yup..another biopsy

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pattimay
pattimay Member Posts: 72
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer

Just saw my breast surgeon.  Mri showed an inch area of abnormality on mri. He said being that I had severe adh which bordered on dcis I'll need this biopsy.  Also he was mad that I didn't go on the Tamofen.  I'm going through perimenopause at 52 and still gettting periods with hot flashes, night sweats and was afraid the tamofen would make things worse.  I was hoping for a clean mri and mammo this time.  He said if I need surgery again I should think about double masectomy, nipple sparing.  He said he'll speak fully about this after the biopsy.  I also am a light smoker.  I know of course how bad this is but I've failed to quit so many times.  He said if I continue on smoking with the tamofen I could get blood clots.  I'm just so afraid of the side effects of this med.  He even said hair loss. If I had the masectomy he said it would bring my odds of getting cancer down very low.  I'm a wreck.  I will pray that biopsy shows benign and I don't have to think about this now.  He took over 2/3 breast tissue with reconstruction for the adh already and I might not be a candidate for more surgery. I'm small breasted.  Any advice or experience with Tamofen ladies I would appreciate it greatly.

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  • 3monstmama
    3monstmama Member Posts: 1,447
    edited October 2010

    I'm sorry.   I was dealing with the suspect biopsy last week and got my results back on Monday.  The stereotactic biopsy showed ADH and maybe ADL but the biopsy was all clean.  Anyrate, point being, I can so relate.  I was so scared that we were starting another round of lumpectomy and rads. . . .Hopefully yours will turn out to be nothing.  Remember that once you have been whacked with the BC stick they will always be extra cautious.

    I am currently on tamoxifen and have had very few side effects---some hot flashes but nothing that makes me very miserable.  Like you, I was worried about taking it but in the end I was way more scared of having BC again so I made it through rads and am managing the tamoxifen.  My oncologist tells me that most of her patients do not have a lot of trouble with the tamoxifen.  Her theory was to try it and see how it was and if there were no SEs then stick with it.  Maybe tht would work for you?

    As far as the smoking, there are new drugs on the market that can really help if you give them a chance.  My husband tried repeatedly to quit  and finally made it.  I think its a question of the right motivation--for him it was not wanting our kids to see him smoke so when we started our family, he decided to quit.  He is coming up on 10 years now.  I am also at about 10 years but I was an erratic smoker and never was really addicted so I don't think I count.

    Perhaps you can find something to buy yourself or do for yourself with all the money you will save from the smoking?  That is my MIL's approach now---she has smoked for over 50 years but she feels now that she can't afford it plus she is a bad example for the grand kids.

    good luck!

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  • pattimay
    pattimay Member Posts: 72
    edited October 2010

    Thank you for writing .  I forgot to ask the surgeon if this is the same area I had the benign biopsy for 6 months ago.  I had to go to a radiology center for the Mri this time.  Last time it was at the hospital surgeon is affiliated with.  The cost was $10,000 for the Mri and another $10,000 for mri assisted biopsy.  My insurance company accepted $5000 for each and I paid 20% of that.  It was still alot out of the pocket.  Couldn't do this every 6 months.  The radiology center was only $2000 for mri.  But now I have to transfer records to the hospital because I trust the Dr. who did the biopsy from last time and the one before surgery in Dec.  But wondering if he compared the last mri that came back benign findings after biopsy or this is a different area.  Just found out through the web that Tamoxofen is useless if taken with an SSRI.  I'm on Paxil just 10mg for over 15 years .  So now I'd have to quit the Paxil and smoking. ALso just wondering the difference between the ADH severe that I had the surgery for and the followup biopsy that showed Atypia.  ON the paper it said Atypia NOT adh.  So what is the difference.  I'm always so upset when I see the surgeon that I forget to ask these things. 

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