biopsies did not put it to rest, very frustrated

EveryTime

Long story, short - I was so happy my pathology report came back benign last week. Radiologist called today to say they remain concerned about one of the biopsies. I was like : really? You took 18 tissue samples and were happy with the marker placement. She recommended I have an MRI in a couple of weeks.

Honestly, I am feeling completely fed up and strung out with all of this after 5 weeks. Of course, I'm afraid they will turn up something not great. But I'm also afraid the MRI will turn up even more confounding little things and we'll go through all this again.

I feel guilty even complaining about this as I know they are doing their best to put this to rest, and nothing truly bad has happened to me, but I am really fraying at the emotional edges.

Thank you this place to share. I have mentioned it to a few friends, but with most of them, I have to explain all the procedures to them.

TwiggyB34

HI EveryTime,

Wow no wonder you are fustrated and annoyed! I would be asking for referal to breast specialist for his opinion and recommendation.

I responded because i can relate to your title but not the situation. My biospy back in February should have come back begnin and put it to rest. Instead camw.back inconclusive. There was only 1 lesion in my right breast that was incidently found during CT scan on my lungs so follow up US the next few says followed by biopsy which was inconclusive with a bit of bloody cells apparently. This did not put it to rest as i expected. I was then referred to breast specialist for recommendation and his recommendation was wait 3 months for follow up ultrasound and mammogram if needed and go from there. This morning i had the ultrasound done and the same lesion/mass is still there and 5 new mass has been found easily and they were sure none are cysts so a total of 6. No pain no nothing. All surprises and new since last ultrasound in late February this year. I also have 2 new in my left breast as well. I was sent for mammogram straight after. Waiting on results now to find out if all begnin which i think it is. I believe im not the type to get cancers.

Hope you do get your answers and tests result asap and emotionally be calm soon.

Twiggy

EveryTime

Twiggy,

Thank you -- yes, I will contact the breast surgeon and see if he has any thoughts.

Oh my goodness, re: your scans! What a saga. I hope they can get to the bottom of it, asap.

Thank you for sharing about that -- it is helpful to know others deal with similar or the same thing.

EveryTime

MinnieLou

I am dealing with something similar. I had a screening mammogram and was called back. The same little spot showed up on the more extensive diagnostic, but disappeared with ultrasound. So, I had a needle biopsy a few days later, and it was benign. My radiologist wasn't happy, as she said that the pathology report on the biopsy didn't explain what she sees in the mammograms.

She gave me two choices: yet another mammogram with contrast, or an excisional biopsy. A mammogram with contrast would have to wait for six weeks, though, for healing to occur from the needle biopsy. And then, if it's not definitive, I would still be looking at an actual biopsy.

So I have an appointment on May 31 with a breast surgeon to arrange for an excisional biopsy. Enough is enough. I want to know and/or get this show on the road.

I find myself rehearsing in my mind what sort of decisions I will make if it's all bad.

TwiggyB34

MinnieLou what an annoying venture for you! Wonder if it didnt disappear but "missed"??

I like your thinking to call the shots for once and for all to get to the bottom of it.

My biopsy back in February came bsck inconclusive with blood cells which doc said it meant the radiologist at the time thought it was a cyst but was infac a solid tumor and i should have had a core biopsy not fine needle aspiration. So instead had ultrasound and mammogram done on 17th 2 days ago which confirmed same tumor biopsied still there plus all new other once all 6 in right and 2 new ones on left. The left one first was found near my armpit that is 13mm. Biggest out of them all apparently. I was happy that report for mammogram was already sent same day in afternoon as my scans were done in morn.

Tuesday arvo i see breast surgeon for his thoughts and recommendation. My doctor said it will either be core biopsy on all of them or excisional. I dont think it will be excisional as thees to many and i honestly think to many for it to be cancer?

EveryTime

Hi MinnieLou,

Thank you for sharing -- yes, it's very frustrating, right? I don't blame you for wanting them to just do an excision and be done with it. What else are you going to think about until you know? If they think that is a good option for you, then you can wrap it up.

My surgeon recommended the MRI also. They told me I only needed to wait 3 weeks. I am not happy about it, but I'm inclined to do it, esp. since I had a biopsy on each side. I feel like it's just going to light up more stuff to worry about. However, I seem to have reached my limit on acute anxiety and fearing the worst. If I have to go through more of this to know, then so be it -- it would be better to know either way.

You can talk to your surgeon, but it they can just cut to chase, that sounds terrific.

MinnieLou

"Wonder if it didnt disappear but "missed"??"

Well, what the radiologist said was that 3-D mammography will reveal an anomaly (a suspicious spot) a very high percentage of the time (much more than 2-D does), but it doesn't tell her if the spot is radial scarring, or a tumor. Ultrasound would give her more information, however, with ultrasound, these tiny places (tumors, whatever) "hide" about 30% of the time.

And of course, one would think that with a stereotactic biopsy, she would have gotten at least some of it.

However, the pathology report didn't satisfy her at all. She is a really well-educated, very experienced breast radiologist (so she doesn't spend her days looking at broken bones, but only at breasts), so I sort of have to believe her. In addition, the pathologist concurred that the pathology results did not reflect what the radiologist saw in the mammograms.

Obviously, her idea of a nightmare would be to say, "Oh, gee, the mammograms looked odd, but the pathology report is negative, so we'll just watch it," and have me come back in six months only to have an obvious malignancy that is twice the size it was in the first place. That's sort of my idea of a nightmare too, so we're going to get to the bottom of it.

Right now, she says whatever it is is very, very tiny, way less than a cm.

EveryTime

Just following up -- I had the MRI yesterday and the scan did not show any concerns. I am putting this behind me!

Thank you!

Lula73

great news!

fishfish

They took 18 samples in biospy and still give you no answer! I just feel like it is not even legal. You went through so much stress, pain, and guilt getting through the process they still don't give you an answer If your result is benign, I would suggest do a 6 month follow up instead of rushing through the mri and stress yourself out. Stressing and worrying is so not good for your body and it is actually the cause of cancer itself. If you end up having no cancer and develop mental health problems such as anxiety is not worth it. Trust me, mental illness is worst than cancer.

I am currently going through the same process waiting for my biospy result. In our health system, doctors always said better safe than sorry, so they make you do all the tests, and repeat the tests over and over and over again. If my result is benign, even they have previously suggested me to do mri, I think I would skip it until probably six months after. I cannot stand the wait and anxiety due to the stress. This is already stressing out my parents. I am not really scare but stressing my parents and the guilt that comes with it is killing me more than hearing getting cancer .