awful dr visit!

I think your doctor did you no favor by sending you to the breast specialist with imaging that looked benign and a radiology recommendation to recheck in 4 months. That recommendation is really reassuring - if the radiologist thought it looked bad, you wouldn't be waiting 4 months. The 4 months gives you some follow-up because, even though the radiologist thinks the probability this is something serious is low, a follow-up is some insurance that if this one is the rare exception it will be caught, and also, secondarily, it keeps the issue on the burner as something for you to think about so that if it got larger you wouldn't be thinking "That's completely done with, it doesn't matter that it's 10x bigger" That's all entirely reasonable if something looks benign.

This isn't the type of situation where a breast surgeon would want to be involved. Breast surgeons get involved when there's either a question of whether or not an excisional biopsy is needed, or if you know you have cancer. Recommendation for follow-up imaging in 4 months is pretty far from considering excisional biopsy. Basically, you did waste his time, but it wasn't your fault and it was really inappropriate for him to make you feel that way. The fault lies with the doctor who referred you, but it wouldn't be appropriate for the surgeon to make her feel bad about it either - what that would accomplish would be to make her wary of ever referring to him. There are ways he could have politely let her know he doesn't need to see people in this situation, thereby avoiding shaming anybody while educating her.

I'd do the 4 month follow-up as originally recommended. Let your doctor know the breast specialist was a jerk.

Just chiming in to agree with Outfield. Sounds like the referral was unnecessary but it's unfortunate the second doctor was cranky instead of calming. When you go back for the check-up I hope you can get more of your questions answered by your primary care physician or the radiologist. Getting copies of the mammogram and ultrasound reports may help also.

You're welcome and please don't worry about using the wrong terminology or expressing your fears here. We get it. and wish you the very best.

Your family history does up the ante, I get that. Much more important than if you have had genetic testing, did your sister or your mother? If any one person in the family were to get testing, it would be much, much more useful for it to be one of them than for it to be you. That way, if they have something identifiable, any testing you might have could be focused.

That rationale can be a little hard to follow, but it's what a genetic counselor would tell your family. If you are worried about having an increased risk because of your mother and your sister, and it turns out they have "X," then really your question is "Do I have "X" too?" not "Do I have any bad gene?" The "Do I have any bad gene?" question is the one a person starts with when they are the one who has cancer at a weirdly young age or has cancer and there's a lot of cancer in the family.

If neither of them had genetic testing, or if nothing was found, then you need to talk with your doctor about what farmerlucy has mentioned - referral to someone who can help quantify your risk (much harder without a specific genetic problem identified) and/or you need to be screened using a high-risk protocol.

Hello, I have had a similar experience. I had a rash over the summer just my left breast that felt like an itch I couldn’t reach. It was just a blush red all over, no bumps. It eventually went away after months of rubbing all sorts of different medicating creams on it. Then in September my family doc and I felt a weird thickened area on that same breast up at 1:00. U/s and mammo showed no area of concern. It is now February and the area now has become a hard lump that my doctor and I both can feel. He sent me to a surgeon (a pulmonologist ) and he said it doesn’t feel like a cancerous lump. He stated that an MRI would give so many false positives that he won’t do it . Can a doctor feel a lump and know it’s nothing ? The area has changed from the earlier diagnostic procedures. I’m concerned but also feel that the doctor was very dismissive and condescending.

peregrinelady I only found out he was a pulmonologist because I googled him. My doctor sent me to him. He said he wanted me to see a surgeon . I belong to an HMO and I don’t pick the doctor I see, they do. I really wish I would have been sent to a breast surgeon/doctor.

get a second opinion

Bkmkmom

Can you post the entire US report?

djmammo,

My records state:

in 2012:
TECHNIQUE: CC and MLO views of both breasts using Digital
Mammography and CAD.

FINDINGS: The breast tissue is heterogeneously dense. This may lower
the sensitivity of mammography.

BOTH BREASTS show normal parenchyma with no suspicious masses or
secondary signs of malignancy.

In 2013:

DIGITAL BILATERAL SCREENING MAMMOGRAM WITH CAD

FINDINGS:

Images were acquired digitally. CAD program was utilized.

The breast tissue is heterogeneously dense. This may lower the
sensitivity of mammography.

There are no dominant mass lesions or malignant appearing
calcifications in either breast. No suspicious abnormality is
identified.

The left breast is unremarkable. On the right there is a developing
nodule in the outer breast middle third seen best on the CC view but
probably located inferiorly on the MLO view. 90degree lateral film,
compression views, and possible ultrasound are suggested.

Follow up Date: 12/16/2013 :

Impression

IMPRESSION: RIGHT BREAST: BI-RADS CATEGORY 3 - PROBABLY BENIGN
FINDINGS.
Recommend short-term follow-up with repeat study in 6 months.

The findings and recommendations were discussed with the patient at
the time of the exam. The patient has a skin rash at the right
inferior breast for which clinical evaluation and treatment is
recommended.

POSITIVE ALERT

The results of this study have been annotated as abnormal in EPIC,
the patient's Group Health electronic medical record.
Alert was placed due to presence of clinical concern/symptoms.

Narrative

[HST]: Rt add views + poss US

HISTORY: Right breast density. The patient also has rash at the right
inferior breast and is worried about inflammatory breast cancer.

TECHNIQUE: Additional views of the right breast included 90 degree
lateral view, rolled CC views and spot compression magnification
views. Digital mammography was used. Right breast ultrasound was
obtained.

FINDINGS: There are scattered fibroglandular densities (approximately
25-50% glandular).

The previously noted. Asymmetry at the inferior right breast does not
persist on the additional views, and therefore, represent parenchymal
summation artifact. In the lateral mid breast, on the CC view, there
is a persistent macro lobulated density measuring approximately 1 cm
in greatest diameter. This is similar to the study of 7/30/12. Based
on the rolled CC views it is positioned slightly superiorly.

Ultrasound of the RIGHT breast in the lateral breast in the
corresponding location and shows no sonographic abnormality.

The findings are likely benign and may represent an intramammary
lymph node. 6 month mammographic follow up is recommended with
standard views.

06/14:

Rt 6mo f/u mammo[SAS]: due 6/14HISTORY: Six-month followup of right breastTECHNIQUE: CC and MLO views of the right breast using Digital Mammography and CAD.COMPARISON: 12/16/13, 11/23/13, 7/30/12, 8/7/08FINDINGS: There are scattered fibroglandular densities (approximately 25-50% glandular).The RIGHT breast shows normal parenchyma with no suspicious masses or secondary signs of malignancy.

Then no mammos until:

09/17:

Narrative

[HST]: left breast discomfort and area of thickened breast tissue at the upper outer quadrant with chronic inflammation of the skin on the breast

HISTORY:left breast discomfort and area of thickened breast tissue at
the upper outer quadrant with chronic inflammation of the skin on the
breast

TECHNIQUE:SYMPTO MAMMO BI , US BREAST UNIL /L.Diagnostic bilateral
mammogram. CC and MLO views of both breasts were obtained with
additional lateral and spot compression magnification views of the
left breast. Images were acquired digitally. Left breast ultrasound
was performed.

COMPARISON:3/16/2016, 11/23/2013

FINDINGS:There are scattered areas of fibroglandular density.

The RIGHT breast shows normal parenchyma with no suspicious masses or
secondary signs of malignancy.

The LEFT breast shows normal parenchyma with no suspicious masses or
secondary signs of malignancy. 2 triangular markers were placed over
the 2 palpable areas of the left breast, upper-outer quadrant. No
mammographic abnormalities are seen.

Ultrasound of the LEFT breast was performed in the 2 areas of
concern. At 1:00, 6 cm from the nipple, the breast is sonographically
normal. At 1:00, 6 cm from the nipple, also the breast tissue appears
normal.

I realize that these results are very normal and good, it's just that I noticed after the last U/S Mammo, the thickening area became a lump. My doctor felt it too and that's why he sent me to the surgeon. The surgeon felt it and said it was nothing. Just normal lumpy breasts. So that's why I was asking if a doctor can tell just by feeling it. I am so embarrassed and felt like I was wasting his time. But I just can't shake this worried feeling. Thanks for listening and any comments in my behalf are so appreciated.

You can also call your HMO or go onto their website to find a breast specialist that is in your network. Then when you go back to your GP/PCP, you can give the office the name of the person in your network. It shouldn't matter to your PCP office where you go, as long as it is covered by your insurance and has the right type of specialist.