BI-RAD 4. Waiting to get biopsy and freaking out.

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Ilikedogs
Ilikedogs Member Posts: 55
edited August 2021 in Waiting for Test Results

Hi. I am 42. Had my first mammogram 2 years ago with a follow up mammogram due to dense breast tissue and it was fine.

Had another mammogram this summer. Needed to have a follow up again and there is a new area of 1.8cm with coarse heterogenous calcification.

Radiologist told me it was “indeterminate" but on the report in my online chart it says “BI-RAD 4 - Suspicious".

I am a bit of a nervous wreck right now. Any feedback?


Thank you.

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

    Welcome likedogs! Of course you're feeling quite anxious. these kinds of things are anxiety-provoking. Please keep in mind 75% or so of BIRADS 4 turn out benign on diagnostic mammo. Of those that go on for biopsy about 80% of those turn out benign. I had several call backs on my right breast that ended up being fine and two biopsies at least one of which was a fibroadenoma (benign)... Hopefully yours comes back benign. Sounds like you don't have a biopsy date yet? Let us know when you get one and when you get results... Hang in there!!

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  • Melbo
    Melbo Member Posts: 346
    edited July 2021

    just to reiterate what livinkife said — birads 4 usually turn out to be benign. The waiting and the testing is the hardest part and the whole process is terrifying. Good luck

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  • Ilikedogs
    Ilikedogs Member Posts: 55
    edited July 2021

    Thank you so much for your responses.

    Do you guys know - are calcifications themselves cancerous? Or do they hide a tumor? I always though of breast cancer as a tumor/growth. Calcifications are just calcium and salt? So I am trying to make sense of all this.

    Also, I left two messages with my obgyn wanting to ask her some questions and no response back. Is that normal? I get it that she isn’t a radiologist but I can’t get ahold of the radiologist either.

    I just feel like they threw that BiRAD 4 at me via my-chart and nothing else.

    I am sorry if I am being whiny. Just feel very alone.

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

    Calcifications are not necessarily cancerous. I had calcifications in "suspicious" areas leading to several call backs and two biopsies on my right breast - fibroadenoma.....

    Some docs are not great about returning calls - I wouldn't read much into that (GYN) and I'm assuming the radiologist knows you have the follow-up biopsy so may not call back until you're at that appointment? Depends on the docs.... You could try portal messaging your GYN - They are a doc that follows you so I would expect a response. They may not be able to tell you much. My last GYN, with my DCIS (he's moved onto a new job) said he really doesn't know much about breast cancer- certainly not what radiologists know about images or what oncologists know about images, treatments, etc. He wasn't ignorant though definite this wasn't an area of expertise for him - I was surprised though respected his honesty.

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  • Ilikedogs
    Ilikedogs Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2021

    Hi again. Another 5 days till biopsy. Trying to keep my cool but I am really not doing well mentally

    I do have another question regarding calcifications. I had a breast augmentation (lift and implants) back in 2013 few years after I was done nursing my daughter. The scar around my nipples (especially right nipple where he had to cut more into the skin for the lift) has always been sore since then. I am very happy with the results so not complaining. But I always felt some mild soreness and almost like very mild nerve discomfort around there. And that’s pretty much where calcifications are - just a bit above my nipple

    Does anyone know if having a breast lift and/or implants can cause calcifications? My radiologist said “I kept looking and looking at the enhanced MRI and did you have any trauma to that area? I can’t quite explain those calcifications. Maybe an injury?” And then she recommended a biopsy. And I am beating myself up for not bringing up the breast surgery. But then she knew I had implants and didn’t bring it up either.

    Any feedback? And please be kind about my decision to get implants. I am already beating myself up over that.

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  • 4kids4dogs
    4kids4dogs Member Posts: 40
    edited August 2021

    hi ilikedogs. i'm also waiting for biopsy which is friday. i also have microcalcifications. from what i read, microcalcifications are more serious than calcifications.

    my bi-rads is 4b. "hypoechoic irregular mass with microcalcifications in the margin and with possible vascularity".

    when i look all that up, some of those words sound scary and i have convinced myself that i have cancer.

    the wait is sooo hard. i have never had breast augmentation before. good luck to you. please post again!!!!

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  • Ilikedogs
    Ilikedogs Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2021

    Thank you so much and good luck on Friday! I will be thinking of you and please keep me posted!

    The wait is just horrible. Every shoulder ache, every muscle pain in my back I now attribute to something very scary.

    My radiologist didn’t give me A, B or C. Just BiRAD 4.

    I wish we had “met” under other circumstances but I am hear if you need to talk.

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