Mammogram and Ultrasound results

Bi-Rads 0 means more imaging is needed before they can determine what your actual score is. Assuming you had your mammo, they rated it a 0 because they saw something that needed to be looked at via ultrasound and/or diagnostic mammo. You then had the follow up ultrasound and/diagnostic mammo, and they gave you a __? Assuming it's a 4 or 5...I've never seen 4/5. In order to do a biopsy, your score must be at least a 4 (sometimes they do 4a, 4b, and 4c). 80% of 4’s come back benign. A score of 5 means HIGHLY suspicious of cancer

Sam183, sorry you didn't get a reply. Check out "Interpreting Your Report" thread. It was started by djmammo, a Board Certified Diagnostic Radiologist. Post your results and questions, he is pretty good at responding. Wishing you the best.

Hello Sam

I'm sorry that you have not had too many replies to your posts. It's quite probable that they haven't been seen by that many people. This is a huge board...

The other thing is that unless we say we are - and it is apparent by the quality and the evidence of the reply - most of us aren't doctors or radiologists. We just try and do the best we can as patients, former patients or people who've discovered lumps and bumps and found them to be benign so we really can't give advice on clinical matters. We are just not qualified to do that.

However, we can share our experiences and what has worked for us. There's also a thread for people who post links about research papers. I found that very useful as a tool for discussion with my oncologist.

But what we can do is hold your hand while you wait and see what your baseline is.

I hope things go well for you.

Alice

Birads 4/5 means that you should try to get your house in order. Prepare food to freeze, get caught up on chores, etc. If it does come back positive for breast cancer, a surgery consult will be scheduled and things happen very quickly from there on out. I did not have that luxury....went in for annual mammogram on a Monday//ultrasound Tuesday...with birads 4 determination....biopsy Wednesday and call back on biopsy on the following Monday. Surgery was two weeks later. I went into full panic mode and did not accomplish anything for at least 1.5 weeks. It would have been a great time to get some heavy duty walking in and build up my endurance. If it comes back as nothing, then you are ahead of the game.

I agree with Michelle, in between getting my birads score and actual dx it gave me time to wrap my head around the fact that it was most likely cancer. I even reached out to one of the top BS in the Boston area and immediately made an appointment and while on the phone the assistant making the Appt told me that she fills up fast and that I was doing the right thing by being proactive.

Sending good energy and positive vibes your way!

Sam, it is great to hope, but better to ground yourself in reality. Increased blood flow and a birads of 4/5 means that the radiologist saw something like a spiculated mass. No one that has been through breast cancer surgery/treatment/anti hormonal therapy, is going to sugar coat this for you. Go in with your eyes wide open and take someone with you that can take notes. Use this time wisely, because how you prepare yourself physically and mentally, can help determine surgery outcomes. Assuming that you will be diagnosed with breast cancer, increasing your stamina will help your recovery. Also, mentally focusing on how you will recover and having an idea of who can help you, can be very valuable. With 1 in 8 women (which I think is more like 1 in 5 women) getting breast cancer, we have between a 12 and 20 percent chance of getting diagnosed. Another tip that I have is to start increasing the amount of protein in your diet. Protein will help you heal faster, if and when you need surgery. If you smoke, stop...if you drink..stop. Both increase your chances of having breast cancer. Your lungs will have to be clear and meet a certain standard to have surgery.

I totally agree about having a therapist on call. I did have s nurse navigator and she was great. Doctors know and can treat the physical impact of a BC DX but the mental/emotional aspect is another matter entirely. I luckily had a friend who was a RN at St. Jude and had had BC. She was a godsend. I peppered her with questions.

I went through the process in a fog though. I didn’t break down until my BS called with the Oncotype results which were good. It allowed me to dodge chemo.

I was prepared for the worst because I had never been called back in the office to have another mammogram because one breast was bigger than the other. I just knew then.

We are all here so there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. It’s no longer the death sentence and I’m 8 years out in August God willing.

Keep the faith and keep us posted.

Diane

A therapist can help keep you focused and not drift off on tangents. Ultrasound can see objects that mammograms cannot. If there is hormone positive cancer, taking medication is very important. The chance that anyone has a rare form of Breast cancer is unlikely. Sam, you will find out what u have soon enough

Sam,

What state are you in? I am in Illinois!!! Breast cancer is very common and is caught early. One reason that the ultrasound finds echos in the breast, is because the tumor grows from top to bottom, not sideways. So, it is taller than wide. That is how mine appeared. The good news is that oncoplastic surgery can create an incision on the areola and no one will know the difference. It is really important to find an oncoplastic surgeon, which is a highly specialized area. Biopsies do not hurt, it is nerve wrecking....yes wrecking....

Sam, you are going to feel alot of "things" over the next few weeks. You need to stop looking at yourself, until after the biopsy and results. Our imaginations and fears can get the best of us during this time. Have you had medical anxieties in the past? How did you deal with them? I can't imagine being in Texas in the heat. Here in Illinois it was in the high 80s. Can you work on some meal prep // crock pot meals to freeze, just in case? Maybe a trip to the store to stock up on foods that are easy to fix? My world stopped when I was diagnosed and I literally froze mentally, emotionally and physically. I could not do anything. Looking back, if I could give myself advice, it would be as follows: 1. breast cancer is common 2. you will get through this 3. take care of what you can now, because later you won't be able to, for a few weeks 4. Keep a diary/journal on goals, accomplishments, appts. (I did that and it was an amazing body of work when I was finished.) Was I scared in the beginning.....very scared. Am I scared now, no I am not. You may learn things that you never thought of before, you may meet new people and new friends because of this situation. Don't be scared, because you are going to be okay.