Follow Up for ILC

Mamo and US never show any signs of cancer in either breast and when the MRI show it I was stage IV ILC with mets to bones, liver, and lungs.  They said I probably have had cancer for at least 12 years!  I had none of the symptoms except I was always tired and blood count was always a little on the low side.  If I had it all to do again I would skip the mamograms and Ultrasound and go straight to the MRI.  With ILC never assume there is nothing in the other breast!  They first told me that only the one breast was involved but I insisted on the BMX and they said that probably gave me a chnce to fight this as the other breast was actually more involved and the one they thought was the only one that had the cancer.  Trust your own instincts.  You know your body better than anyone else, even if you don't know you do.

I found another lump , same side as original, only this one is deeper and harder to find. Original lump was very near the skin and easy to feel.  Original did show up on the ultrasound.   I had a mammogram and ultrasound recently to check out this new lump, but both came back clear,  nothing to report. BS says we'll keep an eye on it, but for now nothing to biopsy, since mammo and US didn't find anything.

  Since the original did show up on the ultrasound, i was feeling somewhat confident that maybe this was nothing. but i still have to wonder.. ..a couple months later, it is still there.. seems about the same.  How often does ILC not show up on mammo or ultrasound?  Should i ask for /insist on an MRI? 

I had a regularly scheduled mamo in late Aug.  I was called back for a more detailed mamo within a week.  A biopsy was scheduled for a mass in my right breast.  Nothing was seen in my Left breast.  The biopsy came back with a diagnosis of DCIS.  While I was planning my lumpectomy with my BS, he ordered an MRI.  The MRI found two suspicious areas in my left breast that needed biopsies.  These areas were not visible in the previous mamos. The new findings were ILC and LCIS.  Without the MRI I would have gone for the lumpectomy with no chemo or radiation. The ILC would have gone undetected for quite some time.  The BS felt that I would have been in a much more serious situation if we had skipped the MRI. I went from a lumpectomy to a BMX /DIEP reconstruction.  Doing chemo now and will follow it up with radiation. 

I am very happy that I had the MRI.  I believe that it saved my life.