some questions...

Options
cshamber
cshamber Member Posts: 76
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer

I recently went to a bs because my right nipple has been dry and a little itchy for several months. Then about 2 mos ago the nipple kinda dented in on one side.(not inverted just dented) Well she said it was totally normal (I didn't quite understand why) and not too worry about it. I did have a mammo and u/s that were both negative and I do not have dense breast so they were pretty confident nothing is there, even with the nipple oddity. She told me that if it were cancer the nipple would totally invert and not come back out.

What is confusing me is that she told me to go to a high risk cancer clinic and that they might put me on Tamoxifen??? Why??  Now my mom and her mom both had bc, but both were post-menopausal. Before this everyone told me it wouldn't make my risk any higher. (I am 40 btw)

Anyone have any clue why she would recommend this to me?

Thanks.

Christine

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Mazy1959
    Mazy1959 Member Posts: 1,431
    edited July 2009

    Christine,

    I have never heard of such a thing. I wonder why they told you that your risk was no higher just because your mom and grandma had bc.I disagree with that. I have never heard of a doc just handing you tamoxifen out of the blue either. If the doc is so sure its nothing,,why send you to a cancer clinic..??? My adivce............get a second opinion...Hugs, Mazy

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • idaho
    idaho Member Posts: 1,187
    edited July 2009

    I agree with Mazy- get a second opinion, and get a skin punch biopsy done.That is not true about the nipple inverting and not coming out if it is cancer- cancer can present in many different ways.   Doctors are starting to hand out tamoxifen for women with a history of bc in their family.... as a preventative, but I think you should still get a second opinion.  Peace and health to you, Tami

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Deirdre1
    Deirdre1 Member Posts: 1,461
    edited July 2009

    You're bs is probably making her decision based on a negative mammo and u/s.. but that's not the entire picture and truly no one really knows until they go in for the final surgeries.. So my suggestion is yes perhaps get a different bs but before doing that ask for a breast MRI.  I had a negative digital mammo, mammo and u/s but when I had the results of the breast MRI there was a small DCIS.. even the MRI can miss some things - no test is perfect.. And as to the Tamoxofen that has to do with precaution because of your family history..  I't exhausting this cancer treck.. no one seems to tell you the same thing twice.. so you're job is to do what you have done here and start asking questions or reading the questions and answers that are already here..  I'm be keeping you in my thoughts and please try to get yourself to a counselor/therapist to help you "hear" your own voice so that whatever you decide you will feel more confident afterwards..  Best!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mawhinney
    mawhinney Member Posts: 1,377
    edited July 2009

    Ask the facility that did your testing for a copy of the written report for each test. You can then read through the report to see if anything unusual was found. Often, I have had to use an online medical dictionary to explain many of the terms used in the report.  If you seek a 2nd opinion, take copies of all the written reports with you for the new doctor to look at while you are there. Make a list of questions before you see each doctor and if possible, bring someone with you to jot down the answers.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cshamber
    cshamber Member Posts: 76
    edited July 2009

    Thanks for the replies! This was actually a couple of weeks ago that I visited the bs.  I thought I could just put it all behind me after they told me there was nothing there, but now I find myself still checking my nipple a couple of times a day. I wasn't sure about the nipple being inverted, it didn't sound right to me either, but this is suppose to be a very good breast clinic. The high risk thing I have NO understanding of! One Dr. says I am -others say I am not, its very confusing! I did have a nodule they had been watching for a couple of years, but as far as I know its never changed.

    I am going to my regular gyno next week. I am going to ask him about all of this. He tends to be very thorough and understands when you tell him something is wrong that you know your body best! I will really trust what he says. I will also ask him about the mri. I did think they only did those for women with dense breasts. Is that incorrect ?

    Anyway, it helps to have people to ask about all this! My husband feels if I just ignore it there won't ever be anything wrong- SO the opposite of me! LOL

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Deirdre1
    Deirdre1 Member Posts: 1,461
    edited July 2009

    cshamber:  They use to do breast MRI for women with dense breasts but now they do them for that AND/or high risk and once you have "high risk" ( your mother and grandmother make you high risk) you are eligible for breast MRI's.  It's good to have a doc you can trust, I have a great doc, and normally he is very up on everything (it seems) but the breast DCIS thing throw him a bit so it was actually the bs who was better able to answer my questions.. but then a bs job is to cut so you have to balance that with her suggested treatment course.. Good Luck!!!  PS you ARE clasified as "high risk" by virtue of the NCI (if memory serves me) because of the two generational breast cancers..  Perhaps this could all be laid to rest if you went to a genetic counselor, it is his/her job to take all of the family info and put it together in a genetic map so you can better see your risk.. The counselor might also suggest that you have the BRCA test (simple but expensive blood test) Good luck and again, keep us informed...

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories