Should I get a second opinion

txlouise

Hello my name is Louise and I am a high risk woman. I am 52 years old

My grandmother,mother and sister all had breast cancer. i had a suspicious looking mammogram and went in for a second one and an ultrasound. They did fine a lump the first tech told me and when I went to get the ultrasound I looked at the screen and there was the lump as plain as day.

my Dr called me the other day and said every thing is fine.How could they know that without a biopsy? Also the same thing happened to my sister and she went to another Dr and showed him the films and said it was cancer. How do I go about getting a second opinion?

Thank you

CandDsMom

txlouise: I would go with your gut and it sounds like you don't 100% entirely feel comfortable with the "watch and wait" scenario.  Can you get a copy of your mammo report?  Did they tell you to come back in 6 months for a repeat exam?  Since BC can be hard to see even with mammo and ultrasound, I would get a 2nd opinion of your palpable lump with an NCI affiliated breast surgeon.  Here is the NCI center website listing:

http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/cancer-centers-list.html 

Wishing you well! take care. 

dlb823

txlouise ~ Absolutely trust your gut and get a second opinion!  Hopefully, the first opinion you have will hold up as correct.  However, this discussion board is full of stories of women whose diagnosis was delayed because a doctor thought he knew a lesion was B9 when it was not.

The other thing that bothers me about your situation is that you haven't been assured what that lump you saw is (unless you didn't share that).  Knowing what I know now, believe me, "Everythng is fine," sounds way too subjective and vague.  I would for sure want to know exactly what they think that lump is and how they've ruled out anything concerning, 

CandDsMom gave you excellent advice.  NCI-designated cancer centers not only have breast surgeons/specialists on staff, but also high risk programs that will assess you, monitor you more closely in the future if they determine that it's warranted, and help you understand how you can minimize your future risk.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!   Deanna 

kjbrown92

My doctor (GP) said that they knew it was a cyst if it was filled with fluid, and cysts cannot "turn into" breast cancer. So it's possible that they just identified it as a cyst. Though if you have a gut feeling, it's always best to get a second opinion. 

NaughtybyNature

Hi Louise: without even thinking twice a SECOND Opinion....  And remember... I am not saying that this doctor does not know what he is talking about... you better be on the safe side rather than sorry.

Make sure you find a Dr. that you are happy with b/c there are plenty of "shoe-makers" out there!  He/she is to explain in detail the pros and cons and you are to go with your gut feeling.  This is your breast, not theirs... this is possibly the rest of your life... not theirs, this is your family history... not theirs.

What ever you decide... my thoughts will be with you and may all be happy sunshine for you.

msippiqueen

I self referred to MD Anderson. I'll bet you can do that elsewhere. When it's life changing, like breast changes can be, get a 2nd opinion. Med pros do.

keepthefaith

txlouise,

I am 55, also have a family history, mammo showed nothing, u/s and breast mri showed a 2cm mass. My first BS said come back in 12 mos, annual mammos, etc. I chose to go to another surgeon who understood my concerns and was on the same page with me. I did get a lumpectomy, luckily benign. Both Drs concurred that it was most likely benign...but, the difference was that the second Dr told me the only way to be sure was to do a biopsy...I felt much more comfortable with that...to me, it was not worth the worry. Get your records and films and go to another Dr-a breast specialist. I got the name of my BS from a friend who was taking chemo for BC at the time-she asked the nurses who the best BS was in the area and they gave her 3 names. I feel much better now knowing it's gone and I got an answer.  In 1998, my younger sister (28 yrs old) was told her lump was "nothing"- BI-MX and 12 yrs later she is fine, but did have an aggressive breast cancer. Good luck and best wishes~I am guessing you are in Texas? I am in the Austin area if you want my BS's name, let me know.