Mammogram or Shammogram? Roll Call Time

I had my first mammo at age 24...will never forget the words from my little german doc."I sink I veel a lump" not making fun just remember his accent I freaked I was there to have my IUD out and and start my family...I was in my cousins wedding party that weekend ...my weekend was ruined...got the call alls good...so because I had dense "lumpy"breasts I had at least 3 more scares through out my 30s & 40s ..I guess I got used to the uh ohs and thought it would never happen to me ...Just remember the techs comments "you have VERY dense breasts"but I digress...

 I had many mammos & ultra sounds  untill finally my 7.5 cm tumor was discovered this past June..I had always gone to the same clinic for my tests...my Doc said something like "I dont really like them"...I said "Thx for telling me that now !!!"I had calicifications show up about 3 years still no further looksie..sister daiagnosed with BC no red flag from our genetics team..Doc found something? she did not like...which was probably the start of my ILC about 3 years or so mammo came back fine no suspicion...If I could go back to that German doctor at age 24 I would have been even MORE proactive.

My file was quite heavy when I had to pick it up to bring it to all my pretest appts.

ok so answer is MANY !!..I will shut up now..

much love Cheryl

I had a mammo in Dec - all clear

I found lump on 5/31, had mammo on 6/1 - DIDNT SHOW! Did show on ultrasound.

At surgery on 7/10 there was another 1cm tumor that didnt show on U/S or MRI.

Mammogram in 2002 was negative

Mammogram and Sonogram were negative 2004 after I found a lump myself.

Insisted on a biopsy anyway.......tumor the size of an apple.

No one ever told me that dense breasts meant anything re: cancer

Jacqueline

I had almost yearly mammos from 40 on (I'm 62 now). Some years I was tardy. I have dense lumpy breasts, and that was always commented on with no hint that it was any sort of problem. I just figured my breasts were nice and firm, believe it or not, and that it was good that mammograms could sort out all those lumps. I did not worry. Nine months after a clear mammo I found an extra big lump, and eventually asked my PCP. The lobular tumor didn't show on the mammo at all, but did on an ultrasound. Thank goodness the damn thing formed an atypical lump.

Jan 08 watching for calcifications r breaast asked to return in one month

Feb 08 viewed microcalcifications normal asked to return in 6 mths

Aug 08 viewed and cleared as normal

Dec 08 I found large lump under L nipple

Jan 09 core biopsy found 4.8 tumor

Mar 09 Mastectomy and SN biopsy  tumor turned out to be 5.2 and positive cells in SN

Apr 09 Axillary Node dissection  17 nodes removed 1 positive for cells  followed with chemo, rad and diagnosed Stage 3A

I had a mammogram in May 09.  Clear.  I found a lump in fall 09.  Went to my Ob/Gyn who sent me for a diagnostic mammogram.  Clear.  Walked from the mammogram room to the ultrasound room.  3cm tumor found on ultrasound.  The radiologist told me that he was ready to send me home after the mammogram.  Thank goodness he didn't!

Mammograms do not always detect cancer.  I am living (thank God) proof.  If I can do anything positive out of this awful experience it will be spreading the word to as many people as I can.  Don't get me wrong, I believe they are VERY important but I want everyone to know that just because they had a clear mammogram doesn't mean always mean no cancer. 

I am so glad that my PCP sent me for both a mammo and ultrasound when I showed her the lump. I thought I was being paid attention to because "the patient discovered a palpable lump" and they were covering their asses. But so many of you were sent home. That's really scary.

So the next big question for us. How should we be screened now? I kept the unaffected breast. A mammo isn't likely to make me feel confident. My Onc says that MRI's are notorious for false positives. Ultrasound perhaps?

I was telling every woman I knew to do their self exams. Maybe I'll start up again and it will be my contribution to this PINK month. 

In Feb of this year, I had mammogram and u/s which were both clear. The doctor couldn't feel anything in my breast. But the mri showed an area of enhancement. I had a 2.2 cm ILC. I have since learned that mammograms frequently miss ILC.

I had my first mammo at age 31, after I felt a lump. I had that lump removed(left breast). Then I didn't have a mammo until age 40. At age 41 felt another lump in rt breast, had removed. Both removals were benign and done in hospital. Then had 6 more annual mammos. Last one in March 2006 was negative. Then November 2006, rt breast didnt look right. I had mammo then, and they finally saw something. After ultrasound, saw 3 separate tumors, that dr. said had been there for 8 to 10 years!!!

Oh my I forgot to give you my type. Stage 1, Grade 1 IDC 0/4 nodes.

For the record, Weesa's got mine correct. Mine were annual and on time every year.

I heard a radio commercial yesterday that said, "Mammograms save lives because they detect breast cancer at its earliest stage ..."

That's the kind if misinformation that should be corrected. There's a false sense of security out there. The media and the so-called experts have an entire month to set the record straight -- but they don't.

Yeah, I felt like I was kicked in the stomach. We don't deserve this. We don't deserve to have our doctors tell us we're fine, not to worry -- and then have our lives endangered because of ignorance.

I'm 47, have had on-time, annual mammos since 40, all clear. 

Sept '08, all clear mammo.

Feb '09, breast exam from doctor, nothing. 

April '09, self discovery

I had dense breast tissue which I'm told, makes my ILC very hard to detect, which is why many women are Stage 3 before it's found... unfortunately for us.  They tell me I've probably had this maybe even up to ten years, maybe more.  The tumor was a little over 10 cm, Stage 3B.  They found DCIS in my left breast also at time of bi-mx, tumor <1 cm.

You can see the pattern here, most women who's cancers were not detected were diagnosed with ILC, or IDC.  That's the misconception.  There definitely needs to be more information to women about this.  I didn't even know there were different types of breast cancer b4 my diagnosis!

Am I angry?  I wasn't, but ignorance is bliss.  The more I become educated, the more frustrated I become.  I'd LOVE to have been diagnosed at an early stage where going through a bi-mx, losing my hair, radiation, tissue expanders in my chest that feel like cement blocks, pain, weight gain, (do I need to say more), was nothing more than a thought, or someone else's reality?  No girls, you get it.... be nice though right?

imho when they talk about bc in public it is still all cute cuddly and curable.  They dont tell you the real story!  They take women that were dx early and had an doable time with tx.  They never show you someone like me who has such sever SEs that some days I couldnt get out of bed.  They never show  you someone who has life long everlasting  SEs.  They never tell you about IBC.

They never tell you!  

So I am not posting it twice check out my idea to get the word out and really make a difference in early detection on Shanagirls thread.

If I had known then that my "cysts" could have been cancer I would have insisted on a biopsy.  I would have sold my house to pay for it if I needed too!  I was told they are soooooo common.  They were NOTHING to worry about.  Well were they only cysts?  Or were they cancer?  I will never know!