Strangely calm but looking for some support

madalaine

Hello,

I am 52, and had a 3D mammogram last week. It has been 8 years since I have had one (the last two were both horrible experiences). My report came back with a "question of architectural distortion" in the left breast. They are going to compare it with my test done 8 years ago, but my dr said most likely I will be called back to get a diagnostic mammo and ultrasound. I will be surprised if I don't have cancer. The last 2 years have been the worst of my life - under extreme stress - and I was reading the post on pain in the breast and I have had that stinging pain in my left breast for some time. However, because I always believed that it was not a symptom, and I did self exams and never felt a lump, I thought it was fine. Unfortunately I did not realize that some forms of breast cancer do not form a mass. I'm trying to stay calm, but I was hoping someone could give me some idea of what to expect for that return visit. If they still see something suspicious will they do the biopsy that same day? Also, is the use of the words "question of" standard language? Thank you for reading.

Georgia1

Hi Madaleine. I have never seen "question of" in a mammogram report but of course I am not a doctor. In my own case I had a diagnostic mammogram, then an ultrasound, then an ultrasound-guided biopsy. I know all of the steps are annoying, but I believe the protocol is designed to test, and scare, us as little as possible. Let us know how it goes.

madalaine

Thank you Georgia for your reply. I had a diag mammo and ultrasound yesterday. What they saw on my mammogram was not confirmed on the ultrasound. Even so, they want me to have a biopsy. I feel some level of comfort knowing it was not confirmed on the ultrasound, but based on a study I read, it appears 27% of architectural distortion cases not confirmed by ultrasound were confirmed as cancer. This feels like a slow train wreck! Afraid of the pain of biopsy, the waiting and then of course how my life will change if this is bad news. If anyone has had similar circumstances I would love to hear your outcome. Thank you.

moth

Hi Madalaine,

Hang in there. Callbacks and repeats are normal - esp if you're not doing the mammograms in the same facility or if they've upgraded their machines. The newer machines are increasingly good at showing very tiny areas. They need to compare to older scans but yes, since yours are so old, I would expect they'll want a fresh second scan to compare it. Whether they do biopsies the same day or not depends on the center but both of mine were not.

Most of these things do turn out completely benign so the odds are with you. The source of your pain might be as simple as nerve pain from your upper back- common esp if you're stressed.

Hang in there. & maybe decide right now, regardless of how this goes, to cut negative things out of your life and find joy. Fwiw, I don't think the stress thing is as big a cause as other things are, but stress sucks in many ways and affects all health - so it's a good idea to start living healthy no matter what & cut that stuff out.

Best wishes~

madalaine

Thank you moth for your reply. I had the f/u mammo and ultrasound. Mammo confirmed assymetry and architectural distortion in left breast. No findings on the ultrasound. I have a biopsy scheduled for 9/13. BIRAD of 4b.

I am really scared. I have had the worst years of my life over the past 3 years and I just don’t think I’m strong enough to face this

moth

HI madalaine - sucks that they couldn't rule things out ...but 4b still has 64% odds it's benign; ~ 2 out of 3 turn out fine.
https://breast-cancer.ca/bi-rads/

If you want to have your biopsy earlier, at some places you can call & ask to be put on a cancellation list. If this is going to hang over you, you might want to try to move it up.

One thing we all find out on this board: we're stronger than we think. Lean on your friends and family and if necessary, go see a counsellor. You don't need to do this alone.

madalaine

Thank you moth - I am on the list for cancellations. I feel like I don’t want to tell my family - especially my mom who is elderly and my children (21 & 17) because I don’t want to worry them. And my closest friend’s daughter just passed awayso I don’t want to burden her with this. Very glad I have this board.

AprilMay

Hi, Madalaine. I’m sorry you’re going through this. You’re in the right place!

I don’t think there are any rules regarding sharing your testing. Tell who you feel comfortable telling, hopefully those who can support you. At the very least, you’re talking here and that’s good. I told my parents, my partner, and a few close friends. I, too, was going through a very difficult period and felt that I needed all the support I could get.

One of those friends is a BC survivor. She kept telling me, despite my feelings to the contrary, that I could handle whatever the outcome was. She came with me to my biopsy. I love that woman!

In the hope of putting your mind at ease regarding the biopsy, I’ll mention that I felt no pain during mine. Just a stick when the radiologist began numbing me. After that, just a bit of pressure. The nurse putting pressure on it after was more uncomfortable than the sampling. I was sore for a few days but ice and Tylenol helped a lot.

I had a Bi-Rad of 4a. My results were B9. I go back for my 6 month checkup in a few months and, I admit, I’m nervous about it. These things can be so scary but we move forward because we must.

Rooting for you!

madalaine

AprilMay- Thank you for your reply! I feel much better after having some time to digest my report. Still scared, but I realize the odds are with me, and hopefully if it is cancer I have found it early. Hopefully I can get in to do the biopsy this week, I am going to call tomorrow morning to remind them to put me on the cancellation list.

AprilMay

Good to hear! Please keep us updated and feel free to pop in and talk if you need to.