ultrasound results- please share your input- really nervous

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yummymommy
yummymommy Member Posts: 14
edited December 2016 in Benign Breast Conditions

so to introduce myself, i will say i am a 27 year old healthy female with severe severe health anxiety in general and even more to the breast. in the past 7 years i have undergone at least 10 ultrasounds on breast alone, i even had 1 biopsy bec i touched my breast too much and ended up inflaming the tissue so i thought it was a lump. it wasnt, it was plain breast tissue.

i go to my ob/gyn often for clicincal breast exam.
occasionally i go for ultrasound just for reassurance purposes. makes me feel better for next few months.
so i asked for an ultrasound even though i didnt feel any lumps at all. i went yesterday and expected just to have it done quickly and the technician would usually tell me everything looks normal and confirm it with radiologist later. this time however, she looked and i saw she was concentrating on something. needless to say i PANICKEDDDDDD! i hate doing further testing and going to breast specialists. this increases my HA tremendously. Anyway, after she was done, i asked her what she was looking at cuz im drop dead nervous. she looked at me weird and said, what makes you think its anything abnormal, so i told her u never usually look so long. she wasn't very nice and told me there are many normal things they look at during an ultrasound. but i shouldn't worry cuz it was only cyst & lymph node

when my Dr called me back to give me the results of my Ultrasound, all he said is that its normal. i did know however, that the sonographer found a 0.03 cm cyst but he said its normal.
Now, he uploaded the results on his patient portal, and i'm freaking out again. here is what it sais:

There is a 0.3 cm cyst localized to the 11:00 position. A 0.08 cm intrammary lymph node is seen localized ot the 2:00 position. no discrete mass or region of shadowing seen.
for goodness sake, what does this mean????? never heard of an intrammary lymph node.
when i called my doctor for results, he just told me everything is normal. he didnt even bother telling me about cyst, when i asked him, he said its common and on the report it sais benign.
my question now is, have any of you ever had normal ultrasounds with a cyst? did you do any following up? ( my doctor said i dont have to do a thing) did an ultrasound ever reveal a cyst without u feeling it?
as i have severe HA, im worried that maybe its a mass and they made mistake?
please share your experience if you ever had s/t like this. im so nervous and confused.


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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2016

    Cysts are fluid filled - they have a very clear and distinctive appearance on an ultrasound and therefore are easy to identify.

    Over the years I have had more cysts than I can count. Some I can feel, others I can't and they just show up during my annual screening. Simple cysts (round or oval, defined borders, fluid filled with no debris or solid bits) are extremely common and completely harmless. They often eventually disappear on their own.

    I have a personal history of breast cancer. I continue to get cysts - in fact I can't think of any screening I've had over the past 5 or 6 years where a cyst hasn't been identified. No follow-up is ever required and I never have any concerns.

    Similarly, intramammary lymph nodes have a distinctive appearance. They are round/oval, with smooth borders and because they have a fatty center, they can be clearly identified on an ultrasound.

    Ultrasound imaging that shows simple cysts and/or intramammary lymph nodes are usually assessed by radiologists to be a "BIRADs 2", which means that while the imaging does show something in the breast tissue, whatever is seen has been identified as being benign. BIRADs 2 imaging is considered normal and no follow-up is required.

    It sounds to me as though you have two very common and harmless findings, and there is nothing for you to worry about. The Radiologist who reviewed your imaging doesn't have any concerns. Your doctor, in reviewing the report, doesn't have any concerns. If despite this you have concerns, I'd suggest that you consider that your concerns are related to your health anxiety and not to anything going on with your breasts, which seem to be perfectly normal.

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  • Rebekah77
    Rebekah77 Member Posts: 21
    edited December 2016

    Hey, I feel for you! I too have had many cysts, apparently my breasts are Cystic and dense. So i go every 6 months for Mammogram and ultrasound. I was really worried at first too. But the Radiologist is really good at detecting a simple Cyst from a cancerous or suspicios lump! I found that taking long slow deep breaths has helped with my anxiety.... I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Hang in there!

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  • yummymommy
    yummymommy Member Posts: 14
    edited December 2016

    thank you for your response. what I really wanted to know is more about the intrammary lymph node. I've heard of cyst and don't even worry about that. why would an intrammary lymph node just appear in the breast? is this common by a lot of women? does this ever go away? I know lymph nodes are never going away but a lymph in breast?

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  • nihahi
    nihahi Member Posts: 3,841
    edited December 2016

    I think you should remove the link to your confidential health information.


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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited December 2016

    You don't have cancer. Staying away from cancer forums will help your anxiety. What you have is very common. Stop looking for things to panic about. It can be an obssession that gets worse. See your doctor about that.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2016

    yummymommy, I would not have spent so much time explaining breast cysts if you had not had so many questions about them in your originating post. It certainly seemed as though you were concerned, but I'm glad to hear that you are not, since simple cysts are common and nothing to be concerned about.

    I did provide some information about intramammary lymph nodes in my earlier post. They are a completely normal part of the anatomy/lymphatic system and again are nothing to be concerned about.

    image

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  • yummymommy
    yummymommy Member Posts: 14
    edited December 2016

    thanks again for your reply. that was really kind of you to actually show me this diagram.

    The reason i am no longer concerned over the cyst and yes over the lymph node is bec im hearing from a ton of ppl about how common these cysts are, however an intrammary lymph node doesnt seem to be so common. when i googled, all i found were ppl writing about breast cancer that spread to the lymph nodes. i couldnt find anywhere that this is a common thing.

    What i would like to know is if this is a common thing by many women. and why does the radiologist find it important to note it on the report if this is the norm ? i have also had many ultrasounds and i dont think it was ever seen (truth is, this is only the 2nd time i actually read the actual report. previously, the dr would just tell me its normal and i wouldn't know to ask any questions.)

    So if this is something relatively new, is this also considered normal ?

    Sorry for so many questions, as i mentioned above, i have severe health anxiety and you already made me feel a little better...


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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited December 2016

    yummymommy - I agree with everyone else that cysts are normal, as your doctor told you. I can't even imagine having more than one ultrasound a year - let alone getting insurance to pay for it. Wrenn has a good point. If you stay away from "dr google" and cancer forums, it might help your anxiety.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited December 2016

    We all have intrmammary lymph nodes as you can see by the diagram that Bessie so generously took the time to upload for you. The fact that they saw one is a GOOD thing as you have dense, cystic breasts like I did. It means they can watch them over time to see any changes if any, that occur (like growth). The nodes are supposed to be there, remember. Be happy that they can identify them. Coffee and even your period cycle can cause cysts to form in your breasts so depending on your cycle they may or may not see a cyst or two. Or three. I had my first lumpectomy of a huge cyst at 21 years old. It was so big the surgeon said there was no way it was cancer or I'd be dead by then.

    So as you can read we have all experienced cysts as women at one time or another. And you will get more as the years go on. If you get this anxious every time you will become no good to yourself. Ask for medical/chemical help if your anxiety continues sweetie.

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  • yummymommy
    yummymommy Member Posts: 14
    edited December 2016

    Barbe- thank you for your reply. But what do you mean to say thats its a good thing they can see it. Are you referring to the cysts or the lymph node? The fact that you are saying its good bec then you can see if there is growth concerns me. is there a possibility it can grow? does this need to be watched?

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited December 2016

    I was talking about the lymph node but it or the cyst can grow. Recall that I told you I had a huge cyst. It didn't start that way, it had to grow. Cysts are harmless. So are lymph nodes. They can easily tell a cyst as it is fluid filled and lymph nodes are very specific shapes.

    Please don't try to read between the lines. We're all being upfront and honest with you. This is not the place for rainbows and unicorns. It's the place for breast cancer.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited December 2016

    yummymummy, You are asking women with cancer to take care of your health anxiety. Think about that and go to the appropriate source. Wish you comfort in finding peace

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  • yummymommy
    yummymommy Member Posts: 14
    edited December 2016

    Sorry, I don't mean to be insensitive.

    I guess I just wanted t o know if any of you women know about this intrammary lymph node.. and if its normal to show up on an ultrasound.

    thank you for your replies.

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  • MexicoHeather
    MexicoHeather Member Posts: 365
    edited December 2016

    It sounds like you have a good gynecologist. When the ultrasound is done, think of it as a time map you are creating. Our breasts are very dynamic through our 30's and 40's. Because you go so often, the time map is getting better details, like cysts and the lymph node. If you ever need a biopsy, they add markers to reassure you that the trail is normal for you, too. All this guiding information is built over time. The gynecologist's job is to say this map is normal for yummymommy.

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  • Fearless59
    Fearless59 Member Posts: 74
    edited December 2016

    Yummy, my best suggestion for stress and anxiety in general, is Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health. I have a degree in Psychology and once I found Dianetics, I never looked back. It beats the socks off any other therapy I have studied, and I have studied a LOT of them!

    I hope things smooth out for you soon. :)

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