Nervous for core biopsy in the morning

Dee930,

Of course you're nervous! It's a nerve wracking thing.

In fact, going through this process is so nerve wracking that for years, doctors wouldn't even send young women for mammograms/biopsies, because the chance of cancer is so low that they thought the negative experience of further imaging wasn't worth the stress. DUMB. Because although it's very rare, it's super important to catch it early when it happens, and because women can handle it. You can handle it, you will handle it, you *are* handling it.

There is a thread here called "Interpreting your report" where one of the members who is a radiologist very generously will help us understand our reports. But unless you have questions about yours that your doctor didn't answer, in your position, with the biopsy so soon, I'm not sure that will really be helpful. The point of a biopsy is that they can't definitively rule cancer either in or out with the ultrasound alone.

If you can, try not to read too much into the doctor's face. You never know what's going on in someone's head. Maybe he just remembered he forgot to sign his kid's permission slip form or something. Or someone talked to him recently about being more empathetic to patients and he thinks that means putting on a concerned face that he hasn't finely tuned enough yet.

Waiting for results SUCKS and it always will suck. Do what you can to get through to the other end. I will say that it sounds like chances are this is nothing concerning and you have a good medical team for being so prudent, and if it is cancer, chances are it early and very treatable (most cancer found based on a lump alone are still early stage) and you will find the strength the get through (and the boards will help).

Hang in there!

Congrats on making it through the biopsy! Next Tuesday afternoon may feel like forever, but you will get there.

I think it's great that you are getting the follow up results at an appointment. If it's not cancer, he'll be able to give you advice as to next steps if it's something that needs dealing with. If it is, he should be able to at least give you some context about it. I had to wait until my surgical oncology appointment for someone to definitively tell me that everything about it screamed early stage, and I wanted to cry with relief.

Big pats on the back to you for handling this! Keep us posted and sending supportive thoughts! I found semi-mindless phone games very helpful