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benni

I'm a 53 year old mother of 3 (2 are still in high school). I have a history of DVTs and PEs. About 4 years ago, I had a mammo done and they found microcalcifications on my left breast, which they wanted to keep an eye on (do another mammo at 6 months and then 12 months). I had the mammo done at the 6 month point, but did not have it done at the 12 month point, because I'd lost my insurance. They didn't seem overly concerned with the microcalcs so I didn't worry about it too much.

Fast forward to about 2 months ago, I've been having some heart issues, but with my history of blood clots, they wanted to do a CT Scan and MRI. They found a lung nodule on my right lung. I am ashamed to admit that I had not been keeping up on my monthly breast self-exams, and about 2 weeks ago, I did one. I found a small lump on the right breast. Suddenly, I remembered the microcalcifications and have gotten myself worked up between that, the lung nodule, and the breast lump.

The breast lump is about pea size, but it's not round. I can't tell if it is moving (as it is close the chest wall and the skin moves over it easily). I'm thinking that it is moving, though. It's probably just a cyst, which is what I'm leaning towards (and hoping for anyway). Can new breast changes in a female over 50 occur, that is benign? I've been doing research online and everything I read says it is very rare to occur outside this age group or that.

I tried to schedule an appointment with my doctor today, but his office is being switched over (another hospital bought out the hospital and all of the affiliated offices) and they are trying to get their systems switched over to the new system, so it won't be until next week that I can even call to schedule the appointment. Now that I've found the lump, I keep feel for it to see if it is still there. Ugh.

Again, I'm pretty sure that it's not malignant. I don't think it follows everything I've been reading, but I'm still worrying about it.

Georgia1

Hi Benni and I'm so sorry about your health issues and worry. If the MRI didn't pick up evidence of breast cancer two months ago, then odds are it is benign. Perhaps you could ask for a copy of your MRI report to see if it mentions the microcalcs or a cyst. That should put your mind at ease, or at least give you more information.

All best wishes.

Salamandra

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this on top of health insurance issues. Are you covered again now? Might you be able to get in for an appointment sooner with an ob/gyn? They are usually considered 'primary care' by insurers and are a great first step for breast exam and referral.

Try not to make yourself crazy worrying. Our bodies are so much more complex than we are ever taught.

benni

Hi Georgia, thank you for the reply! If the MRI was done to focus on my lungs (checking for pulmonary embolisms), would it pick up anything in the breast tissue? I am leaning towards it being benign, but you know us women, once we find anything unusual or out of the ordinary, we're going to obsess over it. lol I've always been small chested, had (what they called it back then) fibrocystic disease and dense breasts, but because I had small breasts, I just never gave them any thoughts, except for why I could never find a bra that would stay down. My breasts haven't ever had this much attention from me before!

benni

Hi Salamandra! Thank you for the reply! Yes, I do have health insurance again, but the deductible is $6500. Once I meet the deductible, I won't have to pay a penny out of pocket. It's an interesting situation for me, because I don't want to go to the doctor because of the high deductible and knowing I'm still going to pay out of pocket for awhile, but I can't spend down that deductible until I go to the doctor. Ugh. There is a job that will be coming open soon (actually 7 positions with the company) and they have excellent insurance. I'm hoping I can get one of the 7 positions and let go of the insurance I have now. I just don't know when those positions will come open. I didn't think about trying to schedule an appointment with my OB doc. Hmmm. He's going to want to do a pelvic exam too. Not a fan of those! But... thanks for the suggestion!

djmammo

benni

The MRI you had is not designed to evaluate the breasts so don't rely on it being negative for breast problems.There is a slightly better chance for the CT to have picked up a mass in the breast if a) the mass is big enough and b) the breast is included in the field of view chosen to image your PE. Neither will show the calcifications.

A mammogram and ultrasound is your next step in order to re-evaluate the calcs and to see the lump that you feel.

benni

djmammo, thank you. I was just coming back in to correct myself. The MRI was on my brain, not my lungs. The CT was done on my lungs. The MRI was done because they suspect that I've been having TIAs and they were looking to see if there was any evidence of it. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and take Salamandra's advice and schedule an appointment with my OB. He's going to be happy to see me, it's only been a few years.

benni

I have a mammogram scheduled for this Friday morning. I called my insurance company and they offer preventive coverage, so that I can get it done and not worry about the deductible. The place I called and scheduled is a place I had gone to previously (and are in network), but I don't think it was where I had my last mammo done, but they assured me that they will have access to those records, since they are now connected. They said my last mammo with them was in 2005, so I couldn't schedule it as a follow-up.

benni

I had the mammogram done this morning. I actually saw the pictures as she was telling me that I would get my report in the mail. My right breast had two areas that were bright white, that did not appear on the left breast. Can the density be different in both breasts?

benni

Also, the left breast hurt but I didn't feel any pain with the right breast. Don't know if that means anything or not.