How did you find yours?

mommacat4

Every year since I turned 40 I had annual mammograms. Every year they came back normal. I always did my mammograms in January to get them out of the way for the year. This year I had gallbladder surgery in Janury so I missed my mammogram. I alway put my cell phone in the outside corner of my bra on the right breast because ladies dress clothes usually don't have pockets. My breast started feeling itchy and getting warmer than usual so I moved my phone to the left breast bra. The itching didn't go away. I was dealing with my mom's health as it kept getting worse. In March she had yet another stroke. By April I had a very distinctive hard mass on my right side. I finally went to my pcp, explained that I missed my yearly mammogram. He felt the mass or lump and sent me for a mammogram and us. Again. I got a card saying "normal". I went back to my pcp and asked for a second opinion. He sent me to a bs. This was in April. I scheduled the appointment for the bs but the soonest I could get in was June. Mom's health took another turn for the worse. In May I cancelled my appointment with the bs and didn't reschedule it right away. Lost my mom June 19th. Finally in August, I rescheduled with the bs. He sent me for a 3D mammogram and us, again, no findings. He sent me for an MRI with contrast. They found a distortion in the image and another small area of concern. I had a biopsy of both areas and both came back ILC. October 16th I got the news. Now I am having a bi-lateral mastectomy on Monday Nov 17th.

Thank you for enduring my incredibly long post.

funnthesun68

I first had mammogram and ultrasound. They found tumor on ultrasound. Was referred for biopsy. Then had 3d Mammogram with steriotactic biopsy and then 3 ultrasound guided biopsy's.

april25

Had annual mammogram in March= clear.

Did a self-exam in the shower and thought I might have felt something-- a little bump, not visible, no pain, no swelling, no redness, etc. Thought I'd wait until my primary doctor follow-up (for Type 2 Diabetes), but she cancelled.

Went to Urgent Care (I'm at KP). 2 days later got a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound--and they found something in both tests (where I thought I felt something). Had a core-biopsy right then and there!

I'm totally in a risky bunch of groups: over 55/late-menopause/no children, no breast-feeding/dense-tissue. Probably other things, too! Anyway--I knew things weren't looking good.

3 days later I got a call saying I had IDC.

I only just had my first appointment since then TODAY-- with BS.

I'm still not sure what to do!

brend

surprisingly I found mine myself. I had a mammogram last April, that came out fine.

DivineMrsM

I just happened on this thread and find the replies interesting. It's amazing that a tiny mass no bigger than a piece of rice could be cancer. It's amazing that a lump 6 cm+ could not be detected by 3d imaging or us. So many stories.

Here's mine: in my early 50s, I went every year since age 40 for mammo. Had gone in December of 2010. Six days later, and three days before Christmas, I had just started the holiday break from work. Woke up around 4 am, lying on my backin bed, making my grocery list in my head. Had an itch on my midriff, just under the left breast, scratched it, and brushing up against the underside of the breast, I felt a definite thickening. I jumped out of bed, fear coursing through my blood.

I got dressed, went out and got Christmas groceries with the intent on telling dh about the lump when I got home. When I walked in the door, he said the mammo clinic called. Upon speaking with them, I told them of the lump. They said, the imaging doesn't show a lump, it is an asymmetry. I said, trust me, there is a lump. It was between 5 and 7 cms long.

I am of the opinion the mammo applied enough pressure to make that lump 'pop'

Cherylfg

I am 39 and had been having increased screening for many years because my mom had breast cancer when she was 30. I took a break from mammograms when I was pregnant and breastfeeding my second son. He nursed for 2.5 years and after a few months to let my breasts return to normal, I went in for a breast exam and a mammogram. The NP I saw found a mass during a breast exam and sent me off for more tests. Six days later, I was officially diagnosed with IDC. I think I knew the minute she asked me if I could feel the mass.

I've been encouraging all of my friends to see their DRs and make sure everything is okay.

mommacat4

cherylfg,

welcome to our club. Sorry that you have to go through this. I am glad they cough the mass or lump fairly early. I hope you are taking care of yourself. It sounds like your children are pretty young. Do you have someone to help you out?

You and I will be going through treatment at the same time. I start chemotherapy in January 2015. 5 months of it. Then 34 rounds of rads. Then tomoxifin. I really don't know what to expect from the chemotherapy. The dr said my hair will fall out for sure. I don't know what else to expect.

I know you will get a ton of support here. I know I have!

DivineMrsM

mommacat, plz be sure to check out the chemotherapy threads on this forum. There will be one started soon enough, if not already, for " Janary 2015 chemo". Any ladies on the board experiencing it at that time will share what they are going through. I belonged to the "March 2011 chemo lounge" and it was extremely helpful to learn alongside the others going thru the same thing as me. If there isn't a thread yet on the subject, you can start one and ask others to join.

There are other threads about chemo that help give an understanding what to expect so check hem out, too. Best wishes to you as you continue with your treatment.

Ariom

I moved to a small coastal own, 4 hours form the city. I received a call to go for my routine mammo, which just happened to be done on a new Digital machine. I had a call back 3 weeks later, to go for further imaging and a biopsy, which found DCIS grade 3. They had my previous analogue picture up, beside the new Digital one and told me it was probably there, at my last mammo, but they couldn't see it. Had I stayed in the city and gone to my regular imaging place, it likely would have been missed again.

The ironic part was, I was 59 when Dx, when my Mother was Dx with BC when she was 68, her Surgeon told me to be extra vigilant 5 years prior to my Mother's onset age. That would have been about 63 for me, I wonder what my outcome would have been, if it hadn't been found early, with that new machine.

Professor50

The day after a 3D mammogram I got the call about an architectural distortion in my left breast ("Don't worry its probably nothing".Hoped that it was "nothing"). An ultrasound was suspicious ("It could be anything!" Hoped it was anything except cancer). Biopsy showed malignancy. Hoped it was early; It was.. After a lumpectomy (clear margins) and sentinel node excision (negative), I am waiting for Oncotype and BRCA results. Hoping for no chemo. Weird how what you hope for keeps accommodating whatever comes next.... I'm 50 and my partner and I have an 11-year old son: He's the reason I am even considering chemo...

tgtg

Mine was picked up by a routine screening mammogram just 6 weeks after my gynecologist did a clinical exam and declared that all felt fine! (The interval since the previous mammo, for the first time in my life, was 22 months instead of 12 or 13 months, alas.) In the gynecologist's defense, even the surgeon, who had the "road maps" (mammo and ultrasound images) plus the "GPS" info (5 cm from nipple at 2 o'clock) had trouble finding it to palpate it. Thank heaven for mammograms!

Cherylfg

mommacat4- thank you for your reply. I'm glad to hear your surgery went well.

My kids are 3 & 5. My in-laws live about an hour away and have been coming up to help whenever we need. My family is in CA (I'm in Seattle) and they have flown up to help.

I started a January 2015 chemo group on the chemo discussion page and there are a few of us sharing our stories. Please come join us! I have found it really helpful to read the advice on the board.

MagicalBean

Mine was found during a routine mammo. RO, MO, and surgeon all said it would not have been detected any other way.

twolumps

Regular screening mammo, quickly followed by a diagnostic mammo, quickly followed by a visit with my FamPrac doc.  Went in at 1pm on Halloween, had the news by 3:30pm.  Whew!  Whirlwind.  All I wanted to do was shop for a winter coat and an electric kettle.  Seriously unsettled my plans!

Hotrodmommy

WOW twolumps!!!! We have a lot in common here, I just replied to your other post and saw this one. I had my biopsy on Halloween, then went Trick or Treating with kids, I was in so much pain the next day. I found my because my left breast was hurting and started feeling around, lifted my arm up and there it was. I knew right away this wasn't good.

Beckyp17

Hi,

Your experience sounds very similar to mine. I discovered my lump in the shower as well. I went to gyno and he sent me on to have a diagnostic mamo and sono that day. Radiologist came in the room after the '3D mamo' and said it looked 'fine'. Sono quickly showed the lump. Had biopsy two days later and again the Dr. said thought 90% chance benign. I had two grandmothers with breast cancer and one aunt. I even had the gene testing done last year and was 'negative' for the gene. I was floored when the Dr. called me Friday and said it was IDC. Don't know the stage yet. Now I'm trying to determine whether I will choose a lumpectomy or mastectomy.

Why did you choose mastectomy? and a double one? I would assume that if you are having reconstructive surgery you would want both done?

Thanks for anything advice you can give!

Becky

StacyMc329

I'm in the waiting period.!!. Had a biopsy 4 yrs ago for a mass that was found to be benign. A few months ago I felt pain in the same area as the first mass... And I mean pain. Dull aching pain in the area as well as shooting pains throuhout my breast. After mammogram and ultrasound found out it was not the same mass, but a new one that was not present at my last mammo 8 months earlier. Was tested For the BRCA gene just today..and a consult with a plastic surgeon Monday. I know it's stage I .and has a grade of 3....meeting with my dr next Friday and I'm lost.!!!!

mommacat4

StacyMc329,

I am sorry to hear of our situation, welcome to our sisterhood. I hope they cough it early enough. How can they tell the stage and grade just by the tests they have done? Did they biopsy this new mass?

I hope things get moving quickly for you. chemo is very expensive so see if you will need it. If you do then ask to talk to the finance department right away and see how they bill and how they work with insurance. If you need financial aid the finance department can give you some outside resources that you will need to apply for. Check into ALL your options.

Good luck and keep us posted with your progress.

Copperlisa

Mine was found in a routine mammogram, 14 months after the last clear one, and I'd had clear ones for 13 years. However...my right breast had been tender for some time, and I had noticed a slight dimpling when I moved my arm. So I wasn't surprised to get the phone call. You just know. 3D mammogram and US is done, core biopsies are done, and I'm waiting on the pathologist for final confirmation. I'll be very, very surprised if it's benign.

mommacat4

copperlisa, I hope it is benign. I don't wish this on anyone. Good luck keep us posted.

jlstacey

on December 23, 2014 I was in bed reading with my kids when I scratched my left Breast toward the top and it was hard. After putting them to bed I did a self-exam and found a large, hard lump.

I called my OB/gyn (on call - it was Christmas Eve) the next morning. I was not able to get a mammogram and ultrasound until Jan 6th, then biopsy on Jan 8th and was told on January 9th that cancer cells were found. That's the day my world change