So I had my biopsy today. Went in, expecting to have a fine needle aspiration. The u/s tech checked out the right breast and sure enough...the smaller cysts that had been there just a tad over a week ago were gone. The big one was still there. She said it looked like a cyst to her and asked if I still wanted it biopsied. I told her I did...that I wanted the definitive statement from the pathologist that everything was benign. She set everything up for the FNA, got the radiologist, he looked at it, said it was a cluster of cells, that he'd put the needle in, drain it, and be done. Woohoo, I thought!
Got coated in betadine (or whatever they use these days), numbed, and then the process began. Instead of the needle just going in...the "cyst" kept moving away from it. He couldn't get the needle into it, nor could he get a sample. Doc said he was gonna "change gears," and began explaining to me what a core biopsy was--which I already knew 1.) from formerly working at a radiology clinic, and 2.) from reading about these tests lately. More numbing medicine, more cleaning, sterile probe cover over the u/s wand, nick in the skin, tube inserted, and 4 gun shots later, I was done. But the "cyst" remained.
Before all of this I wasn't really nervous about it being cancerous, I just wanted a definitive answer. Now I'm scared. I cried after I left the room (my DH was waiting in the lobby for me) as I truly thought he'd stick that needle in and it would drain, therefore making me more comfortable w/the "it's just a cyst" statements I've been hearing, and all would be fine. I'm assuming they don't do core biopsies on cysts, correct? It was solid? I didn't ask them...part of me didn't want to know...yet I assumed that's why they had to do the CB. The radiologist told me about sample biases where it could come back as all clear, "no malignant cells SEEN," or (obviously) malignant (though he didn't say that, yet he didn't have to). He said they always read the report thoroughly, that he'd discuss it w/my doc, and they'd decide on the next step. Gotcha. I'm actually glad that I did this on a Fri. as we're usually running around and doing things on the weekend that it should be easy to keep my mind off of things. Hopefully my doc will have the lab report back by Mon. I will be a wreck if it takes too long--wondering if "no news is good news" or if she's delaying calling me because it's bad news. Sigh...how do you guys deal w/this?! And should I be more concerned now?