Scared and confused with IDC

leftshark

I was diagnosed with ER+, PR+, HER2-, grade 2 IDC on Oct. 26. Three days later I had an appointment with my surgeon, who thought I’d be Stage 1A or 1B based on whether or not an MRI showed lymph node involvement. The tumor at that time appeared to be somewhere between 0.5 to 3.0 cm big.

My MRI results came back Friday and my surgeon says my left lymph nodes in my armpit are prominent, plus there’s a 3.5 x 9.0 cm pack of something from my nipple to my chest wall showing up, too.

My surgeon says it’s not a mass per se, but there’s definitely something in there. I can feel it and it’s why I went to the doctor in the first place. It did not show up on any mammogram or ultrasound and three different radiologists told me it was normal tissue based on the mammograms.

I’m terrified that I have a huge cancerous tumor. Has anyone else had a tumor this big? Or anything else like this to show up on an MRI and not a mammogram?

Thanks for the help. ❤️

ElaineTherese

Hi!

Do you have dense breasts? If so, an MRI would be better at catching something than a mammogram. I had a fairly big tumor (5 cm. + a satellite tumor), but there are ladies who have had even bigger tumors and have made it. (See link below.) But, you might want to get your MRI from your surgeon's office and ask for a second opinion if you want another set of eyeballs to look at it.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/67/topics/845339?page=2#post_5291720

CaliKelly

Hi leftshark, your mri results sound very confusing, especially when they say it's normal tissue, maybe it's scattered abnormal cells of some kind. I had quite a large tumor 8×2×2 cm and lymph nodes in armpit had cancer. My mri said prominent internal mammary node, They gave it some extra zaps when I had radiation. Anyway, I'm done with treatment, currently cancer free and doing just great, so don't get panicked. What do the surgeons recommend? I had mastectomy and reconstruction, only on cancer side. Had chemo first, shrunk the tumor a lot. It's a challenge for you now, but it's all do-able! All the great ladies on these sites can advise and encourage you. They did for me. Best wishes!❤❤❤