Odd question: Did your gut tell you?
Comments
-
Sunangel---good luck tomorrow---lots of prayers too...Im off to the breast surgeon myself in about an hour or so....
Ive had tons of diagnostic images taken, two US and one MRI, with nothing conclusive. This will be first time with the surgeon
0 -
On August 11. 2010 I went in for my yearly mammogram. They kept taking more pics of my left upper outer quadrant. While waiting for them to make sure the films were good enough I had a sudden feeling...I have breast cancer. I got up and went into the dark room where they were looking at my films and saw the tumor that has star like projections coming out. I said "that doesn't look good." The tech said she would show the radiologist right away. Then I had an US right there and then...I looked at the screen...I said "that looks like cancer" and the tech said "I agree that it doesn't look good." She got the radiologist to review it. I told them I am going to see a Breast Surgeon right away and wanted all my films and a copy of the report. They gave it to me. (it was my Family doctor who ordered the mammogram...but I knew that there were good breast surgeons in the area and was not about to wait for the family doc to get the results and call me and set my up with a general surgeon...I wanted a breast surgeon).
I then called my best friend and we literally walked into a local breast surgeon's office with the films and asked them to squeeze me in. The breast surgeon was out of town on a family emergency (death in family) and the staff looked at my mammogram films. They said I could see another breast surgeon that covers for their doctor when she is away. They called the other breast surgeon and got me squeezed in. I was seen within the hour and she did a biopsy on the spot. On August 13, 2010 I had the difinitive diagnosis of IDC.
0 -
Yep - i did the denial thing. Found the lump myself and guessed it was cancer but took two months to go to Docs. I just didn't want to believe it. When i did finally pluck up the courage to go he said it was probably an abcess (hard lump was warm to the touch and appeared suddenly). I disagreed and insisted he refer me. Lucky I did as the surgeon took one look at the mamo and said "yep that's cancer" even before the bipsy confirmed it!
Lassman
0 -
Add me to the intuitive yeses. I'd been called back for retakes the prior 2 years and truly was unconcerned. When I got the message to schedule a retake the same afternoon as the mammo, I just knew. Even though I had no palpable lump, even the breast surgeon couldn't feel it. It's so interesting that many of us "just knew". Still didn't make hearing the diagnosis any less mind numbingly shocking though.
0 -
Odd, but the year prior to my diagnosis I was in a panic about cancer as I had a pain in my side that couldn't be diagnosed. My dad died of pancreatic cancer so I kept thinking about that. When I found the lump in my breast, I actually wasn't worried about it. I thought it was a fibroadenoma which I had before. It wasn't until I was told that a biopsy was in order that I started to put the two together. I knew as soon as I had the biopsy that it was cancer. However, at the same time that I heard that voice in my head saying it was cancer, I also heard a voice saying that cancer is not the thing that will take me down. I still believe that.
0 -
Yeah, complete surprise. I think I was reassured by all the press about mammograms being unnecessary under 40 (or 50) and most biopsies turning up benign. I did what they told me to do based on family history and mammograms, but I never thought it would be cancer until I got my path report.
0 -
Yes I knew by my gut intuition. Twice it was accurate. First time, I had a biopsy and I asked myself "do I have cancer?" My voice came back, very strong "no". But we were not done.
I began to get increasingly anxious about getting breast cancer. My breasts were very cystic and hurt before my period, many lumps and bumps to feel. I instinctively felt that something was going very wrong. I went in for mammo, got another biopsy and asked myself again if I had cancer. My voice was back and forth, yes and no - no clarity! I was unable to be clear, but o ne thing I did know - for sure - I was not just walking away from this biopsy - something was wrong, but what?
I got the results, not cancer, not benign either. LCIS. and then we started the adventure. Now I feel perfectly fine. Calm. It's very different.
0 -
I think I was in denial for a while as well when symptoms were developing.
I was a little surprised to learn I had breast cancer. Because I had all the signs and symptoms of Inflammatory, which is rare and usually fatal, quickly - it was a bit like winning a bad lottery. By the time I actually received confirmation I knew I had cancer but was hoping against hope that it was just "regular" cancer. (I'm absolutely not belittling anyone else's experience or suggesting that *any* kind of cancer is "easy". It all sucks, big time.)
0 -
My gut knew but my mind was in denial. I had a normal mammo in Aug 2009 and remember feeling, "Wow. Really? Whew." So I put it out of my mind. Had next mammo on Oct 1st, 2010. They took extra views of the right breast—not a good sign. Yet the test results again came back "normal." And again I thought, "Wow. Really? Whew." But two weeks later I rec'd a letter from the imaging center that "upon further review" they noticed a slight difference from last year's mammo and I needed an ultrasound. After I had one, they said the area looked suspicious and I needed a biopsy. Then a woman handed me a huge packet of info on breast cancer. I thought that was very odd. Yet I convinced myself that it was still nothing When my doctor called to say "I have your test results. Unfortunately, it IS cancer," I simply said, "I was not expecting that." Yet deep inside I knew; I just couldn't wrap my head around the fear. (I compartmentalize very well...)
0 -
I had no clue. Had just lost a bunch of weight and was working out really hard and in the best shape of my life. Felt totally strong and healthy. Just happened to mention a lump to the gyn during an annual exam, so she suggested we U/S it during the mammo appt. Didn't give it a thought, always had lumpy breasts. Even stopped at a beauty supply store on the way to the mammo b/c I needed a new hairbrush! I had had the same one for years and the bristles were starting to fall out.
I consider that the height of irony and have laughed about it many times!
Needless to say, that brush didn't get much use, as within a few months, I had no more hair!But when the U/s looked suspicious, the doctor wanted me to see a BS. Then it started to dawn on me and I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach.
But before then, absolutely no clue at all.(interestingly, my maternal grandmother died very young of BC back in the 1940's. My mom was only 11. So my mom has been terrified of BC her entire life and always worried about it - never got it. I never gave it a 2nd thought - and I'm the one who got it.)
0 -
I had no clue. Went in for regular mammo and they called me back to look again and then immediately for a ultrasound. Even after biopsy I was sure that I didn't have cancer. Wrong. Hard to trust my body now - or my mind for that matter.
0 -
I had been feeling a little "off" for several months--- and on the morning that I was going to my regular physical, I told my h "I think something is wrong with my heart".... BC was so NOT on my radar--- but I did know something was wrong..... ironically, as we prepared for chemo and I had my muga scan, the tech said "you have the best pumping heart I have ever seen". truth be told, I am glad it was not a heart thing. This has been hard, but that would have been much harder.
0 -
I had the gut feeling as soon as I found out I had to have an ultrasound. Everyone kept saying "your risk is low...stay positive, I'm sure it's nothing"...but.....something inside kept telling me different. I tried to prepare myself...but really.....no matter how much you try to prepare, nothing prepares you for those dreaded words.
0 -
Our Diagnostic center has digital mammography and same-day results, so I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for the all-clear, when the technician came back and said they needed more films on my right breast. I knew immediately it was cancer because the tech wouldn't look at me. All through the procedure she wouldn't meet my eyes. Looking back, I can't be angry with her; who knows what kinds of reactions she gets. They're human, too. But I told my husband that night it was cancer; he brushed it off as worry. But through the ultrasound, the core-needle biopsy it was all anticlimactic. During the biopsy I finally asked the doctor, "What do you think this is?" She said, "I think it's cancer." "How sure are you?" I asked. "Eighty-five percent sure." I appreciated her honesty.
0 -
I just found out a couple hours ago I had DCIS (BMX was 2 weeks ago, took care of it all). I had LCIS, found out in august and trusted my gut since then...I literally found out today I had cancer, I went in for the BMX just knowing it would be the right thing and according to my BS, I dodged a bullet...that's just my story, whatever your heart & gut tell you is your story, and I hope for a better one for you I wish you the best!
0 -
Put me in the clueless camp...I had been having annual mammograms since I turned 40. After my 49 year old mammogram, I got called back for a diagnostic mammogram. I was not worried at all. I went in for that diagnostic mammogram, which progressed to an ultrasound....I still wasn't worried...."Me, have cancer? No way!" When the radiologist told me she wanted me to have a biopsy, that's when I got worried. From that point on, I was convinced I had cancer, and I did.
I never felt my lump. If I had not had my mammogram, it would not have been found until it was much bigger. I consider myself very fortunate.
Mary
0 -
I had my annual mammogram and pelvic in July and did not think a thing about it. Never had a problem in the past. Got the card in the mail from my gyn to set up an appt. The card did not indicate where the problem was - top or bottom. Made the appt and was a nervous wreck. Told gyn about this and he said if he had bad news he would call, not send a card. He looked at the mammo results and thought is was nothing to worry about, could be just a cyst. Sent for a second mammo and US. I saw the mass in the 3 o'clock position during the US. The mass was deep and against my chest wall. My gyn called me a week later and told me I needed a needle biopsy done. I was out of town at the time and did not have a surgeon. He set me up for the biopsy 4 days later - that was Aug 17. Surgeon set me up for a follow up one week later. Got called 3 days later to come in. Now all this time, having cancer never entered my mind. On Aug 20, I was told I had cancer. I think I went into and stayed in shock and denial. I had lumpectomy 10 days later. What a ride this BC has been. Don't want to do this again.
0 -
I knew. I had a bad feeling before I got my routine mammogram a couple of days before diagnosis. When I was asked to come back, i knew it was cancer.
0 -
I knew that it was "not good" when I found my lump as it was as hard as a rock!
Here's hoping that you dont have to join us here....
Michele
0 -
I knew when I found my lump that I had cancer. We were away on vacation in Hawaii (Kauai) and there was no where to go. So, I called home and made an appt for the day that we returned.
It was hard to enjoy that vacation. I didn't tell my husband or my kids....I wanted them to enjoy the trip.
I didn't even tell my husband till I went in for my diagnostic mammo and ultrasound. I was so hoping that I was wrong!
0 -
I was sure for over two years the discharge I had was nothing. Then some how once I started the testing I knew. As soon as they told me they wanted to do a biopsy I knew.
0 -
I had a false alarm two years before (cyst) so just assumed it was the same. That little voice was strangely quiet until I got my DX. Then it started screaming have a MX even though they told me I could have a lumpectomy. I followed my instincts (the little voice got too loud to ignore) and had the MX. My final pathology report came back with multiple areas of cancer that had never been detected by any mammograms, ultrasounds or MRI's. So I guess my gut came through when it counted.
0 -
yes, i had a feeling of dread when i went for a routine mam 2 yrs ago. sure enough a simple mam turned into an ultrasound and immediate biopsy the same day.and it was cancer. in years past i would see an article or a program about bc and think "oh, so that's what if will feel like when i am diagnosed or when i have to have a mastectomy or chemo". it was never a morbid or panicky thought, it was just in the back of my mind that this was going to happen. i was still shocked when the word cancer was said.
0 -
I wouldn't call it my "gut," but yes I did know it was breast cancer when my right breast turned into a "rock." The only thing I needed a doctor for was to tell me what KIND of breast cancer it was, and what stage it was in. Which is what happened. :-(
0 -
My gut lied to me.
I thought cancer was another cyst. Because I was 51 and not menopausal, I thought the fact that it was harder than a typical cyst was an age thing. I ignored it for a while and then when the dimpling began I made an appointment. It wasn't until I was turned away from the regular mammogram, with them saying I needed a diagnostic, that I starrted suspecting cancer. No, I didn't suspect, at that point, I knew.
I was very very sure that i didn't have cancer up until that point though, and then just as sure I did.
i don't think our guts tell us anything. Intuition is not certainty, it's just a feeling and one we women put too much emphasis on. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but we mostly remember when it does.
0 -
I really had no premonition at all. Although it was strange that, for the first time in all time I'd been having yearly mammograms, I took my husband with me. It was probably just a cooincidence. In the previous 18 months I'd had a bloodstained discharge from my right breast but that was just a benign, fluid-filled cyst that had been seeping out. I wasn't remotely concerned about my left breast.
As usual, I had spot compression and U/S. I suspected they had found more cysts. I was called back into see the doctor and she told me that, after viewing the mammogram, she could tell for sure that I had DCIS and would need a lumpectomy soon. I was given a referral to see the breast surgeon in about 10 days.
I remember walking out of the breast center that day and telling my husband that I was sure they were wrong and were just being overly cautious. I was in complete denial. After searching the internet I decided that, at the worst, it was ADH. After seeing the surgeon, I finally believed that they weren't having me on. I ended up with a mastectomy. I'm usually pretty intuitive but not this time!
0 -
I'd been going for regular mammos since I was 37 and they never found anything. All last year I just wasn't feeling like myself. I kept thinking I have cancer - something is wrong. Then I found a lump while taking a shower and actually ignored it for a couple of weeks thinking it was nothing (what a contradiction). The whole time I kept thinking it was going to be fine until the ultrasound. At that point it wasn't so much intuition as the look/attitude of the doctors. I just knew for sure from that moment on. I wish the doctors would have been more straightforward with me instead of dragging the whole thing out for a week. When they finally confirmed the diagnosis I was of course not surprised at all. So even though I 'knew' this was going to happen to me, when I was actually faced with the reality I was definitely in denial.
0 -
No idea. I always thought I'd know if something was wrong with me. Mammogram turned up calcifications. Digital mammogram showed more. Biopsy turned up DCIS intermediate grade. MRI turned up another area plus original area showing "extensive DCIS". Have to say I still feel 100% and cannot believe I'm looking at a bilateral mastectomy perhaps/probably.
The realization there was a problem came in waves. Everytime was an 85% chance things were fine, the mammogram, the digital mammogram, the biopsy, the MRI, and every single time I came back in the 15% of people where a problem turns up.
Still feel great...
0 -
When I had my IBC rash show up overnight about 5 inches in diameter, I knew it was cancer. After I researched the symptoms I was sure, itching, increase breast size, sore lymph nodes in arm pits. It took 2 months to diagnos, I was right. Thankfully we caught it early & it had only gone to lymph nodes, no mets. I'm now 3 years NED. NJ
0 -
I had no idea either...I too, always thought I would know if something were wrong....it was a regular mammogram and had to go back for "spot compression"....had those before, so didn't think twice...wasn't even a palpable lump to be found...
0
