Frustrated with process

KB102

I am sorry you are going through this. I am not sure what you mean about the "breast specialist" -- whether this was the breast surgeon you mention or an oncologist. Whichever it was though what they said seems odd as we patients are so worried and shocked its difficult to get all the terms straight at first. I had the opposite experience because the radiologist who told me that I needed to see a surgeon was a very experienced radiologist who I had requested read my mammos for 18 years and a friend as well so when he said I likely had cancer and needed a biopsy I believed it was cancer for sure. So when I called for an appointment with the surgeon and told the staff person I had cancer (rather than say I likely had cancer), she was confused how I had been diagnosed already without a biopsy! But she didn't press me for exactly what I had. After all before the appt I would send the mamma report to the office. Don't understand why the specialist needed to know the exact terminology when some radiologist had told you that you need a biopsy and I can see it was upsetting to be fussed at when you are scared already. It is hard to wait for answers but you will probably find in general that things move slow or seem to from a patient's point of view. I "knew" I had cancer on April 27 but my biopsy was not until May 19 and my surgery was not until June 15 -- a full 6 weeks or more from the mammo. You will worry no matter what I say because that is what we all do when we start this unwanted process but I send you good wishes. Polly

That "breast specialist" should remember that at the beginning of all this, most people don't know the medical terminology. I guarantee you, though, that if you go through a biopsy—and find out it's cancer—you will learn them all very fast. One way to make sure you get the terms correct is to ask for a written report of your visits/consults. Or have a close friend or relative go to the appointments with you to take notes and ask questions that you might forget to ask. I was very fortunate to have a sister whose husband was a doctor come with me. Being a doctor's wife doesn't always give you knowledge in these situations, but she knew WHAT to ask so that I had the answers I needed.

Good luck. I hope your nodules are benign.

I’m also awaiting a biopsy and am very frustrated with the whole process. I feel like I’m getting the runaround every where I turn. I hope it gets straighten out for you soon and get clear resilts

Ditto, find another surgeon and get the biopsy.

You are not the only one, we are all in the same boat. Since my family doctor "found" something on my breast in March 2018, They never stop requesting me to do testing, it is already July 2018. I had 2 mammograms (one in the imaging company, one in hospital) 2 Ultrasounds (one in the imaging company, one in hospital) 1 full breast examination, then i have to go do one biopsy on the hospital on my right breast, then an MRI. Before i even get the result from the MRI, the hospital already request me to do yet another biopsy. This time on the left.

I am communicating to both the hospital and its outreach office. They have absolutely no communication between them. I got booked for a biopsy in the hospital before I get my MRI result in the outreach office. The hospital give me no options and assume I have no life and I can take whatever day off to do test. They even call my dad (who is in the emergency list). They insist they don't have my cell-phone, and cannot reach on my home phone. My dad got all freak out to hear the call from the hospital. The hospital told my dad it is for a checkup, and when I called back, they told me it is for an biopsy.

Do they know how much stress that people have to do all these tests? Do they know that it really affecting our whole family. Do they know they are affecting our mental well-being."Better safe than sorry" is no longer a reason to do more tests. I am just as frustrating as you are. I really want to let you know, you are not the only one,