Can Anyone Help?

Hi, Colleen. Take a deep breath and keep breathing. Waiting is torture and worrying can't make the time go any faster.

There should be a written reports from your mammogram and ultrasound by the radiologist that recommends the biopsy. You can contact your imaging center and request a copies of those reports. That likely will give you some more information about what they are seeing.

There are a lot of people on these boards that are very good at translating the medical-ese used in reports. I'm not one of them sadly but if you share what's written someone will help you decipher it.

Hang in there. This waiting time is rough for everyone so we've all been there with you.

I'm surprised that the radiologist didn't discuss the findings with you after the US was done. Usually they will tell you what they see or suspect and why exactly they are requesting the biopsy. Definitely contact the imaging center and request a copy for yourself. I think it is very important for us to have copies of every test/biopsy to keep in our personal records. You never know when it might come in handy. Very cruel of them to make you wait without giving you some type of info. Good luck and keep us posted. 

Colleen,

Like others have said, get copies of those reports and post them here. We can help you understand.

The techs are not supposed to say anything. Nothing. Nada. Zip. They aren't doctors, and shouldn't be relaying anything the radiologist (who is a doctor), said to them.

If the radiologist was **that** concerned, they should have come in and talked to you about it, rather than going thru a tech.

Again, got the radiologist reports, and post what they say here. We can help you understand

Colleen - I cannot believe the tech said anything to you at all or even showed any kind of reaction, no matter what she did or didn't see. In fact, I would be inclined to tell the radiologist about it because I really don't think they are allowed to do that (HIPPA laws, etc.). That's downright awful to have that happen. You should only be hearing from the radiologist.

Definitely go get a copy of the radiology reports. You have every right to them and it will help you. DON'T go to Google or Bing for your information (I'm a great one to talk!). Every one of us and our cases is different and there is no website anywhere that can speak to you specifically.

I know it's so hard, but try to breathe. It took exactly one year and 2 days for my cancer to form and become as big as a small pencil eraser. It's not growing while you sleep.

Keep us posted. You came to the right place; you will get the most tremendous support here!!

Yes, call them Monday and tell them you want copies of both the mammo and US reports. It's your legal right to have copies. Im not sure if you live close enough where it's easy for you to pick up the copies, or if they can fax them to you or something.

Snickersmom is right. It was very unprofessional of that tech to say or show any reaction. Drives me crazy when they do that.

Colleen, my heart goes out to you. This was handled all wrong. The tech had NO BUSINESS giving her opinion or relaying anything the radiologist may or may not have said. It has nothing to do with HIPAA and everything to do with common decency. As such, try not to read anything into what she said or how she cut her eyes at you. Until you have a biopsy NOBODY knows what you have there. And that's the really scary part, IMO. Not finding out we have cancer, although that's bad enough, but being in that special hell when we are scared and don't have any answers. 

Take heart from the fact that the majority that ARE diagnosed with cancer are early stage. The vaaaaaast majority will never die from BC. Very few are at stage 4 at initial diagnosis. And even at stage 4 there is a lot of treatment available. So it's not a hopeless situation, even though it probably feels like it right now. 

For the moment, try not to Google stuff (everything "breast" leads to cancer, and a lot of that information is flat-out wrong and out of date.) Do what you can to keep busy. I find that keeping my hands busy helps me to not perseverate on worries.  Things like cleaning, painting, sewing, reading aloud, anything that I have to engage my mind and body in at the same time. Nothing that puts me in "the zone", because then I just get stuck and worry. Monday will be here in two more sleeps. Call your doctor on Monday and tell them exactly what you told us. Get them on your side (personally, I think any good doctor would be horrified if his staff did something like this!) 

Hey there--so sorry you're going through this.

1.3cm is small! That's still a stage 1 (anything under 2 cm is stage 1, unless you have lymph node involvement..then I think it's considered Stage 1B)

I've been on that roller coaster you're on right now. It's really rough, not knowing. That tech should never have told you ANYTHING abotu your ultrasound. That's so not kosher.

What happened to me was--they found a cancerous tumor in my right breast. They said it was 1.5cm. The first hospital I went to was ready to give me a lumpectomy and radiation.

Instead, I went with a surgeon recommended to me by someone I trust, and she ended up sending me for a breast MRI (like YOU, I have dense breasts).

Because of my dense breasts, the mammogram and ultrasound didn't pick up a) a fibroadonema in my LEFT breast and b) a SECOND tumor in my right breast.

So of course, going through all that (which meant I had to do THREE biopsies..ugh), I was a nervous wreck.

My surgeon said according to the breast MRI, my original tumor was over 2 cm..but after surgery, the final measurement was 1.7cm.

And I can tell you, they were right about there being no lymph node involvement--they told me that in the beginning just like they told you.

I feel pretty lucky.

Ultimately, I ended up doing a unilateral mastectomy on my right breast and saving the left, because I was negative for genetic mutations, and preserving the healthy breast doesn't increase your risk of cancer in any way. I preferred to have one breast that still had feeling.

You will get through this!

Keep posting here. There's lots of good info and support.

Hi Colleen, First, I'm so sorry you're here, cancer sucks. I too had a very small cancer. Everyone kept telling me how great that was, but it still sucked.

You'll likely have a biopsy now, it may even be ultrasound guided, since that's how they found it (unless you had it, may have missed your post). With the size of your "tumor" (you could name it) I had a lumpectomy. Since no nodes were involved I had radiation and 5 years of pills for treatment (you'll hear more later).

A really great book to get or borrow from the library is Dr. Helen Love's Breast Cancer Book. She is amazing and a survivor as well. That book outlines everything. My motto always is "knowledge is power". You have many choices ahead.

You've come to the right place, nearly everyone here has been in your shoes. <<hugs>>

please keep us posted on your journey.

Yes, it is possible to be a bit uncomfortable. Have you heard when you will have a biopsy, or did I miss a post?

I feel your frustration. I’ve been waiting for my biopsy results since last Thursday.

Hang in there. Praying yours is B9.