Palpable mass and asymmetry...4b waiting on biospy results

malumbaugh

Hey everyone, brand new here. Been lurking for a few weeks. Here's my story.

In January my left axillary lymph nodes were very swollen. My PCP sent me for a diagnostic mamo and US. First dr gave me a birad 2, and said to follow up in three years. My PCP wasn't satisfied so sent me to another cancer center in my area. They figured out that the lymph nodes were probably from the COVID vaccine, but saw a spot in my left breast that was different from a mamm I had a few years ago. They couldn't find it on US, gave me a BIRAD 3 and had me come back in 6 months. On Oct. 11 I had a mamm and they can see the spot again. By that time I could feel it. Doesn't move, feels like a frozen pea, maybe a little bigger. She said it hadn't changed too much but wanted to biospy it. BIRADS 4b. My mamm report says "8 mm asymmetry versus mass". They still can't see it on the US. My lymph nodes are still swollen but she says they look fine and stable. I had the biopsy on 10/27 and waiting on results.

Has anyone had a similar story? I'm trying to be optimistic because I've seen lots of stories on here that sound worse than this but I've got a bad gut feeling about it. I can't find anything online about "asymmetry versus mass". Lots of stuff about asymmetries but what does the versus mass mean?

Thanks for reading. Dr. Google is less than helpful of course, but this forum has been quite helpful and has made me feel a bit better about it.

Caligirlyc

I am awaiting biopsy results as well. Just had it done yesterday on a mass that I have been able to feel for 3 years. We did nothing at first (per midwife-thought it was a swollen milk gland), then had it ultrasounded bc it was still there after not breastfeeding for 1 year and a half and radiologist said it was glandular tissue since my breasts are very dense. Had a second U/S which was deemed BIRADS 3. Went to my 6 month follow up and it grew, so BIRADS 4 and biopsy. It doesn't show up on the mamos bc it is so close to my chest wall. We couldn't even get the clip after the biopsy on Mamo. The waiting sucks. Good luck and hopefully it's benign.

malumbaugh

Good luck! I actually JUST got the call about 30 minutes ago and it is something called PASH, which apparently is a very rare benign mass that can mimic cancer. I knew my dr was pretty worried, and based on her explanation and description, I got the feeling she has not seen too many cases of it. Either way, I'm good! Six month follow up is all I need for now, unless it grows any bigger.

Waiting was the worst, so I hope you don't have to wait too long!

Salamandra

That's good news!

"Gut feelings" are no substitute for pathology. It is too easy for us as humans to forgot all the times our gut feelings led nowhere and remember the one time a stopped clock was right and something came of it.