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Called Back for a Diagnostic Mammo

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Posted Today 4:40 AM (GMT 0)
Went for my normal screening mammo last week, well they are calling me back.  According to my doctor the radiologist says there are two areas of calcification that need further evaluation.  He said while ordinarily these tend to be benign, these two calcifications were not there on my previous exam.  I am trying to not obsess over this and while I need to go for more detailed views, the radiologist did not feel a ultrasound was necessary.  So I go back next Wednesday.  Then it will probably be another few days for those results.

This was the first scan at my hospital since they installed the digital mammogram.  My mother died from breast cancer, and cancer is rampant in my family.  I have already had a biopsy in the breast in question, and thankfully it was B9 and just fatty tissue (an old bruise or something like that).

Keeping my fingers crossed....

Posted 12/1/2010 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
Let us know how it goes. Since you've been through this before, you know how hard it is to wait. Hope you get good news this time, too.

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 12/1/2010 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Bev. I am thankful they were able to get me in next week. So I am trying to keep my thoughts busy with work and Christmas shopping. It's the quiet time I have a hard time with. That when the what if's start cropping up.

Thanks for letting me get out some of my anxiety.
Posted 12/1/2010 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, those quiet times will get you every time, won't they? How about I let you take care of my Christmas shopping, too! LOL I had my surgery in early December, so I told my husband he was going to have to do the shopping that year. Ha! The week before Christmas, he was dragging me through the malls in my pajamas, grabbing whatever I said to grab. I couldn't even stand up straight yet! (From reconstruction). I'm sure we were quite a sight to behold.

Take care, and keep the mind busy, too!

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 12/2/2010 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Sue, Just keeping my fingers crossed for you and chanting B-9, B-9, B-9!! Hang in there, I remember those "quiet times," they are not fun at all!

Hugs, Gail
Posted 12/3/2010 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I know they are the worst.  The last time I went through this was a little rushed and backwards.  I have read a few posts about call backs, so I am wondering.  When you go in and they do the spot views, do they normally let you know before you leave what the results are?  I am having mine done at my local hospital in their breast care center.

The letter from the center had a paragraph that was a bit interesting.  "It is your responsibility to inform any new healthcare provider of the date and location of this examination".  I intend to request the full written radiology report for the mammo and the spot view.

All this could not have come at a worse time (How stupid is that saying! Seriously is there ever going to be a good time?).

I am stressed out to the max at work, year end crunch. The holidays, and all this stress and anxiety has kicked my neck pain levels into overdrive.  I was already scheduled for a cervical epidural next Thursday to deal with the pain, numbness and headaches.  So it will be a busy week.  Ugggh.  At least I will have a long weekend since I took Friday off.

Hugs... Susie

Posted 12/3/2010 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sue - I've just read some of your posts and hope I can reassure you a bit. I'm a 12 year breast cancer survivor. Twenty+ years ago, I worked for general surgeons who performed a lot of breast surgery and I learned a lot about breast tumors, calcifications, etc. They usually look to see if the calcifications are clustered, which can be a sign of malignancy, but not always. If they are scattered, they usually just watch a little closer with mammogram. Many years ago, my mother had an area of clustered calification and underwent a biopsy and all was benign, so even if they are clustered, it's not necessarily malignant. I pray everything will be alright for you. In reading your med history, it seems we have a few things in common. I have mutinodular goiter, GERD, diverticulosis (with 2 hospitalizations in past year for diverticulitis), now have ulcerative proctitis, chronic pain due to pelvic adhesions from hysterectomy, anxiety, high cholesterol, mitral valve regurgitation (heart), and hypertension.

Once again, praying all will be benign.
Posted 12/4/2010 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Kat.  Actually your kind words and experience did ease my tensions enough where I could go out last night and enjoy a dinner out with friends and escape my thoughts for awhile.

I have read alot about microcalcifications and macrocalcifications, the doctor did not say what kind of calcification they suspect.  My mother was diagnosed at 40 and passed by 45.  I will be 45 in Feb.  The only thing I know is that she had a very fast agressive type of breast cancer.  I know they have made serious advances since that time, so I have that.  Of course through the years I have dreaded the day I would get that call back..  Last time it was me who felt the lump, and my wonderful GS knew that I would be better off with it out, then just doing a wait and see or a needle biopsy.  

Sadly, I seem to be making my way around all the boards in this great website.  The good part of it is that the people here are so kind, and helpful.  As you saw I have alot going on.  For awhile I had one or more surgeries for this or that over a 6 year span!  YIKES... The last one knock wood was the biopsy in 2008.  I had a falling out the same year with my only sister, and she managed to take my aunts & uncles with her. cry    So as I traverse through this, I have no access to any information from my mothers sister regarding my mother and her medical history.  I was a teenager when everything started with my mother.  It was so painful that we didn't talk about it.  That was my fathers way, avoidance of anything negative.  I am guessing that is why my sister turned her back on me so easily.

Through my medical battles I have found a wonderful surgeon and my life saver is my pain doc.  He keeps me going.  Part of my own therapy I guess is educating myself.  Whatever the cards may deal, I am committed.  I have two boys and a hubby helping me along the way.  In this day and age I will educate myself so I can make decisions for the future now.  Who knows what can happen with my job or company with regard to health insurance.  As it is with all of this, our plan year is up in February, so that just adds to the tension.

If the spot view shows clusterd microcalcifications, they suggest a biopsy, and it comes back as malignant or pre-cancer, do they then surgically remove the cells in that area then as a next corse of action. Ohhhh hmmm come to think of it I seem to recall my aunt may have went through something like this years ago.  Something showed up on mammo one year, they biopsied it, it was cancer very early.  I think they removed her breast and some nearby lymph nodes.  She required no radiation or chemo, they just watcher her closely after that. Do they always surgically remove early stage cells?   Today is a good day to learn and read... 5 inches of snow outside...

Thanks again Kat for the insight and you are right, we do have alot in common!  Happy Weekend All.

Posted 12/4/2010 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Sue, my mom passed away when she was 45 as well... not sure where it originated, as it was systemic by the time they figured out what was wrong with her, and back then, they didn't look for site of origin the way they do now. I was 7 at the time. So when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36, I pretty much thought I was done for! December 6 will be 16 years out from my surgery date. I like to think that maybe some of the experimental treatments my mom had back then helped advance the treatments that have given me so many added years and health and well-being.

Have you thought about having genetic testing done, even if this is not cancer? Sounds like you would be a good candidate.

BEV
Posted 12/4/2010 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Yaaaa Bev 16 years. I will pray for your health and continued well being. It has been suggested that I go for the genetic testing, but I have held off. Without laws in place to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage, I have to wait until that sticks. Especially after what I was exposed to last year when our company was interviewing health insurance companies. One of the companies would only provide coverage to us if they could choose who they cover. This is the honest truth. Maybe some day, but for now I can't risk loosing insurance coverage. That is the reality of where we are at this point.

I did some reviewing of my last round of mammo results Birads 2, there are already some calcifications they are watching, and have been since 2004. Maybe the new calcifications appear different as I have not had to have a follow up mammo until now. I will have to wait for Wednesday......

Time will tell.... Susie
Posted 12/4/2010 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Sue - if your repeat mammo shows clustered calcifications, they may suggest a needle localization biopsy. That is, under x-ray guidance they find the area of calcification and remove it. Since they are just calcifications, and no mass can be felt, they have to use x-ray (just like mammogram) to find the exact area to biopsy. This is what my mother underwent 23 years ago (benign). If it should be malignant, it is in very early stages and it's my understanding that a lumpectomy is usually performed (usually followed by radiation treatment). My tumor was 2 cm., palpable and invasive. I was 42 and had a 4 year old daughter. I chose bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (TRAM Flap), and underwent 4 rounds of chemotherapy. Lymph nodes were removed on the right (cancer side), and all were negative. 1-1/2 years earlier, I had 2 benign fibroadenomas removed from the left breast. The tumor which turned out to be malignant, was discovered by me. I was having mammograms once a year, along with ultrasound due to very dense breasts, and for 2 years prior to CA diagnosis, they were doing mammograms on the right side every 6 months because of scattered calcifications. Neither the mammo or ultrasound revealed the tumor and after I discovered it, was told by my GYN and surgeon for a year that is was "probably just thickened breast tissue". After a year, I realized it was bigger and returned to my surgeon. She told me to come back in 3 months and she would do an ultrasound herself. The US looked a little suspicious and I returned a week later for a core biopsy in the office. It revealed possible atypical cells, so I then returned the next week for an excisional biopsy and the diagnosis was made immediately, as my surgeon had a pathologist in the O.R. to do a frozen section. Two weeks later I underwent mastectomy. My surgeon suggested that I have both breasts removed, and ultimately I made the decision to do so. I'm glad I did - I didn't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if or when it would occur on the other side. It's been 12 years, and I'm still okay.

From my experience and what I've learned, I believe the calcifications are something they just feel should be watched. My younger sister has had multiple benign fibroadenomas removed over the past 20 years, to the point that her surgeon now just "watches" her. She has mammos, US and MRI to watch for any changes in existing tumors, as she has had so many biopsies that she doesn't have a lot of breast tissue left. My family history is from my father. His mother (my grandmother), my great aunt and aunt all had it. My grandmother's wasn't discovered until she was in her 90's and in a nursing home. My great aunt (grandmother's sister) underwent mastectomy in her 40's and lived to be 91. My aunt (dad's sister) is 80 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation 5 years ago. Treatment has really advanced in the past several years.

I know it can be difficult, but try to remain positive and please let us here know how everything is.
Posted 12/5/2010 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
Kat, Bev, Gail... I cannot express enough gratitude for your help. You are amazing women. I find comfort in your words, and help. Whatever this week holds, I know I have some pretty awesome women to listen and give me inspiration. This conversation was really informative. I feel your cyber hugs and positive vibes. I thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I know that if there is something, I will be in good hands here.

Peace and hugs!!!

I will let you know how it goes for sure. Sue
Posted 12/6/2010 2:33 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! And I am worried about a callback? You all have gone through a lot.
Posted 12/7/2010 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Nanno, callbacks ARE scary! What is really scary, to me, though, is that the day after I was diagnosed via biopsy with two different types of invasive breast cancer, I got a very nice letter from the radiology department of the local hospital saying that there were no signs of cancer on my mammogram. So if there is any doubt about what they are seeing on a callback, ask for a biopsy. It is the only definitive way to know what you are dealing with.

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 12/7/2010 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Nannonanno, I too am worried, but am very thankful for Bev, Kat, and Gail who to take time to help those of us travel through this very confusing road.

Bev, how terrible. There is no excuse for an oversight like that. I am guessing years ago these breast care departments had to come up with a letter because a women should know and some doctors are notorious for not calling with results, blah, blah, blah.  I have received many such letters, and the calls from the doctors were just as vague.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I was advised by a family member to ask for a copy of the radiologists report.  She was told for years her mamo's were ok, nothing to report.  Then one year they said the doctor told her she had an increase in a area that had calcifications that they had been watching. She had never been told there was anything they were watching.  Turns out that she had malignant calcifications. Within a week her breast was removed after the biopsy came back positive. 

After I got my records, I found out that there are a few areas they have been watching.  So I now ask for every report, either surgical or diagnostic.  Because there are sometimes stuff in there that the doctors don't tell you.  YOU must be your own advocate.  If I learned anything it is ask questions util you are satisfied.  If you still feel you are not getting the right information, go for a second opinion.

Alot of us are afraid to ask for additional testing, when it is not offered up as a choice by your doctor.  Persistance is the key.

I believe that the one thing that will never change in this whole process, is waiting and the anxiety that goes with it.  I truly appreciate the people who spend some of their time creating websites such as these, and those that help by educating others with their experience.  To me their experience is more valuable than searching for words and get stuck trying to determine how recent the information is.  I take the information from their experiences as the type of things that occur and not assume it will be the same for me.

Hugs. Susie

Posted 12/7/2010 10:03 PM (GMT 0)
hello ladies, I too have been "called back" can't get in until a week from Thursday! ugh - but at any rate - I found last April what has made my life so much more enjoyable - a program called CHIP - Coronary Health Improvement Project - could just as easily be Cancer Health Improvement Project. I was having GERD, high cholestrol, high bp, high sugar - overweight (still am) but now down 30+ pounds and all those other things have disappeared! I too had hysto, gall bladder yada yada yada, I only wish I would have found this program soon.
so now I'm 53 and called back, let's hope its for a pretzel or something. Thanks for listening.
Posted 12/8/2010 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
LOL... We'll hope for pretzels! My best friend called them "pork chop bones." Benign by any name is a good thing!

BEV
Posted 12/8/2010 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
Tommorrow is the call back day. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope to score a BINGO.... with B9.

Hugs for all the December call Backs! I will keep you posted. I am going to try to get some sleep.
Posted 12/8/2010 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thinking about you this morning, Sue. Hoping diagnosis will be benign. 

Kat

Posted 12/9/2010 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Besides my hubby you angels are the first to know.....B999999999 BINGO!  smurf They took 3 views the first time.  Then one more angle, and the whole hour and a half resulted in the radiologist diagnosis of benign appearing calcifications, and I should have a follow up mammo in 6 months. 

I felt bad my hubby took the afternoon off so he could be there, then on top of it he slipped on a puddle as we entered the hospital and fell to the ground.  Luckily he did not hurt himself.  In the end I am glad he came, he was just as worried as I was.

 

So for the next several months, I can go about life, hang out here and offer hugs!

 

Susie

 

 

Posted 12/9/2010 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
WooHoo! Congrats, Susie! So glad to hear it! Excellent news!

Happy dancing for you!

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 12/9/2010 2:26 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations Sue!!!!  What a wonderful Christmas present.  Peace of mind is the best ever.  So happy for you.

Hugs, Kat

Posted 12/10/2010 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
I have to go with the wait for now. I will trust the radiologist, she was a lady. I will also be asking for the printed reports so that will also give me some information. And if I see anything of concern I can get a second opinion as my right. But for now... I will work toward enjoying my Christmas Season.

Today, I had my cervical epidural, and I am really hurting tonight. So tomorrow is a day of rest and by Saturday I should be back to happy.

My Christmas gift is not only the diagnosis, it is that I have met a few inspirational women. I humbly thank you. (((Hugs))).

susie
Posted 12/10/2010 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, about those epidurals. I had a thoracic, and was a ever a hurtin' puppy after! That was my last one. My hubby got them 6 at a time (three on each side) every month for months on end, in the lumbar spine, and never complained. I don't get it.

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 12/10/2010 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
I never had true cervical herniated discs, but did have a disc bulge at one level and a disc protrusion at another. I underwent physical theray several times and my last MRI showed complete resolution. I hope the epidurals will help you. This past year I underwent trigger point injections and then facet injections, which seemed to help. I was a medical transcriptionist for years, which I believe brought on my cervical problems. As long as I don't spend too much time typing, I seem to be alright. I know the pain can be debilitating.

I'm just so happy for you as far as the breast situation. Each time I hear of another lady facing breast cancer or at least the fear of it, my heart goes out to each and every one. My fear of recurrence is always in the back of my mind, even though I was told by my doctors at the time of my surgery that I "was cured." Once you've faced a dx of cancer, no one can ever assure you that you're cured, but I've just taken it one day at a time for 12 years, and yes, I feel I'm gonna be okay. Of course, with the recent passing of Elizabeth Edwards; stories like this always bring thoughts creeping back into my mind. However, I've learned to live with it. I pray you will never face this challenge.

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Kat
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