Found lump in armpit - same side as previous cancer

Appoint scheduled for Thursday, March 5th.

Thank you for checking, KBee. My PCP ordered a stat ultrasound, which I'll have tomorrow, the 6th. Both she and the resident physician felt the lump. I'm not feeling quite as anxious as I was earlier today. I took my knitting to my appointment to keep my hands and mind occupied and was practicing deep breathing to keep my blood pressure from being sky high!

Will keep you posted.

Update #2: I just got an email from and logged into my Scripps account. PCP has ordered the following:

Ultrasound guided breast needle biopsy 1st lesion

BI post proc dx mammogram clip/needle placement right

Yikes, that sounds a bit uncomfortable. I've had the core needle biopsy and that wasn't bad and the dye injected before my mastectomy and that wasn't bad either. This however, sounds a bit more involved.

A bit of humor here. Do any of you recall, in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the aunt is talking about her "bio - bip - bibopsy" (or however she said it)? I am getting a little laugh about my upcoming "bibopsy". Hope I don't offend with my humor.

Thank you, Wallycat. I think I'm supposed to call and schedule the procedures. It's listed as two separate items, so I'm assuming it's two different things. Scheduling isn't available until Monday, so I'll call first thing and get that/those on my calendar. Cheers!

UPDATE: Not able to schedule this week as the scheduler is on vacation and her replacement who called me on Tuesday of this week said they were waiting on insurance approval. Today I went in for my mammogram on the other side and asked the man who checked me in what the status was. He said I had to wait until next week (Monday) when the scheduler came back from vacation. On a good note, my mammo appeared to be "unremarkable" - that is to say, the tech didn't have me wait and didn't call in the radiologist. I'm guessing that's a good sign.

I keep checking in the shower every morning to see if the lump has gone away... No such luck, but hopefully I'll get the biopsy soon and get some answers.

Question: Has anyone had an MRI (unrelated to this issue) after having a clip/needle placed? I'm having one on the 20th to look at my optic nerve (sort of routine - nothing to worry about).

Saw my oncologist today (was supposed to see her on 4/1/20, but she wanted to see me sooner). She's ordered a bone scan and a CT scan. Waiting for the insurance approval. i have the biopsy scheduled for 3/25 still and then will see her a week later to discuss the results. Hope I can get the Bone Scan and CT done before my next visit with her. My calcium levels were slightly elevated on my last test. She said that was OK, but wants me to stop taking calcium. Anyone else been told that?

Thank you, Karen. Waiting IS hard, but I'm trying to worry about it. I'd like to know what's causing this back pain I'm having. I have my biopsy and clip/needle placement next Wednesday, so at the least the biopsy will give me one answer (I hope).

Just got a call from my PCP (the one who ordered the US and the biopsy) and she wants to do a video meeting with me tomorrow. Anxiety level just went up a notch, but I'm glad my husband can be there with me and can take notes, if needed. The Clinic and Hospital are only letting patients into the facility - no "support" people. Got the apps downloaded on my phone and will sign in at 9:45 for my 10:00 appointment. Just breathe.......

Mika, no problem It was a lump that I found in my armpit while I was in the shower. I just assumed it was a lymph node. I don't have any scars there, although they did take 4 lymph nodes out during my mastectomy in 2007. Those were negative at the time. The ultrasound radiologist called this an area of concern and recommended the biopsy. I guess I'll know tomorrow.

It turns out that the cancer is back. My PCP is calling it a recurrence, even though it's not in the breast. No staging or receptor status yet. Have a CT and bone scan scheduled for next week. I'm actually quite peaceful about this. I had a gut feeling about it and it's a relief to get some answers. Will wait to get the other test results before I tell my dad and my sister. Thanks for all the love!

Thank you again for the kind words, ladies. Both of my scans got moved to Tuesday and I will see my oncologist that same day. It will be nice to get it all done in one day, I think. My PCP asked me if I was surprised, and I told her "no" and that I just had a "feeling" about this one. Of course I have lots of questions - recurrent vs metastatic, and so on. I heard her say "recurrent" on our video chat this morning, but her note said metastatic. I'll wait until Tuesday and ask my oncologist all of those questions. I actually feel surprisingly calm. I took a walk to the grocery store for bread and celery today. It was good to be outside.

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, ladies!

I have a bone biopsy scheduled for 4/17. When I first called to schedule it I was told, "The first available is sometime in May." After contacting my oncologist, the scheduler called me and they scheduled me for April. I put myself on the waitlist if there are any earlier openings. My oncologist moved my appointment with her back from the 13th to the 22nd (of April). She wants all my test results in hand before we meet to formulate a treatment plan. (She didn't have the HER2 status when I last was her. It was somewhere in the middle and they were going to do the FISH test.) I did ask her nurse if that appointment could be a video conference. I'd really like my husband to be part of that discussion and since they're not allowing any visitors in the clinic or hospital, I'd really like to "see" her this way.

I was told that I'd have anesthesia for the bone biopsy. I believe it's the colonoscopy-type that puts you in a kind of twilight state.

I have wonderful neighbors who saw me through my last cancer 12 years ago, so I've told most of them. Told them I don't need anything and that our faith is strong, but that I just wanted to let them know. Am waiting until I have all the tests, staging, treatment plan, etc., before I tell my dad (he's a physician) and my sister.