A mammogram on a non-reconstructed chest wall???

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otter
otter Member Posts: 6,099
edited June 2014 in Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
A mammogram on a non-reconstructed chest wall???
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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited June 2008

    I am posting this in reaction to a post by jinky on the LE topic.  She said despite having had bilateral mastectomies with no recon, her surgeon has insisted on her having mammograms every year on the skin of her chest wall.  She said she finally refused, asking instead for an MRI.  One of her concerns was the possibility of developing LE.

    OK, my question is, how many of you who did not choose recon after your mast still have to have a mammogram on the "flat" side?  HOW THE HECK DO THEY DO THAT without ripping the skin off your ribs with the mammogram compression plates?

    I've always thought mammograms were barbaric, especially when done on a small breast that lies flat against the chest wall.  I feel even more that way now, after being treated for a 1.8 cm IDC that was never detectable on my mammograms.  So, imagine my reaction to the possibility that my surgeon might insist on mammos on my "flat" side as well as my "good" side.

    How common is that?

    otter

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  • Desny
    Desny Member Posts: 371
    edited June 2008

    Hi Otter,

    I have never heard of such a thing.  If any doctor wanted a mamo on my unreconstructed side, I would tell him he was crazy.  And of course I'd be changing doctors real quick. 

    Shirley

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  • wishiwere
    wishiwere Member Posts: 3,793
    edited June 2008

    Ditto on Desny's comments!

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited June 2008

    I have been furiously googling this topic, and I just found this on the American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org):

    "Mammograms After Mastectomy (Without Breast Reconstruction)--

    Women who have had total, modified radical, or radical mastectomy for breast cancer need no further routine screening mammograms of the affected side (or sides, if both breasts are removed)."

    otter 

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  • SLH
    SLH Member Posts: 566
    edited June 2008

    I'm curious to know how that dr expected to have enough tissue to place between the plates.  I'm sure he has more than I have!  Let him put his tit in the wringer!

    sally 

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  • lvtwoqlt
    lvtwoqlt Member Posts: 6,162
    edited June 2008

    My mom had a single mast done in 2001 and she only has a mammogram done on her remaining boob. She said that she should only pay 1/2 price since she has only one boob. but they still bill the entire price for bilat mammos.

    I agree with Sally, Let the crazy doctor put his tit in the wringer.

    Sheila

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  • jinky
    jinky Member Posts: 746
    edited June 2008

    Sally you are so funny lol

    Otter when i used to question the mamagram the tech

    would say men have to be done to. But yet there would be tissue eh!

    I am so happy those mamagrams are OVER.

    I live in Nova Scotia Canada

    and sometimes we are behind the times.

    I think i am the first one getting a  MR1 from my surgeon.

    You see they are paid for in Nova Scotia and the health care system is

    picky what they pay for.

    I am so happy.

    thanks all for helping me...bc and le hugs jinky

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  • LUVmy2girlZ
    LUVmy2girlZ Member Posts: 2,394
    edited June 2008

    That is weird!  I have a mx and I am having my 6 month MRI coming up...I only have an expander w/no fills in place.  I couldn't imagine placing "my skin" and having a mammogram...Is she positive this is what he is saying ?  My surgeon accidentally said, it once and I corrected him. 

    I would switch Dr.s before I would go have a mammo !

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  • mthomp2020
    mthomp2020 Member Posts: 1,959
    edited June 2008

    No way in hell I'd let them do my mast side!  I just had my yearly on my remaining boob.  I had I had chemo before my mast, and had the mast last August.  I had my mammo in May.  I don't think I would have been too pleased if they had tried to cram my skin in there.  I don't think they'd be able to pull it out enough! 

    Maybe the surgeon wasn't too careful about getting all the breast tissue?  Just seems crazy to do a mammo after a mastectomy.

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  • jinky
    jinky Member Posts: 746
    edited June 2008

    look what i found...unbelievable

    http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/mastectomy.html?pageNum=4  scroll down to the bottom and you will see some doctors say yes to mamagram

    le hug jinky

    here it is:

    Women may still need mammograms after a mastectomy. Some breast tissue can remain after a mastectomy, which should be monitored for cancerous areas. Women should continue to get regular mammograms in the other breast if they have had a unilateral mastectomy.

     

    bc and le hugs jinky

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  • nowwhat
    nowwhat Member Posts: 50
    edited June 2008

    I had a radical mastectomy on my left side in Jan.  I began to feel small lumps on the same side, above where my breast had been, but in that fatty area by my arm. My oncolgist felt it, and did not know what it might be, so to be sure, I just had a sonogram on the whole area.

    Thank God nothing was found. I have no area that would have fit in a machine for a mammogram!!

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  • pip57
    pip57 Member Posts: 12,401
    edited June 2008

    There is absolutely no way they could get anything from my chest in the mamm machine!!!



    I did develop a new lump but it was so obvious because my chest is literally skin and bone. Luckily, it was quickly removed and was benign.



    Perhaps some of us had more breast tissue removed than others did.

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  • spar2
    spar2 Member Posts: 6,827
    edited June 2008

    My oncologist says no mammogram on mastectomy site but is something is felt it needs to be an MRI or biopsy.  There is no way you can get something to picture on the tray when there is nothing there.

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  • Erica3681
    Erica3681 Member Posts: 1,916
    edited June 2008

    prettyinpink,

    I think it's true that some doctors may remove more breast tissue than others, although obviously the aim is to remove as much as possible. My surgeon told me that on occasion, she's had to "re-do" mastectomies where too much breast tissue was left.

    If anyone wanted to mammo my chest, they'd have to squish my rib in the machine--other than skin, there's not much else there. No thank you! 

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  • geebung
    geebung Member Posts: 1,851
    edited June 2008

    I have had one mammogram since I had a left mastectomy last year. I chose to have a digital one and the technician told me that she would have to do my left axilla as well - to check on the lymph nodes under there. I had a skin saving mastectomy as I didn't know how I would feel about recon (I've decided not to) so there is a bit of loose skin under my arm as well as on my chest (I plan to have a tidy up surgery one of these days).

    Well, having the axilla mammogramed didn't hurt at all but there's no way I could have had my chest done - there is a bit of loose skin there but not nearly enough to squish between plates! It didn't hurt on my remaining breast either. In fact it's the first mammo I have ever had that didn't hurt - not sure if that's because it was a digital one or the tech was just very skilled and gentle.

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  • JustOne
    JustOne Member Posts: 226
    edited June 2008

    I would have absolutely no skin to pull for a mammo it is so tight to my chest wall. It hurts just to think about it.

    My brother had one a few months ago though (it was a benign, thank God) he said they just pulled as much as possible. He also said it was the worst pain he's ever had in his life...men. Smile 

    ~Pam

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2008

    Mammo....ugh!! I have to agree it would be impossible to squish any of my mast side into that machine. Crazy just to think about that! Bad enough with a small boob let alone no boob. When will they ever do away with these boob squishers anyway?????

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited June 2008

    When all men need mammograms every year.

    otter 

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  • AVIE315
    AVIE315 Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2008

    I have never had to have a mammogram on my left side because there is nothing there. And its

    been five years and all my doctor has every done to that side is check it.

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  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 5,446
    edited June 2008

    Otter,

    You are SO right, that is sad but true!!  Men!  I wish they had to squeeze one of their very sensitive, and very personal body parts in a vice once a year, just to screen for testicular cancer!  No, they have better tests... 

    My surgeon told me that just because I had a bi-lateral mast., and reconstruction, I STILL need Mammos. every year.  He said that he can't be sure that he got ALL the breast tissue, when he removed my breasts, so I still need to get screened every year for a local recurrence. I refused, but instead, I had a breast MRI... no squeezing!  I think I would have a blow out in one of these saline implants, if I tried to have a mammo.  BTW, the report from my MRI stated that "there is no risk of implant rupture, with mammo..."  I told my surgeon, "I don't believe it!"

    Is there a way for us to get 'chest wall x-rays', to make sure that we don't have a recurrence there??  Just wondering...   

     Harley

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited April 2009

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the affected side that I will have to have a CT.

    EDIT: MY COMPUTER WENT WACKO AND POSTED THIS MULTIPLE TIMES!!!  Sorry about all the deletes

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the

     
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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery side

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery side she

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery side she says

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery side she says I will

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited June 2008

    Harley, my pcm says that I will have a chest xray every year to monitor the surgery side.  But she also says that this policy varies from dr. to dr.

    If there is an issue on the surgery side she says I will

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