Frustrating Diagnosis :-(

queen_beach

June 13 I was Diagnosed with Metastatic Carcinoma involving a Lymph Node (left Axillary histologically consistent with mammary origin) and HER2+ After scratching my armpit and finding My lymph nodes were swollen a month prior. I had a diagnostic Mammogram and ultrasound of my breasts and they were unable to locate anything (come out, come out wherever you are!). I had a MRI with findings of two areas of possible malignant involvement (BI-RADS category 4:suspicious)

My BS then ordered me to have a "targeted" diagnostic Mammogram and ultrasound with biopsy now that they knew where to look and guess what?? Nothing..."Frustrating" as the Radiologist put it...who's he telling?

So now I'm scheduled for a MRI guided Biopsy on Friday (which is freaking me out because I was not a fan of the MRI and that was open!) and to top it off I'm getting my chemo port put in on Tuesday so not only do i have to be shoved into a casing like a sausage face down but get to lay on my newly installed port at the same time! (Glutton) They are going to numb my port area before I lie down which I thought was nice and I'm usually not this bitc*hy but man has this been frustrating and I know there have to be others who have felt my pain?

Ps.com I have also had a PET scan and the findings were only in my lymph nodes...

Stupid question, do I have breast cancer or not (insert sarcasm) because my surgeon said she likes to deal with black and white and until we get that biopsy...

MelissaDallas

I'm sorry. It must be really frustrating.

Here is a thread on occult breast cancer. Sometimes they never find it in the breast.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/137/topic...

MinusTwo

queen - I was told to draw lines w/a sharpie where my bra/cami straps went to the surgeon wouldn't put the port right there to be constantly irritated. She put it outside that line so I didn't really show either.

Legomaster225

My port is directly under most of my bra straps. It doesnt really bother me. It did not hit the MRI frame when I later i there do that was good. Just get yourself comfy so there is no pressure on your port.

Momine

Sometimes the cancer is found only in the nodes and never in the actual breast. This happened to my sister-in-law and one of my aunts.

When you say "metastatic" do you mean distant or only to the nodes?

queen_beach

MelissaDallas thanks for pointing me in the right direction! Very frustrating but I felt better after knowing that it was possible.

MinusTwo: that was brilliant although after I did that, got to the hospital and accidentally wiped it off when the had me wipe down the area with the cloth, lol, took that sharpie right off!

Legomaster225: mine didn't either and was not an issue! I made sure that I was very comfy before they started. Boy, am I glad that's over!

Momine: I was worried after the pathology report reported Metastatic and they couldn't find it in my breast that it was possibly distant. The PET scan showed nothing distant and my doctor told me today that they don't usually scan the brain unless I'm having vision issues, headaches, etc. which I'm not having andis thankfully only distant to the nodes.