Lump after biopsy?

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Peaches70
Peaches70 Member Posts: 210
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer

Okay, I'm not panicking - just looking for an answer. I had a stereotactic needle biop in August. There was no followup excision because no LCIS or anything worse found, so the clip is still in my breast. Last night I felt a lump, round and about the size of a pea. I suspect that it might be the clip with some scarring around it, but since the last clip was removed, I have nothing to go on. Has anyone else had this? I can't really say where the clip was inserted, but the lump is slightly to the outside, close to my chest wall about an inch away from the incision.

Anne

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2007

    Peaches---anytime they go in to do anything (biopsy, excision, breast reduction, lumpectomy, etc...) the body is going to create scar tissue around the area.  Unfortunately, it makes it that much harder for us to do our BSEs. But it sounds likely that is what you're feeling.  I'm still trying to "move on" from my "false findings" from my recent MRI---even though he said it's "probably benign" like last years, the report sounds more ominous overall--"bears watching" is in there twice and wasn't last year, which makes me nervous.  I don't want to be a hypochondriac with this, but I have a gyn appointment next Tues, and I'm going to get his take onthis.

    Anne 

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  • leaf
    leaf Member Posts: 8,188
    edited October 2007

    According to this article, the clips they leave at this facility are about the size of a sesame seed.

    "At the end of the procedure, a tiny surgical clip (about the size of a sesame seed) is placed at the biopsy site to mark the location that tissue was taken from. The clip itself is small enough that a woman cannot feel it in her breast tissue" http://www.lahey.org/Medical/Radiology/DRadiology_ImagingGuidedBiopsies.asp

    I would highly suspect different facilities use about the same sized clips.



    It could be scar tissue, or hematoma. My breast always turns all sorts of lovely colors in the months following excision/biopsy, like purple, green, bronze, etc

    They had to compress my breast for 2 hours after the last stereotactic to stop the bleeding enough for me to go home. Both biopsies showed scar tissue, and they were 2 inches from the site of my

    previous excision. In these biopsies and excisions, they can travel all over your breast, much more widespread than you would ever imagine.



    I thought I started have nipple direction change starting about 1 month after my excision. I ended up with a us 3 months post-excision, mammo and us at 6mo, and another mammo and us at 12 mo. It was all scar tissue.



    But I will say, you may want to eventually get it checked out. I know there are women here who had bc develop right next to their scar tissue and the scar tissue made it hard to see the bc, as awb said.

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  • Peaches70
    Peaches70 Member Posts: 210
    edited October 2007

    The oncologist checked out my lump and found two more! The little "pea-sized" one I had found turned out to be more like an inch across. The other two are large and deep near the armpit. I'm not happy with either of the locations, but he didn't seem overly concerned, other than measuring the one. I'm seeing the BS in a couple of weeks, so she can check them out with her ultrasound. Maybe by then they will have shrunk, so I'll know for sure they are cysts.

    Anne

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2007

    Peaches--I sent you a PM.

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  • alphadog
    alphadog Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2008

    Hi All,



    I'm new to the site. I began searching because of my bleeding from my stereotactic core biopsy on Tuesday.....anxiously waiting for the results. I too had a lot of bleeding after the biopsy and the nurse had to compress for a long time. I was holding up other patients so they admitted me in a patient room for an LPN to further compress. Finally after ice and compression I was sent on my way w/out the last image taken to conclude the markers were placed in the right area. This morning I finally went back to the surgeon and they put two stitches in. At times it was a little blood and other times if I lifted my arm it was like I cut an artery and squirted out like water from a balloon. I've been searching and searching to see if anyone else has ever experienced this and to put my mind at ease that this isn't a bad sign. The nurse explained that when they do the biopsy the needle can pass through many veins. Normally they collapse and that's the end of it but if they don't it can collect blood.



    I have a dr. appt Tuesday but was hoping to hear my results before the weekend.



    Thanks for any replies!

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  • leaf
    leaf Member Posts: 8,188
    edited February 2008

    I had extensive bleeding after my last stereotactic. They compressed me for over 2 hours, and I could see a bucket under me where all the blood was being collected. It didn't quirt out though, or need stitches.



    They thoroughly queried if I had been using NSAIDS, and I told them I had stopped 2 weeks before. They were skeptical.



    They said if the bleeding started up again, to report to the emergency room, and the only thing they would be able to do is compress it some more. They didn't talk about the possibility of stitches-maybe it has to do with location as I might have been bleeding from a much deeper location than you are/were. I went to work that night (I work the graveyard shift) and was fine.



    My breast got all sorts of beautiful colors which took months to resolve, and big lumps, but it finally resolved after many months. I had another biopsy a week after this bleeding episode, and I bled much less that time.



    I don't know if you get even more scar tissue after you bleed. 5 months later, a major institution opined that I shouldn't have an MRI, even baseline, because I had too much scar tissue. (I have LCIS and nothing worse.)



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