Conflicting recommendations from doctors

Frannie1972

So I had a finding on my annual mammogram, showed a cluster of calcifications that warranted further imaging, I had that done at the breast clinic of the women's hospital where my ob/gyn is. They said, benign calcs but need to see you in 6 months just to see if there will be more of them, if they start to look different, abundance of caution. I was relieved. Then my ob's nurse called and said, yes, I know, whatever, doc wants you to go to breast specialist and get second opinion. I asked her, I don't understand -if the specialty clinic says 6 months followup why do I ned to go to a specialist doctor? Do you not trust them? She said, that's our protocol when a patient is asked to do a 6 month followup. So now I have to go to a new doctor, get a whole new exam, they do their own mammograms and I have to go thru the whole ordeal again.

I think it's overkill unless it's not? I feel like I should be worried now. Specifically the calcs were 3 in number, very tiny and were "tea-cupping" which is associated with benign conditions. I have fibrocystic breasts and scar tissue from a galactocele lumpectomy at 27 (am 46 now) and both of those could cause calcifications or are associated with them.

Does this sound pretty standard?

MelissaDallas

If your ob/gyn sends everyone who has a Birads 3 follow up for stability to a specialist he/she sure is making a lot of specialist referrals. Personally I'd trust a specialty breast clinic and just do the six month follow up, but that's my personal level of risk tolerance.

Lula73

my personal level of risk tolerance is let’s do a core biopsy or better yet let’s excise them! Short of that I’d want an mri. Yes calcifications can be caused by the things you mention but they can also be caused by cancer. Better safe than sorry in my book. Just my $0.02.

WC3

I was misdiagnosed by a breast imaging center at a major hospital but I think each person's situation is unique. I was high risk and should have been sent for additional testing in accordance with NIH guidelines. If someone had told me I needed more testing I would have had it done due to my risk factors.