TheQu33n

2boys4me, the diagnostic mammo is the same as a mammo except that they will switch out the acrylic panel thingy to a smaller one if not a couple of swap outs. In addition, they use more compression than the routine mammo. As far as discomfort goes, my personal experience is that it's a breeze compared to the mammo's of past. But because you've never had the old school mammo's that's not too helpful. Some women are more sensitive than others so if you tend to fall into that categroy a tylenol is a great idea. As far as time, most of the time is spent prepping and re-prepping - the images themselves goes quite quickly.

Results- that varies. In my neck of the woods, the diagnostic mammos are read by a radiologist while one waits. A regular mammo gets read when time permits. 

Deodorant should not be used, I carry mine in to put on after.

Best wishes for clean results -k

PS Beesie and PSK slid in with clearer info while I was typing. Dang they're good!

I would wait for the BSGI. It sounds like you're dealing with "tissue" or a "lesion" rather than a palpable lump and that adds a level of complexity in determining that whether you're getting the right samples or not. It sounds like your team is already questioning whether the marker was accurately placed which is not at all uncommon. So, even if you require a biopsy after going through the BSGI, there should be better indicators as to where the affected tissue really resides and how large it really is.

That said, I'm one of those gals that can wait it out. I'm also a huge fan of breast conservation. Given your circumstances as described, I would want to go into surgery with a higher level of confidence that my team knew what they were taking and that it was the correct tissue. 

Just my 2 cents- I have complete faith that you'll do whatever makes the most sense for you.

Warm hugs- karen

Ravdeb, it would be highly unlikely though I guess it would depend on the individual center. Generally, you're either scheduled for a MRI or a MRI guided biopsy. The latter requires a Radiologist be present, and the first one does not. Best wishes -k

Deirdre, I had an epiphany a couple of days ago, and while I don't have the answer, I found a perspective  to that which was missing aside from the obvious. I too have been struggling with this big time and it dawned on me that it wasn't anymore the question of "what's missing" but the realization that what I was missing is actually what I had gained. What I have gained is an unsolicited heightened awareness (which I think many of us have already acknowledged but it wasn't to the degree that was working for me until now.) And with any gain, there are consequences, hence, all of the losses or things gone missing (time, mortality, innocence, naivety, hope, dreams, constants, breasts, passion, insert loss here).

For perspective, 10 years ago I had the most joyous day of my life thus far. I gave birth to beautiful 10 weeks early tiny twin boys. This is of course another story in itself.  Now people can explain the love for a child until the cows come home. But for me, until I've experienced it, I'm not able to fully appreciate it. So, here were these tiny beautiful miracle gifts that I fought so hard to bring into this world. The love that I felt was profound, a new plateau - so unconditional, so protective, so euphoric. But with that heightened awareness came a foreboding as well. It was the first time in my life that I truly felt vulnerable. It was a realization that I could and would if I had to, compromise my morals, values, myself, if it came down to  protecting my little miracles. Like if I held the recipe for the secret sauce and was charged with guarding it with my life, I would have done so without thought. But now I have children to safeguard, and if my children were held hostage, I would be forced to choose and would probably give up the recipe as ransom. Heightened awareness = ultimate love, Love = vulnerability.

Back to the present, I was sitting by myself, again thinking of Deirdre, and pondering of what else was missing. With that comes the wandering mind. Then came the 3 wishes game which lead me to the "I'd wish for world peace" which lead me to the "I can't wish for world peace, I'd have to be more explicit because if I'd simply wish for world peace, then some group extremist  would be free to desecrate the holy land, and because battle and war were no longer an option then what alternative would exist to protect the holy land and" (this is all meant figuratively).... well, that's when it hit me. It's not about what is missing because I'm already sad and missing all that is missing. It's the heightened awareness that I've gained that things are not as simple as they were or in the grander scheme of things, more of the mundane things are so much more insignificant than they use to be. Gosh I hope this makes sense and I don't sound too loony.

So, while I've not worked through what I'm going to do with the new found higher power if you will, I am happy to say that I think for me, I'm no longer in search for the "IT" that was missing. I am not the me that I was and know that that former me is never going to be again. But I was happy enough with the old me as I was whole, and now need to work towards a new me, making me whole once again.

I want to close by saying thank you once again for putting this "thing" on the table as it helped me immensely to find what I needed to wrap my head around.

Wish me luck!!

karen

Hi Laura, 3 weeks out is very doable bar any unforseen complications. That said, I only had SNB and it sounds like you may be having more lymphs removed? I use the word "only" lightly. The deal with the lifting thing is that it takes the body about 6 weeks for the scar tissue to form and eliminate the risk of tearing away the sutures. Of course everyone is different, but 6 weeks appears to be the magic marker. HTH -k

I just came back from lunch with a girlfriend a couple of hours ago. I had told her a few days ago that I was not me, that a part of my essence was lost and I don't think it will ever be recovered. So today, she told me that had saddened her and she didn't see it as I seemed the same Karen that she had always admired.

The only way that I can articulate it is that I use to live in the moment, as in really live in it, own it, I was there in the moment conscience of it. Now, I "do" in the moment. I go through the motions, but I'm really not there. I do what I have to do. I take care of what I need to take care of . I smile,  joke, whatever. But the little light in me has dwindled. It's still there, but not so bright. And what's sad is that I'm there, I'm all alone, and no one is ever going to be able to understand it because I can't even fully grasp it. The essence of me is gone, and I don't believe it will ever come back. 

I spend a lot of quiet time thinking about this because I need to figure out how I'm going to build on the new me. Sorry if this sounds crazy, but thank you for allowing me to share. This one is a real big deal to me as well. 

Hugz- karen

Hi Naturelover, I used a heating pad every night for the hematoma. It gave me great relief, and it helped my body to absorb it. I believe it took 6 weeks for it to resolve, but it was only like 4 x 3+ inches. Hard to say exactly as it was shaped like a swimming pool or putting green.  Now when I say resolved, I mean resolved enough for excisional biopsy. I had gotten the hematoma during the stereotactic biopsy.I ended up with seromas after the excisionals...

I hope it gets better for you, the heating pad worked well for me.  -karen

Beesie, I had assumed that a complex cyst was the same a cyst with a solid component. I guess I'm off to google and discover the difference.  I have one of these bad boys on an ovary and we're playing the every 6 wk US to see if it changes game. I've not cared to deal with it as the bc journey was sucking up enough energy. I guess it's time to start paying it some attention.

Might I just add that it's so darn cool that brilliant people are here to  share their knowledge and I get educated for free!!! Thank you -k