Feeling foolish and waiting for biopsy

1. There's no way to know in advance if a lump is something to worry about.

2. I didn't know what BIRAD was until the last six months or so. Over five years after my first bad mammogram. Lol. You don't need to know the number at all. Especially if it will only stress you out.

3. It's normal to be nervous! Totally normal. However, most women who have breast cancer do not have a family history of it. So not having a family history doesn't mean much.

4. Breast cancer is not an emergency. I don't know how long you waited but unless it was years, most likely it won't matter in the long run!

Bonus Comment: Waiting is the WORST part of the whole process. Not knowing really screws with our brains. Even if it does turn out to be cancer, you'll feel better after getting a diagnosis and a treatment plan in place! Hopefully it's just a dumb old benign lump stirring up trouble for no reason!

ladymoph121, I’m sorry that we had to meet this way, and I’m glad that you found us. This is a warm, witty, supportive, and fierce bunch of mostly women with a small sprinkling of energetic, passionate, supportive, and knowledgeable men

I’ll echo what everyone above said. Waiting in your case is not going to change your outcome. I had a 4 cm Grade 3 tumor. I waited with great medical advice for several weeks longer than expected, and was assured my outcome wouldn’t be worsened. One thing I learned it that there is so much waiting and it’s the worst. The first wait, which you’ve survived, is over. The next hardest one is figuring out what is next for your treatment and when it will happen. For me, having that first date was hugely helpful. Sometimes it’s chemo then surgery, sometimes it’s surgery, then chemo. Occasionally radiation is early, but usually follows the first two. You will have a Medical Oncologist (MO) and a surgeon, hopefully trained in Breast Surgical Oncology (BSO). Those two (who may include others) will get together for your best treatment plan, including you. Do expect the choices to be fairly narrow, that’s because the NCCN has lots of evidence of what is clinically proven to have the best long term outcomes.

You have time for more than one consult with each doctor. Find one who is right for you. If you want, click I my username and you should see the dilemma I had over my surgeon choice. I found the right surgeon was able to refer me to the ideal MO. Someone both she and I can work with. That pair are vital, and can guide you well with the other specialists you might need.

One thing I didn’t know about when I came here is that most medical institutions have patient portals. I’ve been able to access every single imaging and pathology report there and dive into it to my hearts desire. I work as in engineering management with a background in writing technical documents. I know enough to know what I don’t know when reading, so I fill some of the gaps with online research. Having those reports has been very helpful to my peace of mind. Now, we are all different, so you will figure out what is most helpful to you.

Please don’t hesitate to ask anything here. The seasoned survivors, and others who are more recent and in the thick of treatment are here for you. Hugs.

Cyndi