I'm on a merry go round that is not so merry

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spitnspunk
spitnspunk Member Posts: 138
edited July 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Hi, My head is spinning right now and I know you all are the only ones that will understand. I was originally dx in Aug2010, had lumpectomy, brachatherapy radiation, 16 weeks of the chemo, a full year of herceptin, and I'm on tamox. I had been getting 6 months mammog's but last year they said I was cleared to not have to come back for a year. SO, that year just rolled around and I had my digital mammog last week AND they found a 'spot',  same breast, but they say it's "probably not" cancer, less than 2% chance they say, and that I should just come back in six months to see if it changed! Now, backup to my history prior to my dx in Aug2010: 6 months before that they were concerned but shrugged it off as 'probably nothing' and I was told to 'come back in six months', which I did, and six months later: it was invasive cancer! Yeah, so therein lies my merry go round reference in my subject!! When the radiologist gave me these results, I told her this is the exact same thing I heard back then and I wasn't feeling real comfortable with 'waiting it out' and her response was, you really should talk to your doctor about it. Now, I haven't seen my oncologist yet, not scheduled for that for another month. I don't know if I should try to get in to see him sooner, and maybe I should push for more testing, maybe a biopsy even though the radiologist said it is 'probably' to small to dx, or just sit and  'wait it out' and hope that this six months doesn't turn out like the last time, but it's going to be a long six months that's for sure!

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited June 2014

    i am so sorry that you are having to deal with this(maybe! and i hope not!) again so soon after original dx. if i was you, i would call my oncologist, just to insure that he is aware, maybe he will order further testing. at least he can talk to the radiologist, and then see. a big hug for you, while you are waiting. i would be a little crazy myself to find out for sure, and waiting is very hard to do. You can call your onc tomorrow, can't you?

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  • Nan54
    Nan54 Member Posts: 93
    edited June 2014

    First, I'm so very sorry that you are dealing with this! It will probably turn out to be nothing, but the anxiety is far from nothing!! 

    If there is one thing that I have learned from this experience, is that we have to advocate for ourselves. There is no way I would personally agree to wait 6 months. I would be calling my oncologist and requesting some sort of followup sooner. If they can see it, they can usually biopsy it. Maybe upon further testing, they won't even be able to confirm that anything is there (this happened to me recently). But, regardless, it's just not okay to leave you to wait 6 months to get more information - particularly with your history...

    This is just my take - I think everyone's patience and tolerance levels are different. But, I thought it might help you to know that I would be on the phone with my doctor's office asap! :)

    I will be praying for the time to go quickly and for only good results. Hang in there!

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  • Jelson
    Jelson Member Posts: 1,535
    edited June 2014

    Spitnspunk - 

    I had something iffy show up on an mri and though it was three years past my lumpectomy and I hadn't seen her since my initial follow-up appt. I made an appt with my breast surgeon and it was she who took over, examined me, ordered an ultrasound and another mri and on an on - to the conclusion that I hope is yours  as well, that nothing really was going on, all ok. It was good to reconnect again, to know that though I wasn't seeing her on a regular basis, that when the occasion arose, I was still her patient and would be given an appt ASAP.  

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  • spitnspunk
    spitnspunk Member Posts: 138
    edited July 2014

    Thanks for the replies. I tried to get in to see my oncologist sooner then my end of July appointment but he's booked solid due to being on vacation part of this month. Breast surgeon is out : that was a bad experience and I'll not go back there again...I'll have to start over with a new one if I end up needing someone in that field again. I'm just going to go on like normal and wait it out till my appt at the end of this month and see what happens then. All I can do is stay positive and hope for the best.

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited July 2014

    i wonder why we are not fond of breast surgeons? HAH, well it might have something to do with how special they think they are.. did it say what birads you are? even tho they are fallible too. it just seems like that is an awful long time to wait. i am impressed, tho, the radiologist gave you the results right then? that happened to me at first dx, but now i always have to wait forever for results of any kind of imaging. you are pretty good at not freaking out, and to be willing to wait that long. i would be buggin em, or go for a second opinion somewhere else maybe. i hope it is nothing for you.

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