Waiting for more tests... Mom has BC... now this?!

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radiogrrrl71
radiogrrrl71 Member Posts: 2
edited October 2020 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

A little backstory... My 67 yr old Mom was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and DCIS of the left breast which had metastasized to her lymph nodes. She is ER/PR+ HER2- ... She had a double mastectomy and lymph node resection on 6/2/20 where they removed 13 nodes. Mom did not require chemo, but completed 25 rounds of radiation the end of August. She is healing really well and except for lingering fatigue, she has done very well. Getting a cancer diagnosis during a pandemic made it that much more stressful for her and our family.


So now I get to the crux of my post... I know I shouldn't worry until there's something to worry about, but with Mom's diagnosis I have to admit I am concerned. You see, I finally got around to getting a mammogram scheduled for myself. I am 49 and have been getting them since 40. My doc had me on an every 2 year cycle since we didn't consider me high risk. Well, now with my Mom having BC I wanted to get in. My doctor agreed I need to get checked every year now and my Mom's BC is noted in my chart. So I had my screening mammogram Thu 10/1. I told the tech about my Mom and also noted to her that I've been having "zappy" little pains in my left breast off and on. I no longer have periods as I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago. (I still have one ovary) Well, the next day I got an e-mail from my doctor's office that my results were on my patient portal. I looked it up and was surprised to read it said my right breast was normal but the left breast showed "a 1 cm asymmetry in the inner breast, approx. 5cm from the nipple". It said further imaging required. So I called my doctor and she was not in but the nurse said the Breast Health Center would be calling me to set up another appt. 😕


So on Monday they called from the Breast Health Center at my hospital and said the Radiologist wants me to do a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound of my left breast. I go on Thursday 10/15, so I have to wait 6 more days. They said they'll tell me what's going on right away at that appointment. Now I know many women have to do this and it turns fine... but with my Mom's breast cancer you can understand my anxiousness. I don't even want to say anything to my Mom or family. I don't want to worry them needlessly before I know anything for certain. I'm just thinking what are the odds that a mother and daughter would get BC diagnosis in the same year??? 😳 Did anyone have your BC start off like this? I'm praying my further testing results in "nothing to worry about"... but the way 2020 has gone for me and my family (not going to go into the many bad things that have occurred) but let's just say, it would be just my luck. Oh... and because my Mom is not tech-savvy in the least and I was her go-to support person thru her whole breast cancer ordeal this year, she had me load her patient portal app on my phone to help her keep tabs on things. Well I couldn't help myself and read the test results of her initial mammogram and it sounds eerily like mine. Hers was an 8mm asymmetry in the left outer breast... mine states a 1cm asymmetry in the left inner breast. Aaaaargh! The waiting is driving me crazy!

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited October 2020

    Dear radiogrrrl71,

    Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry that these changes on your mammogram have brought you here but glad that you reached out for support and helpful information. You may want to check out these resources around Common Imaging Questions and Concerns. We hope that you will hear from other members soon. Keep us posted on what you learn.

    The Mods

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited October 2020

    The waiting is the hardest bit. Hang in there. Whichever way it goes, you'll handle it when it comes.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2020

    I wish I knew the percentage of women who have a screening mammo and are called back for a diagnostic mammo & ultrasound. It is extremely high. If you have dense breasts or fibercystic breasts - there is no way that a screening mam can see what's going on.

    I was called back EVERY time for 40 years. Not kidding - started mammos at age 25. Eventually at age almost 70 they did find DCIS.

    I would recommend you don't tell people at this point - particularly your Mom. It's so hard to wait. Try binge watching TV, or talking long walks or diving into a book. Good luck. Please come back & let us know after your tests.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited October 2020

    I was diagnosed at 66 and my daughter and sisters didn't qualify for genetic testing. We were told that if it was genetic one of us would have had it at a younger age. One sister went ahead and paid for testing and was negative. My daughter was told to just get testing at the common age for starting mammograms.

    I hope you find out soon that you too have nothing to worry about. Until you do get good news try to find distractions from the worry. It's not easy.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2020

    radiogrrrl, so sorry you've had to join us, but glad you found us.

    To MinusTwo's post, approx. 10% of screening mammograms result in a call-back, and 95% of call-backs are not cancer. This is older information - so the numbers might be a bit different now that some women get 3D mammos - but today's figures won't be much different than this.


    image

    Asymmetry.... one of the most common reasons for call backs. Most often, it turns out to be nothing. It could be something as simple as the way that your breast was positioned and squished in the mammogram machine, causing the appearance of asymmetry. That's exactly what it turned out to be for several women who have posted here recently who've had callbacks due to asymmetry.

    Or if the asymmetry is real, it doesn't mean the cause is malignant. There are lots of benign causes for asymmetry, including fibrocystic conditions. So it's definitely too early to worry.

    https://radiopaedia.org/articles/asymmetry-mammography

    https://breast-cancer.ca/abnorm-mams/

    I do understand the heightened fear because your mother was so recently diagnosed. That's actually what happened to me. My mother, age 80, was diagnosed in March. Then, at age 49, I was diagnosed in September. In between, in June, my brother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. That was 15 years ago and we are all fine - my mother is 96 now. So yes, it can happen. But will it happen in your case? It's a whole lot more likely that your callback will turn out to be a false alarm, just like most callbacks are. And like MinusTwo, I've had more callbacks than I can remember, and lots of biopsies and needle aspirations. So despite my diagnosis, I know from experience that most callbacks don't result in a diagnosis of breast cancer.

    Good luck, and let us know how it goes!


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  • radiogrrrl71
    radiogrrrl71 Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2020

    I just had my repeat diagnostic mammogram appt. I end up not needing the ultrasound because the radiologist said the multiple views they did of the diagnostic Mamm didn’t show anything of concern! Phhffew! They said the screening Mamm must have had a tissue fold... not a good compression. Also they said that my weight fluctuations between mammograms showed slight differences but NOTHING to be concerned with. So I just do my normal annual screening. They said that is important for me because of my mother’s breast cancer history. So thank you so much to those if you who responded. I’m very grateful. Bless you all who are waiting for results and prayers for all of you BC Warriors!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2020

    Great news! Thanks for letting us know!

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