New here; suspicious mammo results, ack!!!!!!!! [edited]

Muttsmom

He shook his head and said, "god, they're so paranoid" and went on to complain that if we could just get rid of most of the lawyers, it would save people a lot of worry and money.

I completely disagree with your doc. Too many times, ladies, including myself, are told to come back in a year when NOTHING shows up on a mammogram, even though a lump is felt by the patient and the doctors. If I had listened to the, come back in a year, you're fine, spill, I wouldn't be here today. Lumps aren't normal and should be biopsied. A little less then 80% are B9, but any doctor that tells you he/she can tell by a mammogram or an ultra sound that it is DEFNITITELY not cancer, is a fool and I'd run, not walk out the door, and find another one.
_________________
Nancy
2/14/02 ILC 43 - 5.5 cm 9+/16 nodes
Stage IIIA er/pr+ Her2-
2/02 MRM
FECx6 radsx33
Tamoxifen - Arimidex (chemo induced menopause)
4/03 SM w/bilat. recon.
9/03 expanders removed
5/04 repair reconst. disaster
10/04 Actonel for bone/joint pain from Arimidex
NED - 5 years
3/07 Diabetes
In memory of Kim 12/1/04

bluephoenixx · New User Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 9

No, this wasn't MY doctor. This was off-the-record talk while I was with my hubby at HIS doctor's appointment. Also, I do not have a lump. And I've heard at least a dozen times from professionals that closer to 90% of lumps are benign. Less than 90% (but generally about 80%) of microcalcs turn out benign is the other concensus. And I do know that they can't say anything for sure just from a mammogram and often not even an ultrasound (and no one has said otherwise), which is why I'm agreeing to a biopsy. None of this tests is perfect or infallible, but then also neither is any doctor, which is why, like you say, it is important to stay informed and keep these clinicians on their toes when it seems like maybe they're dropping the ball. I have no problem with that, and have had to do just that in the past, more than once! ;) I was just offering another perspective that is sometimes ignored: not everything that looks suggestive of cancer IS cancer, and in general, <b>paranoia</b> is really not a good thing. Radiologists have been proven wrong enough times to make that clear. Being cautious when things really do look or feel wonky is fine, but I just don't like the alarmist attitude and the fact that sue-happy types and greedy lawyers are part of what's ruining our health care system, that's all, even if it's pretty much beside the point, since of course, I do need to remember I'm posting this in a Cancer forum, where probably most everyone else has already had a cancer diagnosis ....

[quote="Muttsmom"]He shook his head and said, "god, they're so paranoid" and went on to complain that if we could just get rid of most of the lawyers, it would save people a lot of worry and money.

I completely disagree with your doc. Too many times, ladies, including myself, are told to come back in a year when NOTHING shows up on a mammogram, even though a lump is felt by the patient and the doctors. If I had listened to them, come back in a year, you're fine, spill, I wouldn't be here today. Lumps aren't normal and should be biopsied. A little less then 80% are B9, but any doctor that tells you he/she can tell by a mammogram or an ultrasound that it is DEFNITITELY not cancer, is a fool and I'd run, not walk out the door, and find another one.[/quote]

Muttsmom

The lastest stats about lumps are 80%, but that doesn't take into account that the number of women dx has gone from 1 out of 9 to 1 out of 7. That's why I said less then 80%.

I don't think lawyers have anything to do with a doctor doing a biopsy. If that were the case, women wouldn't still be hearing, you're fine, come back in a year..... or, you're too young, or, you don't have a hx of breast cancer etc. etc. etc. Mammograms miss 45% of all breast cancer in women under 50 and 35% of all breast cancer in women over 50.

A biopsy is a very simple procedure that could save lives.
_________________
Nancy
2/14/02 ILC 43 - 5.5 cm 9+/16 nodes
Stage IIIA er/pr+ Her2-
2/02 MRM
FECx6 radsx33
Tamoxifen - Arimidex (chemo induced menopause)
4/03 SM w/bilat. recon.
9/03 expanders removed
5/04 repair reconst. disaster
10/04 Actonel for bone/joint pain from Arimidex
NED - 5 years
3/07 Diabetes
In memory of Kim 12/1/04

bluephoenixx · New User Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 9

Hi, everybody.

I got the biopsy last week. Oh, what fun that was. Ended up with lots of bruising and then when I removed the Steri-Strips two days later, it took off some of my SKIN with it. Ouch. And somehow I managed to get through it all with a splitting headache. But at least the head nurse there (who assisted) said I did really well and thanked me for being so cooperative.

I had the second appointment with the surgeon this morning. Everything on the pathology report from the recent breast biopsy came back BENIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very Happy

I forgot to ask for a copy of it before I left, but I can go pick it up anytime. I remember seeing the words sclerosing adenosis and mild ductal hyperplasia. Nothing to worry about, apparently. Mostly it’s just all “fibrocystic changes.” I asked what might’ve caused those microcalcifications. The surgeon said they were probably in the blood vessels. I guess it’s not uncommon. Anyway, so far so good! ::big exhale of relief::

The next step was aspirating the one large cyst (1.7 x 1.2 x 1.5 cm). He started with the smaller needle, using ultrasound guidance. Couldn’t remove any fluid even though he could see he was right in the middle of it. So he gave me two options: either try again with a larger gauge needle, or have another biopsy. I went for the big needle (of course!) with some anesthetic… which didn’t help much deep inside and still hurt like a sonofab-- ... But he was then (finally) able to draw out the contents and said the cyst appears to have collapsed. (Does that equate to a simple cyst??) The ‘contents’ were not exactly fluid but rather thick and gelatinous and a weird color so he’s sending it to the lab, just to be sure. I guess it’s really rare that cysts are ever cancerous, and since it looked simple and benign on three ultrasounds (smooth, round, no thickening or suspicious findings), the doctor figures it’s probably benign as most of them are. It does appear to be the very same cyst that was present in 1999, but it has really shrank in size since then, and I didn’t have it aspirated at that time, so it might just be really old debris hanging around. And the microcalcs were not really in the same area as the cyst--they were in the UOQ and the cyst area more in the middle-inner quadrant, basically around the "one o'clock" region.

They’ll call me in a few days (probably next Monday or Tuesday) to let me know the results of Pathology, Round Two. ::sigh:: And here I thought I’d get a final answer today and be DONE with it for now. However, I’m going to take a different tack this time and not research it to death on the internet nor worry about it! I go back in three months for follow-up and another ultrasound to check and make sure the cyst hasn’t filled up again. Next mammogram is a year from now.

Meanwhile, my poor boob has been bruised, bloody, blistered, and downright sore for over a week. I just hope I don't have to go through this every freakin' time I get a mammogram. I've already joked that they're going to have to drag me by my teeth next August to have one again, but realistically, since now I've been through probably about the worst of it (short of it turning out cancerous, of course) and survived, I guess I can do it again... and hope that next time there's nothing to biopsy! If it weren't for decent health insurance, it would all be far too expensive for me. (Diagnostic mammos alone were $2,600.) So, instead, I'll just try to muster up a more positive attitude. Wink

Just thought I'd let you all know where I'm at with this. I'll update again next week with the rest of it once I know. ::keeping my fingers crossed for clean report::

Thanks, everyone! Smile

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