Been driving myself crazy with anxiety

I’ve been lurking on this forum an excessive amount over the past week and I’ve found it so informative. Thank you to everyone on this for sharing your stories and giving guidance to many when they are at their most terrified.

I’ve had fairly isolated pain in my right breast off and on (mostly it seems quite cyclical) over the past nearly four years. It’s not excruciating and is mostly a spot of tenderness or a dull aches. Sometimes I’ll get a slight burning sensation in the upper outer quadrant of my right side, but this is mostly before I start my period if I’ve been working on my laptop all day (I’m right handed and very dominant on my right side so often put a strain on it). I’ve had it looked at several times and my GP has felt around and has never found anything concerning or referred me to any additional tests. Several blood tests in my annual exams each year which have all been pristine. I’ve also spoken about the intermittent pain to my ENT as I’ve had chronic ear infections and several bouts of staph over the same time period. She seemed to think it might be inflammation and no big deal. I feel around frequently and I’ve never noticed any palpable lumps or worrisome skin changes and neither has my husband.

Fast forward to my annual gyno visit last week and I mentioned the pain to my doctor. She did a manual exam and didn’t find anything. There was one area of slightly focalized tenderness where I’ll often feel the pain but it felt like more of a long flat rope rather than a mass. She said it just feels like a ligament and didn’t seem too worried. Afterwards on my MyChart notes she didn’t mention any unusual changes and said everything looks normal. But as I’m 36 and my insurance covers it she recommended that I have my first baseline mammogram.

I went for my 3D mammo this week and as I was leaving the lady told me not to be alarmed if I get a call back as that often happens with women on their first baseline mammograms as they have no images to compare to. Well I was called back the next day and told to come back in for a diagnostic mammogram and potential ultrasound. She sounded reassuring on the phone reminding me about what she said about callbacks and that because they don’t have any other images to look at there is a “tiny area of tissue on the right side that looks slightly different to the left” and they want to get some additional pictures of it just to be sure everything is okay.

So I did the exact thing she warned me about and became totally alarmed. Like unable to sleep or eat, panic attacks, random pain and twinges alarmed. My mind going into overdrive of every possible horrible scenario. I feel like I’ll be a nervous wreck up until next week when I’m scheduled to go in for the diagnostic.

They did post the notes from the original mammo on MyChart today. I’ve pasted them below, but I’m wondering how continuallyconcerned or worried should I be?:

5 mm area of architectural distortion in the inferior medial portion of the right breast. Coned compression and straight mediolateral views are suggested for better evaluation.

ASSESSMENT: BI-RADS 0-needs additional radiologic evaluation

Narrative

REASON FOR EXAM: Screening

DISCUSSION:
Digital mammogram 10/13/2021. Routine reconstructed digital mammography is performed in conjunction with 3-D digital tomosynthesis of both breasts. No comparisons are available.
Density: Scattered areas of fibroglandular density.
The breasts are moderately fatty replaced. The breast parenchyma is symmetric. No malignant type calcification is seen. Seen best on the oblique view in the right breast, in the inferior probably medial portion, is a 5 mm area of architectural
distortion. Although likely benign, coned compression and straight mediolateral views are suggested for better evaluation.