Never been so excited about a mammo in my life!

SarahsMom

I never had a digital mammography, just the regular films courtesy of Uncle Sam.  I am seen at the best breast clinic in the military, but I still don't think they use the best equipment. The doctors and staff rotate in and out and I have to constantly re-explain my history, changes, etc.  Now I was very lucky to get a referral there and I thought I would get more focused attention. But many of the great ladies seen there are battling BC, which means my complaints and questions are usually met with subtle eye rolling and deep sighs - I know I am at the bottom of the spectrum, care wise. So not sure if has been a "good thing" to be seen here, or a "bad thing." Sometimes I feel like if I walked into a regular breast clinic with my stack of records and films, and family history, it might get a little more attention. For instance, I have begged for an MRI for my busy, bad breast and they won't do it. I guess they cost a lot. I think I am worth that investment after many decades of service myself and being married to a military man, as well, but it is what it is!

My left breast is a mess, I've had a ductal excision w/ lumpectomy, increasing calcs, two areas of increasing density, nipple changes and feelings of icy hot cold, "pulling" and itching.  Every 6 months I go to the clinic and have the films taken. I am always told to stay in the hospital gown and we then do a series of follow up diagnostics on the bad breast. There is much shoulder shrugging and language like "it's probably ok in there", "you're having phantom pain and feelings, no evidence of disease" (umm, excuse me? my right breast is crystal clear, so I think I do have breast disease/degeneration/something or other) - maybe no evidence of cancer is the right terminology but if we can't see into 75% of the breast, we really can't say that either) and then I get the BIRADS 3, probably benign, come back in 6 months.

So....I just saw a mobile digital mammography van in my neighborhood and found out my insurance will cover it.  I read that digital mammos can detect problems in dense breasts that are routinely missed by regular mammos 10-25% of the time.  I am going to check out my records from the clinic and take them with me to the appointment.

Does anyone have experience with this - going from a regular mammo to digital? Is it really that much better, did anything weird thing pop up?

Just curious. I never obsess about my breast issues or let it rule my world, but I do wonder what might be cooking in there and guess I've never been satisfied with the answer. Maybe I will just pay for an MRI one of these days, hopefully my kid will get a college scholarship, LOL!  Thanks ladies, love and hugs to all of you!

savannahs_mom

Hi carpediem! I asked my BS about this yesterday. Digital mammography gives a 3-D view that is displayed on a computer. The radiologist can zoom in go look at certain areas. However, with dense breasts they can still be difficult to read. At least mine is, but I'm >75% density. I personally think it has a lot to do with the experience of the radiologist reading it.



Hoping others will chime in with some views on this!

SarahsMom

Thank you so much for the info! I think they can squeeze me in Friday morning already. My regular breast team is booked until late January. Maybe this mobile healthcare is the way to go!

peanutsgal

My breasts are extremely dense also. I can't say that the 3-D mammogram affected my care much, but what did help was having a fresh set of eyes look at my films. Best of luck to you and thank you and your husband for your service to our country!

minkarejn

Digital mammo did nothing for me. Only MRIs can "see" in my breasts and even those reports say "extreme dense tissue". Frustrating.

Anonymous

I switched over to digital mammos several years ago.   I actually attended a course at a local hospital when they first came out; basically they said the differences are that with digital mammos, the views on the screen can be zoomed in and out, they can be lightened or darkened to make viewing easier, and they have CAD (computer assisted diagnosis) capabilities. (the computer can "red flag" things to alert the radiologist). Even with all that, I still feel a lot more confidence in MRIs, knowing that they can detect a lot more than mammos.

I go to see my oncologist tomorrow; I plan on discussing with her how long I should stay on the evista.

anne

SarahsMom

I have to wait until after January 30th to have the digital mammo and have it covered by my insurance. The radiologist will read it and send the results to my doctor - I am excited to have another set of eyes on my issue! But will need to wait - I hate to pay out of pocket for this right when all of the holiday bills are going to hit. I'll keep everyone posted on the results and whether they were in line with the traditional mammo or uncovered something not seen or acknowledged before.

I still want an MRI and will keep asking. :-)

Happy holidays, ladies!