let's all learn a little bit together

Thanks for all the warm comments and emails- but I do want you to know that it really isn't a big deal. We can all pretend I am a superhero with incredible strength and courage- but we all know that would be a lie! :) So I am posting a thinger from the Mayo Clinic so that we can all rest our brains and not panic! This is what they think is going on. . .

my hometown hero's account:

Fibroadenomas are round, firm, rubbery masses that arise from excess growth of glandular and connective tissue. These masses can grow to the size of a small plum, but they're benign and usually painless. If you have a fibroadenoma, it may bounce or move slightly when you press the area.
Fibroadenomas respond to hormonal changes and tend to enlarge during pregnancy and shrink after menopause. Women of any age may have them, but they're usually detected in women in their 20s or 30s. Your doctor can't tell from a clinical breast exam alone whether a breast lump is a fibroadenoma. Mammography and ultrasound may help with the diagnosis, but the only way to be certain of a fibroadenoma is to take a sample of tissue for lab analysis (biopsy). Your doctor may also recommend surgery to remove the lump completely.
Fibroadenomas sometimes disappear spontaneously. But your doctor may recommend surgical removal if a fibroadenoma persists, gets larger or you're anxious about it.

So friends. . . I apparently have a couple of cheese balls in my boobicle that need to get looked at. They gave me a couple of options, ranging from 'watchful waiting' to a 'full cheese ball removal.' I split the difference and am having a half-assed cheese ball extraction. It was my choice to have it biopsied now instead of watching it. I could come back every few months for a couple of years to get it measured. . . but we all know I am lazy and that is a lot of appointments (and I know it has grown in the last year). So when in Rome. . . Veni Vidi Vici baby.

Plus. . . I can still drink wine with my left hand.