So, here is my story: In Dec 07 I found a hard little bump. It is about pea sized but hard. Right boobie, between 3-4 oclock about 1" from my nipple. Went for annual mammo. Had sonogram. It showed an "ovoid 9mm, well circumscribed, hypoechoic structure with a central echogenic area. This most resembles a lymph node." This did not show up on the mammo.
The radiologist spoke with me before I left and said I could have a biopsy or wait for 2 mos and then come back for another sono. My Gyn sent me to the surgeon. I saw him today and he told me that my options are needle biopsy, core biopsy or surgical biopsy. I opted for the surgical biopsy. He wanted to do it next Friday. The surgeon said that it does resemble a lymph node based on the shape but the question is (1) why is it hard, (2) not show up on previous mammo & sono or CBE. And, he and the Radiologist both said it is an unusual place for a lymph node.
My surgeon indicated that lymph nodes can either be reactive (meaning they are reacting to something in the body like infection) or neoplasm (meaning new growth like a cancer).
His scheduler just called and I am going in next Friday to have the wire and dye put in and then the surgery a few hours after that.
Ugh. I just buried my Mother who was diagnosed with cancer last April. It was in her bones. It was a miserable year for her and she died a very young 70yo. I am finding it rather difficult to be upbeat about this because all the memories of my Mother's ordeal keep creeping in.
I have had a previous surgical biopsy on a lump they found on my first mammo at age 33 when I was being prescreened for a hysterectomy due to cervical cancer. That biopsy was b9. Since then I have had quite a number of lumps & bumps that have had me getting regular sono's with my mammos.
So, that is my story. But reading all of your stories I realize how lucky I am that this is going pretty quickly. Waiting a few weeks would just be miserable.
Thank you all for listening. And thank you for such a wonderfully supportive board. I have lurked for several years off and on and follow your stories with prayers for each of you.
Melody
| Posts 1 - 4 (4 total) | |
|---|---|
|
Dukemom2 Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 299 |
May 16, 2008 09:13 pm
Dukemom2 wrote:
Melody, I'm sorry you finally had to jump in and join us. This site has been a life saver for me. I can understand how your fear and anxiety is magnified by your memories of your mother's battle. I am facing my fears through the memories of a 9 year old - the age I was when my grandmother died from metastatic bc. My grandparents moved in with us for her final few months, and she had a hospital bed in my bedroom with me. I literally had a front row seat to her pain and suffering. That was a long time ago, and yet I know those memories profoundly affect what I am currently dealing with: failed mammo; failed diagnostic mammo; 3 wire guided excisional biopsies; a path report of ADH; the slides being sent out for a 2nd opinion - not back yet; being referred to an oncologist; getting an MRI (week after next). . . . and on and on and on. I am very happy that things are moving quickly for you. That is a blessing. It is also wonderful that you are getting it out, whatever it is. I'll be sending very benign thoughts your way - may you get good news and be able to put this scare behind you. In the mean time, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for anti-anxiety meds if you need them. Most of us find it easier to get through this period of waiting and uncertainty with a little Xanax, or something similar. Come here as often as you need to vent and share. No matter what, please keep us posted as you go along. We're all right here with you, and hope to be celebrating great news with you when you path report. Dukemom "You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
|
|
TexasMelody… Joined: May 2008 Posts: 28 |
May 17, 2008 08:46 am
TexasMelody wrote:
Dukemom, I am so sorry to hear of your situation. I am sending you hugs. I don't know what ADH is. I'm not that good with all the abreviations (and there seem to be a lot of them). Did they do all 3 wires on 3 different areas or all coming at a different direction to one area? I am going to spend the weekend painting our upstairs hallway and one of the bedrooms. We run a business out of our home and are having to expand into another bedroom. Now, the business has taken up the entire upstairs. I want to paint the walls before setting it all up. And, I really like freshly painted walls. They feel and look fresh and sparkling clean. Yeah! Yes, the xanax is a good idea. I still have some from dealing with my Mother and Father. It was a very tough year and especially the past couple of months. But, I was proud that I was able to deliver my precious Mother's eulogy. It was, without a doubt, the toughest thing I've done so far in my life. It's funny about the xanax. The little monkeys in your mind can get all worked up and if they are left untethered, can rage out of control with all sorts of wild and imaginative scenarios that will have you in a state of hysteria. They do seem to take little naps given the xanax incentive to hush. Whew. |
|
leaf Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 2428 |
May 17, 2008 09:19 am
leaf wrote:
Hi Melody. This must be a very hard time for you. It would be very hard for anybody. It must be even harder when you've had a first row seat to cancer.
If you're going through hell, keep going-Winston Churchill
|
|
Dukemom2 Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 299 |
May 17, 2008 03:17 pm
Dukemom2 wrote:
Melody, Sorry about the abbreviation. There is a section of this website called "Pictures of Breast Cancer"; this is one of the many diagrams there - this one shows the range of abnormalities of the ductal cells in the breast: http://www.breastcancer.org/pictures/types/dcis/dcis_range.jsp I wound up with only 2 wires for the 3 clusters of microcalcifications. The radiologist was very pleased with himself, as he said he was able to "get" two of the areas with only one wire. Of course, that piece of tissue came back with the notation of "no microcalcifications seen" on the pathology report, so I need a repeat mammogram of that breast in September. The surgeon wants to be sure they didn't miss the areas they were shooting for. Painting should certainly help you to stay busy and distracted. I am very impressed that you were able to deliver your mother's eulogy. I wouldn't even have attempted that at my father's memorial service a few years ago; I'm way too much of an emotional person to be able to do anything like that. As leaf said, I'm sure your mother would have been very proud of you, and I'm sure being able to give it meant the world to you. I'd never thought of it as "little monkeys in my head, left untethered", but I LOVE it!! Yes, left alone, my mind (with or without said monkeys) has a bad habit of going off on its own to some very dark places, places it doesn't need to be going. The Xanax does help control the anxiety attacks, which I'm sure are fueled by the boisterous monkeys. I'll be thinking of you this weekend: picturing you happily painting the bedroom and upstairs hall, while the naughty monkeys sleep peacefully in another part of your house! Dukemom "You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
|
© 2008 Breastcancer.org. All rights reserved.