How was your BC found? By doctor or you?

Didnt feel my lump that my yearly mamo caught- It was a large mass across my left breast, was very surprised when they had me go in the next room for an ultra sound. which showed it more clearly.

I'm really fibrocystic (or was, before menopause) so I'd been checking my boobs for years, since my mid 20s. Later especially under the arms, where things got ropey 3rd week into the cycle. At one point that ropeyness started feeling like a bamboo shoot, wider and flatter and stiffer. I was in denial, cause I thought we were looking for "peas" and this wasn't really lumpy at all- more stiff and flat. For maybe 3- 6 mos I had some suspicions. Then I had this feeling...took out some life insurance the day before my mammo. And sure enough.

Found by me after 4 years of digital diagnostic mammos and 2 months after another "clean" mammo congratulating me on my results.

I noticed a dimpling in the skin then felt the lump.   The tumor was nearly 2 cm.

I had a digital mammogram (and subsequent biopsy) indicating DCIS of only my left breast. This was discovered in Nov. of 2009 which led to my pursuit/meeting with a highly recommended breast surgeon. Due to a very strong family history, I told my surgeon that I felt strongly about having a bilateral mastectomy rather than what might have been more commonly approached with a lumpectomy/radiation strategy. As I was adamant re having a bilateral mastectomy, we both felt it wise to pursue an additional imaging study to look more thoroughly at both breasts to help determine if, perhaps, a sentinal node biopsy should to be done on both sides. She sent me for an MRI, within this first month of the DCIS mammograms. The MRI, and immediate subsequent second biopsy (under MRI,) identified two, identical approx. 1 centimeter tumors, one in each breast in almost the same location in each breast. Neither of these tumors where evident on any of the 16 digital mammograms taken that month, nor in the 18 previous years worth of mammograms. I had been having mammograms annually since age 25 (the year after my mother passed away from BC at age 46.). I was 44 when diagnosed. I am now 46, and am incredibly grateful that my mother's death made my decision to have an immediate bilateral mastectomy so easy. And, that I found a surgeon who really stepped things up for me.  For those who may want to know, it was a blessedly successful skin and nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Even more blessedly, a node negative one that my doctors felt probably wouldn't have been that way possibly even 2 to 6 months later due to its extremely high grade . . . ALWAYS TRUST YOUR GUT. I had asked my doctor just ten months prior to write me a breast MRI prescription, and I let "life" situations delay this pursuit. I hadn't asked for that MRI 'script because I felt anything, I had asked because I was already four years past when my mother has been diagnosed and I really kind of felt surprised that nothing had been spotted yet. All is well so far for me, but if you, or anyone you know, have a family history, or are even just asking yourself/themself "the question(s)," I think any and all diagnostic approaches should be pursued. Intuition will always be more powerful than any individual test or a doctor's opinion as to what is "right" for "everybody!"

I was diagnosed at age 49 just a week or so after my birthday. Had mammograms at age 40 and 41 then skipped them for the next 7 years and only finally had another one because my PCP kept hounding me about it everytime I saw her.  I never did self breast exams and still don't.  My breasts have always been very non-dense and I've honestly never felt any kind of lump in my entire life...and neither myself or any of the doctors could feel the tumor that I had even after knowing it was there.

I found my large hard lump (4 cm tumour) myself while getting dressed.  I had a clean mamogram the year before at age 40.  I knew as soon as I felt it that it was "bad news".

My annual followups include a mamogram and ultrsound and I have to argue each year with the radiologist because they think they can "play god" and decide who does and doesnt get an ultrasound despite a requisition for it.  You would think it was the radiologists money, ITS MY LIFE that they are not going to play with!!!

Michele

A little of both for me. I was diagnosed with LCIS 3 years ago and have been monitoring with Mammos,MRIs and USs every 4 months plus Oncology visits.In March I was lying in bed and doing a half hearted breast exam which I frequently did, and my fingers stopped on a small BB sized mass in my right areola. I didn't remember ever feeling that. At first I was not going to tell mt husband but finially blurted it out a few hours later. He felt it and asked what I wanted to do. I said that I'd keep an eye on it and see if it changed in the next few weeks. The next morning my husband called me and said that he spoke with my breast surgeon( husband is a physician and they were at an early morning conferance) and that she wanted to see me that day. I went in and she suggested a fine needle biopsy.BTW, she said that she wasn't too concerned. I went for the biopsy and the pathologist was unsuccessful getting any tissue ....3 sticks, no anesthesia.yikes!!. I went back to her and she suggested that I come back in 6 weeks and she'd check it again.There was a little nagging voice in my head that said  don't let this go so i called my Oncologist and told her the situation. I reminded her that I was due for an ultrasound in May and could I possibly go sooner .She said sure. My breast was really sore and black and blue so I decided that right then was not the time but maybe 4 weeks later everything would be good. I made an appointment for the end of April .Naturally my breast felt better in 2 weeks but I waited anyway. When I went in for the Ultrasound they asked about a mammo and I said that I had one in January and it was negative. Apparently if yopu find any new lesions between mammos they require a new one be done. Several views later the radiologist came in and said that the lesion I felt was there in the past and he wasn't concerned about it BUT there apperaed to be a new area of calcifications in a different part of the breast that he was concerned about and how about we do a stereotactic biopsy right now.He did it .It was a Tuesday and I was told that the results would be ready by Thursday.The next afternoon I received a call from my oncologists' office telling me that the doctor would like to see me on Friday. Silly me, I asked why, I wasn't due to see her for another 2 months and she replied that she would like to go over my biopsy report. I was surprised that she got it so fast and the nurse said that she didn't actually have it but she would by Friday. BULL. I knew she had it . I had listed my husband as the 2nd doctor to receive the report so the next day he called my, after I finished a tennis match ( I told him not to interrupt my match), and gave me the news that I had IDC, DCIS ADH and more LCIS.So as I stated at the beginning of this saga,while I had a negative mriin October and a negative mammo in January, a mammo finially showed my cancer.Why it wasn't seen earlier, I have no idea.

Barbara

Had yearly exam in April and Dr. felt nothing. Early June I felt the lump. I have had yearly mammos since 34 (now 46) due to lumpiness. Waited until Aug (2010) to get mammo. My surgeon said she saw a very small spot on my 2009 mammo and said "the radiologist must have missed it"! Great!  I was shocked that the lump appeared so fast. Then when I found out I was triple negative, that explained why it was so aggressive.

I had clear nipple discharge that I noticed in July 2010.  I knew in my heart that it was bad.  My sister and mom have some nipple discharge due to hormone abnormalities so they tried to easy my mind.  But there was something within me that just nagged me and reminded me that it was not normal for ME.  I call it my "God thing". 

I called for mammo in December and they were scheduling out until April.  When I confessed the clear nipple discharge, they bumped me up to January.  I had a previous mammo at age 30 and I feel that because I had that baseline on file, they were suspicious of my 5mm tumor.  I'm chesty and I would have never felt that little thing.  But it's weird because I *knew*.  I could have placed her u/s transducer right where the tumor was.  I just *knew* - it's my "God thing"...

Mine was found during routine mammogram screening.  When I went in for the ultrasound and biopsy, the ultrasound tech and radiologist could not feel it, I couldn't find it either.  The ultrasound tech turned to me and said, "thank God for mammograms."

The breast surgeon couldn't find it by manual exam and the radiologist who did the wire localization couldn't feel it either.  All of them have remarked that people like me are the reason we need routine mammograms.

I just had my lumpectomy on 10/11 and am feeling pretty good today!

My story fits right in with the rest here:  I found my own tumor.

I discovered it during a semi-regular self-exam.  I pointed it out to my GYN at my next annual exam, but he couldn't feel it, so he blew it off:  "Stop worrying -- there's nothing there." He ordered a "regular" (screening) mammogram, which, like all the others I'd had, was clean:  "No cancer found. No changes since last year. Repeat in one year."

The next year, I pointed out the lump again. This time my GYN could feel something there, but.... "Don't worry -- it's just your usual, fibrocystic tissue.  It's nothing." He ordered a "regular" (screening) mammogram, which, again, was clean.

About a year later, I was at my PCP for a routine re-check (cholesterol etc.) and I told him about the lump. He immediately referred me to a breast health center at a major university hospital/cancer center. My PCP asked them to do a "diagnostic" mammogram and ultrasound, both of which my my GYN should have ordered years earlier.

I pointed out the lump to the mammo tech at the breast health center, and she could feel it. But, it was not visible on the mammogram images. A few minutes later, the radiologist told me, "Your breast tissue is extremely dense. It would be almost impossible to see a tumor on your mammogram images." That is the first time I'd been told about "mammographic density" and how it could affect BC diagnosis. A whole team of radiologists had looked at my new mammo images, and had reviewed the previous 2 years' films that I'd had sent to them. They could not see anything suggestive of a tumor.

Fortunately (I guess), the lump was visible with ultrasound.  It stood out like a car headlight ("spiculated" and all) on the breast MRI I had a week later.  The rest, as they say, is history.

otter

(P.S.: I fired my GYN.)

on routine mammogram-,  suspicious calcifications, , no mass/lump ever felt. us -neg

I had my annual mammo in October in 2010 and they found something suspicious, but then did another a week later and decided it was nothing. Told me to come back in 6 months rather than in a year, and again, found something suspicious on April 25. By April 29, I was having a biopsy and was diagnosed on May 4. No one, including me, ever felt any lump(s). Thank God for mammos!!

Yearly Mammogram , neither me or doctors felt mine, 2nd cancer found during  re-incision.

Nancy