“. We say things like HER +? No, – , you? Got lucky! PR/ER +.  And like “How’s your WBC looking?” WBC you say? White & Blue Coat? Wine By Cats? What aBout Carl? 

 A quick look in the potty can tell you a lot about your health from the inside out. (Potty talk welcome here!) Your White Blood Cell (WBC) count, like poop, also offers insight into your insides. But, unlike poop, you’re going to need more than a quick lookie-loo. And more than a decoding ring. 

WHITE BLOOD CELLS (WBC) defend your body against “invaders.” But only if it was that easy. There are several different types of white blood cells: you have your cytes and phils.  The suffix phil is the tendency towards something (like a cell). Clear as mud yet? Let me paint a clearer picture:

Basophil, Neutrophil, Eosinophil White Blood Cells surround and kill inflammation and infection. 

… and the suffix cyto relates to all things cell. Lymphocytes and Monocytes carry signals between cells to kick your immune system into gear. 

So now that we’ve covered white blood cells, what about the other ‘stuff’? The Electrolytes, Liver Function, Immunoassay, and Thyroid Panel? Well friends- that’s for another post!

Silv, my grandmother, basically hitchhiked across the country in the 1930s because women weren’t supposed do that kind of thing. Until the ripe old age of 93, at 4′ 10″ – no one questioned Silv. You wanted her in your corner, not looking across the ring at you. So when you start to doubt yourself, (Inner dialogue… “It’s not you. It’s me.”) repeat after me “WWSD” (What Would Silv Do?)

I recently had an ultrasound following a mammogram. Totally routine visit. Nothing to panic about. You know me well enough to know that there is always an ‘except’, ‘but’ or ‘however’… so this should come as no surprise. Since a mammogram can only be done on the right side, I assumed that the ultrasound would focus on my left side and remaining lymph nodes. You know what happens when we ass-u-me…

After leaving the radiology center- I called my oncologist who said that she only ordered an ultrasound on the right side because there is nothing to see on the left side. “You’re going to have to trust me. I’m your doctor.” You’re cured!” she declared.

OHHHHH!!!!! I get it now! The surgeon was able to get every single solitary microscopic cancer cell that had already invaded my vascular system. Got it! So there is NO POSSIBLE way one of those little buggers could have gotten lose and wandered off. Right-o! No need to worry! Check and check!

Delving into the bottomless pit of despair (AKA the Internet) – I was guided to Thermography Screening? Ever hear of a mood ring? It’s sort of like that but bigger! Here’s how it works: when your body is cooled down in a temperature-controlled room, normal blood vessels constrict to conserve heat. Blood vessels that are fighting infection or multiplying like bunnies are working so hard that they create their own heat source.

Our ‘ladies’ are teaming with estrogen fed, law-abiding breast cells that follow their own vascular rules and patterns.  The Bales Thermal Image Processor camera’s job is to screen for any no goodniks before they recruit other no goodniks and form the No Goodnik Gang of No Goodniks.

The WISE AND POWERFUL FDA has not yet approved this type of voodoo witchcraft, so I decided to pay out of pocket and give it a go. I was guided into a really REALLY cold room and told to disrobe from the waist up. Next, the thermographer put an ice pack on my back to make me even colder. Maybe the FDA was right…  “We” were now ready for the next step where the Bales TIP (thermal camera) was used to take pictures of my ladies (who were at full attention). Thankfully this only took about 15 minutes, after which time I was allowed to chip the icicles from my disrobed torso. Now all I had to do was wait for the doctor to call with the results in two to three days.

You can image my surprise when two short hours later the Dr. Sellens at http://www.mypinkimage.com/called with the results. That’s never a good sign. But it’s okay since it’s just witchcraft after all. The thermography showed that lefty has vascular patterns and heat patterns well outside the normal limits. Righty, tired of being left out, also had ‘atypical vascular patterns’ but still within normal limits.

I called my Physician’s Assistant (PA) to help me navigate my ‘should I panic?’ emotional state. She has been, and continues to be, the only person who doesn’t tell me that anti-anxiety meds will make all my problems magically disappear. She actually… wait for it…

She ordered an MRI with contrast and promised to call me as soon as she got the results, which was later that same day. I recently found out that all this happened while she was on vacation. Vacation! What kind of amazing person does this??? I’ll tell you who- Annie (I have to keep her last name secret from all you PA Poachers!).

Are you dying to hear the results? To find out if you should start making a voodoo doll and practicing witchcraft?

Righty has mild background enhancement (laterally) with nonspecific foci. Well that cleared things right up, didn’t it! And… back to the pit. According to the University of Washington (2015), breast cancer survivors whose MRI showed mild to moderate background enhancement were nine times more likely to develop recurring breast cancer than those with minimal to no enhancement. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? What’s one study? Meh. Oh… Wait. The Journal of Radiology (2016) concluded that moderate or marked background enhancement is associated with significantly greater odds of breast cancer. Oh.

Interesting… what about Lefty you ask? No suspicious enhancement (whew!), but there is a 1cm nonspecific internal mammary lymph node ‘situation’ that may be reactive. (In our house we use the word ‘situation’ a lot by the way). Common causes of nonspecific reactive nodes include infections like a common cold, an autoimmune disorder and, cancer. Huh. You don’t say.

So now what? I have another MRI scheduled in three months from now “just to check”, says my oncologist. “It’s probably nothing but we’ll redo the test in three months just to be sure”.  Be sure? I thought you were sure? 100% sure to be exact.

In truth, it probably is absolutely nothing but I, on the other hand, am 100% sure that I am Silv’s granddaughter and that you do not want to be looking across the ring at me. Of this I am sure, sure.