[mamaskoby]

Well, I went today so sure they would send me on my merry little way after taking a few more pictures. Boy was I wrong! As soon as I walked into the mammography room they had my film up on the screen with a circle around what looked like a kidney bean on my breast. They took more mammography and then an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech. told me it looked like a fibrodeama, nothing more. She made me so happy but then she went to talk to the Radiologist who came in to talk to me right away. He said he recommends a biopsy because it was not there last year. SO they took 5 biopsy pieces. Now I have to wait 3 days for the results. Talk about freaking out.....I am calling my Dr. for sedatives or I will never make it to THursday........
Dr. did say he thought it was benign because the edges were smooth and not like a porcupine (I guess crazy boundaries are more prone to malignacies?)
Any advice anyone, I am desperate here!

[sak9645]

Do remember that, in this litigious era, many radiologists are "over-reading" mammograms. That is, they treat even the slightest change as suspicious for cancer.

Most of the women I know have had a breast biopsy at some point; some have had several. None of them has had breast cancer detected in this way.

Women with chronically lumpy breasts are commonly biopsied. I have had fibrocystic breasts ever since I was in my 20s, and I'm 64 now. I've been biopsied, and I do not have cancer.

Yes, it is "possible" that you have breast cancer. But if you have no family history of breast cancer, your risk is probably pretty low.

If you do have breast cancer, the good news is that, by getting regular mammograms, you have probably ensured that it would be detected early. Early stage breast cancer is very treatable.

So please try not to panic.

Sharon

[joepegcamp]

That's exactly what happened to me last year. Nothing wrong.

I've had biopsies. Two of them. Nothing more than my medical team being overly cautious. My radiologist basically said that if a person has insurance they were going to go overboard because they didn't want to get sued.

Fiber-cystic breasts are common. Incredibly common.

Don't panic.

And here's a thought: my best friend is an oncology nurse. She handles lots of biopsies and test results. If it's cancer, you'll get a call very early. Those are the first calls they make. If you don't get a call on Thursday, then chances are, you're in the clear. No news is good news.

[akasohappy]

just wanted to say I hope and pray tests come back good

[devildogwife]

I found a fibroadenoma during a routine BSE when I was 22. I panicked and was sent to a specialist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. I decided to go ahead and have surgery to get it removed a couple months later, just for my peace of mind. It was very simple, in and out and I have had no other issues since then. Keep in mind though this is not a cyst, it is different. You don't have a mass of fluid.

[stilldeciding]

Will be praying for you! Keep positive! God Bless!

[karen nickols]

for your peace of mind. I have always felt the waiting in things to be the worst. When you know if you have a problem you can jump in and tackle it. My aunt would be considered in the very high risk area for breast CA. Her sister (my mom) had it (cured) her brother had it (cured) and she is large breasted. Nope just a fibroid. Keep us all updated. Blessings Karen

[myrachel]

anna,
sending hugs your way... praying everything is ok.. i'm no expert by any means but my aunt has breast cancer & her lump was not smooth.. & yours is so thats good...

hang in there..

[guatparents2be]

i had one i found about 10 years ago (i was 30) and they said they thought it was a fibroadenoma. i just had them take it out (biopsy is fine too) just to be sure. better safe than sorry. that, of course, doesn't make you feel any better when you're in the middle of it all. keep breathing...we'll all be thinking of you with lots of support and love.

[JustBarbara]

Originally Posted by sak9645

Do remember that, in this litigious era, many radiologists are "over-reading" mammograms. That is, they treat even the slightest change as suspicious for cancer.

Most of the women I know have had a breast biopsy at some point; some have had several. None of them has had breast cancer detected in this way.

Women with chronically lumpy breasts are commonly biopsied. I have had fibrocystic breasts ever since I was in my 20s, and I'm 64 now. I've been biopsied, and I do not have cancer.

Yes, it is "possible" that you have breast cancer. But if you have no family history of breast cancer, your risk is probably pretty low.

If you do have breast cancer, the good news is that, by getting regular mammograms, you have probably ensured that it would be detected early. Early stage breast cancer is very treatable.

So please try not to panic.

Sharon

Well said, Sharon - I would just be repeating myself but I've been through it too. Keep us posted. Good luck

[Larue]

Sorry you're going through this. I have had several breast biopsies, and I understand how stressful it can be. Benign breast disease is actually very common, and as the other posters mentioned doctors usually check out any lump even remotely suspicious these days. Here is an article about Fibroadenomas:

Breast Fibroadenomas - All About Breast Fibroadenomas

Keeping you in my prayers! Let us know how it turns out.

[kristinc]

Thinking and praying for you. I have had breast issues. Always, everything was okay in the end but I know the STRESS it can bring!
Positive thoughts and prayers!!

[adcollins]

I'm so sorry about your extra stress, but I would really try to have faith in what the person conducting the ultrasound said. I've been through this twice, once very recently. I had two ultrasounds this last time. The first time scared the you-know-what out of me because a nurse did it and she got a very serious look on her face and kept taking pictures of something in my breast that looked gigantic to me. In fact, it seemed to me that the longer the ultrasound went on the bigger it got

They scheduled me for a biopsy and I spent the next three days in a panicky hell of my own worry. When the doctor did the ultrasound right before the biopsy, she could tell from the smooth edges and the way it moved with the ultrasound equipment on it that it was benign. She told me that she still wanted to do a biopsy just to cover the bases, but that she didn't want me to worry. I felt better immediately and just started crying in relief.

The doctors who do these ultrasounds see things all day and they become pretty good at telling just from the way they look what they are. (The nurse could tell how much I was freaking out before the ultrasound and told me that the doctor would probably tell me if she thought it was a fibroid, and probably wouldn't say much if she wasn't sure.) I know how hard it is to do this, but please believe in your doctor's experience and expertise. Sounds like it's a fibroid. I know how very relieved you'll be to have this all over with. You're in my prayers. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Unfortunately, I'm becoming more familiar with benign breast disease than I ever hoped to be.

Also, I don't want to contradict what anyone else has been told, but try not to freak out if you get a message soon that your doctor has called. Mine was kind enough to get back to me right away just because she knew how scared I was, not because it was bad news.

Anne