Thank You everyone, once again, for all your support and kind wishes.
yes, kirkland,
R E L I E F is right.
Lori, as for holding it together - I believe the phrase is:
"If you can keep your head when all others are losing theirs, you obviously do not understand the problem" - 
...or more accurately, I just refused to spend a lot of time obsessing about an unknown, that I couldn't really control the outcome of anyway.
But Thank God for the outcome I got. I know of several others who were not so fortunate.
And there but for the Grace of God go I....
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Now for the public service announcement of this memo:1) Get a mammogram if you are over the age of forty.
Consider it earlier to set a "baseline" of what is normal for you so they can easily track any differences, and/or -
You have a history of breast cancer in your family, (your mom or sisters)
I believe the recommended amount is every two years if you are low risk and under 50, every year if you are over 50 or have a history of it in your family.
The new technology (look for a hospital that does digital) is so sensitive, it can find issues at a very early stage before you will ever feel it during:
2) You all know this, but you still have to do that monthly 'feeling yourself up". Know your personal lay of the land. Any differences, soreness or dimpling from the norm. Go see the doc
3)
DO NOT put your health and wellbeing completely in the hands of that doc or rely only on his advice! I can't stress this enough. Read up, research, and educate yourself. I assure you, the doc doesn't always have YOUR best interests in mind. Hospitals are still a business, and they are going to protect their interests, which may not be what is the best course of action for you.
The radiologist who read my mammo wanted to knock me out, cut me open and slice and dice just for a biopsy of some micro calcifications. (We're talking a golf ball size of flesh, and no, my refusal to do so had nothing to do with vanity.) This is the most invasive, dangerous and let's face it, expensive way of going about this. Turns out that hospital did not have the latest state of the art technology or equipment, so surgery is the only option they would discuss. If you need to travel to a more state of the art facility- do it. It - and
YOU - are worth it.
4) calcifications in your breasts are normal. However, when they are unevenly shaped or clustered, they can be an indication of a fast growing cancer. Mine were both, one even looked like a musical note. 90% of the time they are still nothing. It's fairly common, so don't panic if they ask you to get a biopsy- better safe than sorry, and better to catch it if it is something nasty at a very early stage.
5) Make the technicians/doc show you the digitals and explain what you are looking at (especially if it's your first one). Ask for copies of everything in your files. You are by law entitled to it. What the radiologist told me verbally (surgery) was not what he wrote in my file that went to my regular doc (needle biopsy). Tsk tsk.....
6) Realize there are at least a half dozen ways of getting a biopsy for which only one requires putting you under and surgery. The others just require a local.
Do not, however, think for a minute you will be doing this by yourself- as I intended to do. My friend insisted on driving me to the hospital (an hour away), and even though it was under a local anesthesia, she said I was as white as a sheet when I walked out, and I could feel my legs buckling under me. There is no way I could have driven myself home. This is no time to be stalwart,( I myself am very guilty of this). Suck it up, ask a friend, and be grateful for the moral and physical support.
....Thank said friend profusely....
7) Look into a 'Mammotone" by Johnson and Johnson. (Stereo-tactic biopsy I think it's called) Instead of just a needle biopsy (which isn't as accurate), it is a needle with suction, which has the same accuracy rate as surgery. (They actually removed all of the calcifications instead of just a small core of tissue they normally would do)
Realize they don't recommend this type of biopsy if the calcifications are near your chest wall as they are difficult to get at. (Mine were) They were still able to get at it and I highly recommend this type of biopsy. It took them awhile to position me to get the needle where they needed it, but they got it - so don't rule it out or accept it when the initial doc says they can't do it because of where they are. Get second and third opinions. If all else fails - Fly to Carson Valley Medical if you have to- it's worth it - they were awesome and were still able to get the biopsy despite the difficulty.
8) Expect dealing with your insurance and all the various doctors and hospitals will feel like you are in Dante's Concentric Circles of He11.
I originally was going to go to a different hospital, but after a dozen phone calls and leaving messages with voicemail, they never, not once, called my back. You could be dead by the time they give you the time of day. Move on to a hospital that will let you talk to an actual human being. Look over your insurance reports carefully. I'm entitled to a free mammo each year, but the insurance wouldn't pay for the radiologist to read the d@mn thing and interpret what he saw, rendering it useless. Turns out it was a clerical error. Snivel, p1ss and moan until the insurance does what you're entitled to.
9) Last but certainly not least, - Say your prayers and ask everyone you know to do the same. Be Thankful for modern technology, great friends and family, and the hope of benign results. Trust me, this is the one time you want something NEGATIVE in your life.
10) Breathe - and If nothing else, this will remind you to stop and smell the roses. Suddenly the usual b.s. you spend your time stressing about seems totally pointless.
Skipping off of soapbox - Peace, Love and Joy - and go get your mammo's done....
I won't have to worry anymore. Now go have some fun in SLC girl!! woo hoo!!
~Lori
