just diagnosed, feeling overwhelmed, what about hematoma?

faithingit

Hi everyone,

In late June I was biopsied and diagnosed with "ductal cancer In situ, stage 0". Ironically, the lump I had found, that caused me to go to the doctor, turned out to be nothing but a "fat globule", but the mammogram showed "calcifications", leading to the recommended biopsy. I have had yearly mammograms for years and the one a year ago did not show anything.The doctor said the 0 means the cancer was enclosed inside the duct so far. I am awaiting a breast MRI "to see if there is other cancer there that the mammogram didn't pick up."

This is very scary, I feel as if I am being cast into a foreign land with a foreign language... I am now doing a lot of research into what promotes breast cancer and what has preventive and/or suppressive effects. Even though I am a nurse, I do not work in the area of cancer. I had harbored NO fears of getting breast cancer! I have long-lived genes in my family, and the only person with breast cancer in my family was a great-aunt who lived 10+ years after her 1970's treatment. She died of other causes.

I have been health-conscious for many years, keeping my weight normal, nonsmoking, eating in health-conscious ways, etc.. I don't exercise like I should, though, and this past year I spent many, many more hours sitting in front of a computer than usual because of increased work and school demands. I even put on 7 unwanted pounds this year because of it. But apparently the worst thing I have done - I think - is take postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy for 8-10 years. My GYN started me on it for bone density reasons, and never advised me to stop it, though he was aware every year during my Pap smear visits that I was still taking it. I feel like it is my own fault I got this, that I should have stopped the HRT on my own. I have to work hard at not beating myself up over it. The HRT was the ONLY scheduled medicine I was taking, I am a healthy person overall.

This is a scary time. I pray I make the right decisions. Already I am having problems with the healing of the biopsy site because of a hematoma that formed and is persisting. The nurse had to put pressure on the site for a half hour to make the bleeding stop. Has anybody else dealt with that?

Please welcome me...

PAYTONnPRESLEYSmomma

Hi faith all though I am no expert (just a 34 year old going through a very similar situation as yourself) i can share with you my experience thus far as I am a little older treatment wise then you. I initially went in for an early mammogram for an ingrown hair in my left armpit, that turned out to be just a cyst but they found calcifications in my right side. I was assured it was probably nothing and a biopsy was done. Well you know the end of the story as I'm here but it came back DCIS with a small invasion of IDC.

I had an MRI, chest X-ray an blood work done prior to my meeting with the surgeon. They assured me it was all standard protocol as I was worried why they would need all that! Thank god everything come back how we'd hope and just that small area that they had original found. I decided to have a lumpectomy and SNB, had it done last Thursday and to be honest with you it has been a very very easy recovery. I have had no pain what so ever and didn't have to take any pain meds just iced it when a little soreness was felt. I probably should of went back to work today but I'll take the time off to hang out with my kids!! My nodes came back clear (THANK YOU GOD) and I meet with the surgeon Wednesday to go over the final pathology. I believe from there I will be set up with an oncologist who will take over my treatment.

It's scary as all hell to hear those words "you have cancer" and I kept reading on here it gets better once you have a treatment plan in place. And they couldn't be any more correct about that, before knowing what was going on I was googling and driving myself sick with worry but I feel much better now knowing what is coming up next. This is do able, it may suck really bad but it's do able.

Moderators

Hi faithingit, and welcome! We are sorry you are here, but you'll feel taken care of, we hope.

Have you received additional help for the hematoma? Perhaps worth a call to your physician?

We're thinking of you!

614

Dear Faithingit:

 

Good luck.  I am sorry about your diagnosis but this is an excellent site with great support.

Does your hematoma hurt?   Talk to your doctor to see what to do. 

I had a biopsy in May and a hematoma resulted.  I haven't seen anything regarding hematoma's on this discussion board.

BarredOwl

Dear Faithingit:

Welcome and thanks for sharing your story.

I had a hematoma from a stereotactic core biopsy. It was about the size of a big cherry tomato (the red kind). It was extremely painful when I moved or engaged my chest muscle. It also persisted for weeks (until it got removed with everything else). However, it did not impede the healing of my biopsy site. It may just be a slow healing thing, but the pooling of fluid can provide an environment for infection. So if your wound is not healing, I agree that it is best to get it checked out. Don't hesitate to call in to report your symptoms in case you should be seen.

BarredOwl

55sunshine

I also had a hematoma from a stereotactic core biopsy and severe bruising. I saw a BS 2 weeks after the biopsy and he said sometimes it can take 4-6 weeks for the swelling and bruising to subside.  Its been 6 weeks and all I have left is a tiny speck of a bruise and the swelling has gone down.  A heating pad helped me, but a call to the Dr never hurts.

Best of luck.  

614

I had an MRI guided biopsy on May 21, 2015.  I ended up with an 8cm giant hematoma.  Today is 7/13/15 and the hematoma is still hard and is still large.  It doesn't feel quite as big though but it is still large.  My doctors don't seem concerned.  They say that the hematoma could take 6 months to dissipate.  My concern is that the hematoma may obscure my next mammogram, sonogram, and MRI.  I have a suspicious area that needs to be checked again in November 2015. Does anyone have any experience with this?

faithingit

I so appreciate all the responses to my post! The hematoma from my sterotactic (vaccum assisted) biopsy is only mildly painful. I did talk with my oncology nurse about it. She said not to worry, that it would not obscure the MRI results, and that it would dissipate over a number of weeks. It has gotten progressively smaller, as she said.

This is the latest news. After the June biopsy, I had the breast MRI on July 17. The results showed "no suspicious enhancement" in either breast. It said: "The lesion may have been entirely or nearly entirely removed by the stereotactic procedure." Hallelujah!

The titanium chip that the biopsy radiologist placed, during the June biopsy, to "mark the biopsy spot", bled out when they were having difficulty stopping the bleeding post-biopsy. So the MRI did not show any titanium chip.

What kind of surgeon would recommend cutting my breast at this point, when the surgeon has no way of knowing what to cut out? The MRI showed nothing, and the titanium chip that was supposed to "mark the spot" is gone.

What do you think?

I prayed to God for a complete healing, and I believe I have received a complete healing.

I see the surgeon tomorrow morning.

Gingersnappy

That sounds like great news! I look forward to reading about your appointment!

queenmomcat

A shy welcome from a complete stranger, who hopes you need come no further into that foreign and terrifying land of cancer and treatment! I can't add anything helpful about the hematoma at this point, but so glad the MRI came back negative.

How did the meeting with your surgeon go?