Last night I’d had a pretty rotten sleep (mostly due to SML-filled dreams) and woke pretty early this morning with a head full of SML-filled thoughts.

I’m still not back to cycling to work and decided to catch the train in because Don wanted to leave at a less ungodly hour. On my way out the front gate, I checked the mailbox and discovered a letter addressed to me. “Oh!”, I thought. “This must be the confirmation that my mammogram was all good!”.

Except it wasn’t.

It was a letter from BreastScreen NSW, but …

“We would like you to return to have further tests to complete your screening. An assessment appointment has been made for you on [mid-Jan date | hospital location]”. And lots of further information included about what tests they’d likely perform and what I could expect generally. And liberal use of bold, CAPS and highlighter. And stats, like 5% of women who have a mammogram need further tests and of those only 10% will have breast cancer**. They advised that the appointment will take between 2-4 hours, but that I should set aside the whole day.

Well, fuck.

I called up to confirm and managed to snag an earlier appointment because of a cancellation – but still have to wait until early January.

This is so NOT what I was expecting (no family history, no observed issues) that I’m still quite dazed by it all. And to be honest just a little nervous | frightened. The upside is that my SML-filled thoughts have rather faded into the background.

xxx

** which is like, what!? that’s 1/200 – way more than I’d assumed!