Good news but still wondering.....

I am a 54 post menopausal woman who received a callback after my annual screening mammogram due to four areas of focal asymmetry. I also had calcifications which were classified as benign, and a lymph node that was benign and stable. Fortunately, I only had to wait two days for my diagnostic mammogram, although they were two days consumed by panic, Dr. Google, and a general inability to function.

My diagnostic was done at our local center for breast health, which is affiliated with Penn Medicine. The technician was an angel - very reassuring, taking the time to discuss my fears and concerns, and thorough in her explanation of what to expect.

After the first series of x-rays, she said that the radiologist was no longer concerned about three out of the four areas of asymmetry. However, she needed another look at the remaining density. The technician took two more images of my right breast at a different angle, and went to show them to the radiologist. She came back and said things were looking better and that she just needed one more image down a bit lower. She took the x-ray and was off to see the radiologist again. When she returned she said , " You're all clear for another year."

I asked about an ultrasound or a 6 month check up, but she said I was fine. I have dense breast tissue, and although tissue becomes less dense with age, she explained that as the changes occur, some areas can appear more dense and that fatty areas can wrap around dense areas. She assured me that the compressions of the diagnostic mammogram laid everything out nicely to show normal breast tissue. I asked about the calcifications, but she said mine were very sporadic, and common in post menopausal women. She also commented that sometimes the 3-D images capture lymph nodes, and the one they saw had not changed from last year.

While I am relieved at the good news, I still wonder if I need an ultrasound. Several ladies in the waiting area with me that day had one, and I was also expecting to be called back. I have friends with dense breasts who automatically get an ultrasound every year. Should I ask for more testing? I also wonder about my original mammogram - the technician seemed rushed, and it was the fastest mammogram of my life. Maybe she didn't get things laid out so well?