normal notification?

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Nthe-waiting
Nthe-waiting Member Posts: 5
edited June 2021 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

Had mammogram on May 11, was told that I would receive a call if it showed a problem or a letter if not a problem. I received letter with call back because of "dense tissue." I took that to mean "not a major concern" and scheduled the follow up for a month later. Just yesterday received access to my computerized record and it says there actually is a fairly large mass (not palpable) in one breast. Is this how notifications are normally done?? Shouldn't someone have called me for this?

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited May 2021

    I had a letter as my notification that I needed an ultrasound and possible biopsy in 2018. I was fine with getting notified that way.

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  • Nthe-waiting
    Nthe-waiting Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2021

    Thanks Alice...I'm hoping that my putting off the diagnostic for a month didn't put me in a lot more danger than I'm already in.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited May 2021

    There is no one way that patients are notified of exam/test results. Hospitals, medical groups and individual doctors have their own protocols. Online patient portals frequently have results posted before you speak with your doctor. Take care.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited May 2021

    I always received a written notification -a form letter of sorts with some individualized lines of my results. If I needed to show up for a diagnostic mammogram (call-back) then I was called and scheduling was done during that phone call. Keep in mind the vast majority of call backs end up being benign..... Please keep us posted....

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  • orangeflower
    orangeflower Member Posts: 146
    edited May 2021

    The electronic record is how I found out I had invasive cancer....It was a mistake on their part. The lab results were sent to my gyn, and her office is very fast about uploading records, so it got uploaded before the imagining place had a chance to call me. That wasn't fun.


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  • Nthe-waiting
    Nthe-waiting Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2021

    Just asking for opinions here... shouldn't I be able to feel a mass in one breast described as 6 x 9 x 10 cm? Both breasts are a little sore and tender but they've been that way for years. They were much more painful back when I still had periods.

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  • kathabus
    kathabus Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2021

    Hi--Are you sure that is not in mm? Very likely you would not be able to feel that...especially if you have dense breasts.

    I had a 2.5cm mass and never felt it. I was at the GYN a month before it was found....they didn't feel it either. In addition to that, all my imaging saw 8mm....so even the imaging sometimes doesn't see it!

    I think it depends on where it is and how dense your breasts are. 10 cm DOES seem like a size you would be able to feel. I don't know???? Hopefully someone else will have some more info on this....

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited June 2021

    Nthe-waiting, Kathabus is right, do you mean mm not cm? Some people do feel their lumps, others do not. And remember, a lump doesn't mean that it is necessarily cancerous. Only a biopsy can tell that for sure. Read here, if helpful, on Breast Cancer Tests: Screening, Diagnosis, and Monitoring.

    The Mods

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  • Nthe-waiting
    Nthe-waiting Member Posts: 5
    edited June 2021

    it is mm not cm, thx.

    This is first time I've faced a health issue that could be life-threatening. Not thinking too good right now

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited June 2021

    That is a large area if cm is indeed correct. I'd be surprised you couldn't feel that too.... I had a 3 cm area of DCIS + a 3 cm area in same area that was a mix of lots of other benign and precancerous stuff. I didn't feel any lumps and neither did my GYN.... I had large breasts though.... I should also add with DCIS it was all spread out in the ducts vs. clumped together in an actual lump per se....

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  • kathabus
    kathabus Member Posts: 205
    edited June 2021

    Ok, so looking at that mass, I find it interesting that it was labeled as fairly large. 10mm at its widest dimension is early stage. In fact, my breast surgeon called a tumor she thought was 8mm "teeny tiny; size of a pea."

    With that being said, it is a big jump to conclude breast cancer at this point. Try to take this step by step. Next step is diagnostic mammogram. You might get a green light at that point. And if not, you still would need a biopsy and then you might get a green light there. We see lots of that. So lots to do before we go jumping to the worst!

    I hope this calmed your nerves a bit and that you're hanging in there. Let us know how you're next appointment goes and if there is anything else we can help you with!!

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  • Nthe-waiting
    Nthe-waiting Member Posts: 5
    edited June 2021

    That helps! My throwback brain doesn't think in metric terms at the best of times, much less at a time like this. I seem to remember once upon a time there was a big push to convert Americans to "everything metric like the rest of the world."

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