Member of the "6 Month Watchful Waiting Club", Unite!
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Fingers and toes crossed and a huge gentle hug!
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Hi all,
Went to see the BS yesterday about my Vacuum assisted biopsy which came back fine but have focal atypia. She gave me the option of having it out or waiting the 6 months. We went over everything and I have decided to watch and wait. I hope I am making the right decision. She said the area of concern is very small and she thinks I would be fine to do the wait and see. I hope she is right. In the meantime I am going to see the oncologist and see what she has to say. Anyone else with focal atypia doing the wait and watch?
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Hi brejim and welcome to our little club! I have focal asymmetry and lots of calcs, thick areas, cysts and now, papillomas in my right breast. Lots of watchful waiting on this thread, we totally understand! In the 6 months between visits I try to get a lot done just in case the next visit doesn't go so well. Been at the watchful stuff since 2005.
Sending you an understanding hug!0 -
Well the doc did a thorough exam and tried like he11 to get a drop of fluid from my spontaneous breast with no luck. Her beside manner is ice cold (so are her hands, omg!) Anyhow, glad I took a pic of the stained bed sheets so she could see how much fluid comes out and the color. The good news is that I'll get an ultrasound along with my standard every 6 months diagnostics. They might try a galacto gram as well. So I'll be going back soon for all of that fun!
Interesting side note, I asked her two questions to which I already had the answers thanks to this site. She answered both of them incorrectly. One was that 3 D digital mammo isn't any better than traditional for dense breasts. The other was that thyroid problems aren't linked to breast problems (whole body of research out there). Anyhow, she spent as little time as possible with me and was very brusque. I know that at this breast clinic my problems are at the bottom of the spectrum so this is usually what I get. Shes the one that told me the weird sensations I had in my breast were phantom pains. I also researched her name On the Internet this afternoon and found a case where she screwed up massively in surgery (wrong breast type of thing). She got me the diagnostics I wanted but I think it's time to change docs again. I miss my doc of 3 years who retired and stuck me with the ice princess. Thanks for listening ladies!! Also, I completely gave up caffeine and my breasts feel so much better, cysts still there but much smaller and less painful. Just FYI. I am still drinking decaf, I do love the taste of coffee. I am
Also much less hungry and have dropped a few pounds. Hugs to all of you!0 -
Thanks Carpediem! It's great to hear others stories and what they are going through. I always think I could have it way worse and I know that but it still seems like torture and waiting for something to happen.
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Sorry you got the brush off and that she was not very kind to you about your concerns. Hopefully the galactogram finds what is happening in terms of the discharge. Discharge is NOT normal when it is a lot and it can stain sheets! HUGS!
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I am so sorry to hear about your situation carpe. I was also dismissed today and I am feeling so down. I had my ultrasound today (on a previous post I said Wednesday, but I'm really a moron who doesn't remember anything). Anyways I explained the whole situation of my lump and the ultrasound tech told me flat out "if it can't be seen on an ultrasound then there is no lump". What the hell does that mean? Have I been feeling things for the past year? Have my doctors been feeling things for the past year? I just want to cry. I keep hoping for answers and keep getting the same bs. I know that the odds are truly in my favour. But I am the type of person that needs to know without a doubt what it is before I can move on. I will see what the doctor says when he gets the report back from the hospital, but I am not thinking anything will be done until the next appointment in 6 months.
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{{{Organa}}}. I know how that conversation feels, so sorry. Ultrasound is not perfect, an MRI would be much better. Well see what your doc has to say since he has also felt the lump. Sending you an understanding hug!!!
Ps April, thank you for the words. So glad to have all of you out here with me!0 -
Organa - So sorry you didn't get any answers. I hope your doctor can figure out the next logical step that will set your mind at ease.
Carpe - Ack, that doctor sounds so rude, I want to go there and slap her. And definitely sounds like she doesn't know her stuff, either. Hope you can find another doctor whom you like and will work with you. And I agree with April, that discharge is not at all normal. I'm glad you took photos of the sheets.
Brejim - Welcome to the club you most likely never wanted to be in. Yes, the waiting definitely sucks. And I hate gray areas (although I do know there can be a lot worse.)
{{{HUGS}}} to all those watching and waiting!
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Carpe, that doctor sounds like the little twerp I got stuck with for my oncology consult. He was dismissive of all my questions, wouldn't even consider my history to let me take Evista, said "you just had a little tiny piece" of LCIS", when you know it is generally diffusely through both breasts, said MINE showed on mammo (no it didn't, sclerosing adenosis showed. LCIS doesn't and is always an incidental finding). Told me to RELAX! Go live your life! Condescending little bastard. He sat for his license here about two months before my appointment & went to med school in Granada...obviously because he couldn't get in here...
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Hi Marcy,
We are neighbors! I am on the South Shore!
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I have finally decided to post....I've been reading all of your posts off and on for a few weeks. I'm 5 months post breast reduction and in the watchful waiting club. 46y/o and knew that I had dense tissue and was happy to part with the heaviness but pathology came back ADH. My PS told me she couldn't remove as much tissue as planned because of the density and felt like she was opening Pandora's box by removing too much...it's almost like she knew the pathology would be abnormal...qualified for MRI and breast specialist decided to do it last month. Came back abnormal with an area of an enhancement that the radiologist gave it a 3 on suspicious for malignancy and suggested an ultrasound, which breast surgeon did in office and couldn't find anything and thought it could be fat necrosis. Gave me an order for new baseline mammo next month. After realizing that my breast seemed more full, heavier and scar appeared different, I went with my instincts and called the BS telling her "something is not right" she recommended that the radiologist at the hospital do my ultrasound and he would have films of MRI to compare.. I did that on Monday. The tech told me to get dressed and said ill be right back, said she just wanted to make sure dr received images. She came back but brought the radiologist in with her. I am an RN and you would have thought I'd never stepped foot in a hospital. I could barely formulate questions. Mostly due to the "look" they gave me. He told me to get a biopsy and I was happy that he at least said I could wait a week. But said "don't wait too long" I'm from New Orleans and of course, my doctors office was closed for Mardi Gras holiday. I got sooo anxious on Wednesday morning because BS was still closed so I found another Doctor UGh! Anyway, saw him yesterday and he is sending me to a breast center and they will do biopsy on the 21st. Meanwhile, I am imagining the worst. My breast reduction may have saved my life. I do have a paternal aunt with DCIS and a cousin who had the same and chose PBMX. My lesion matched up exactly with enhancement on MRI. I read that fat necrosis can mimic a tumor. I admire all on this site and hope that I'm just "passing thru." Prayers to all.
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Hoping for the best for you Annie!
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Hoping you are just passing through. Don't go there until you have to. It may very well be fat necrosis or the ADH. Hoping you get good news and it is b-9. Hugs as I know how hard the waiting is.
BTW, I have my lumpectomy on the same day as your biopsy. I will pray for you if you pray for clean margins for me! Ugh..can't wait to "get it out of me"
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Hi everyone, thanks for your support! Going back Friday morning for more fun and games - my 6 month diagnostics on both, ultrasound on right and possible ductogram if they can figure out where the culprit causing my spontaneous discharge is lurking. Stained tee shirt and sheets again this morning - ARGHH.
Good luck to the Thursday biopsy and lumpectomy ladies! I'll be out here to check on you!
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I have my quarterly gynecology oncology visit Friday, so I'll be thinking of you. I hope that this is close enough to my March two year anniversary & they let me "graduate" to six month follow-ups instead of quarterly.
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Melissa, I hope so, too!! Quarterly stinks, ugh. Only in this "realm" would we wish for 6 month visits, crazy stuff.
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Good luck to all! My lumpectomy is Thurs. Happy to just get this cancer out of my body. Pray for clean margins for me ladies!
On another note, just got back from genetic counseling and BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 blood test. Scared big time on the outcome for my kid's sake, not mine so much. It will be what it will be. I had enough "linked" cancers on my dad's side that my BS felt I should be tested if I wanted to. By linked I mean ovarian, colon, pancreatic. Ugh...one more thing to worry about!
Hugs to all!
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April, good luck on the testing. If it makes you less anxious, even with me having ovarian cancer and both my dad's mom & sister having colon cancer I tested negative for BRCA, CHEK2 & PTEN.
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April, good luck this week!!
Can you explain "linked" cancers as related to testing, that is interesting. I usually am denied testing since my mom has not had BC or sisters (I don't have any). To my docs, no first degree means no test but I dont think it is right. I have aunts who had BC, thyroid, and bone, and my dad's mom died from ovarian and mom's mom had BC.0 -
Wow Carpe, your history sounds more closely linked than mine. My dad's mom died of ovarian cancer (linked to BC) and he lost a sister to colon cancer(loose link) and a brother to pancreatic (linked) and another to liver (no link that I know of to BRCA anyway) and then there is my mom's side. My uncle lost a grandson at the age of 3 (my second cousin) to liver cancer.
But, why I think they asked if I wanted it was because I had carcinoma in situ of the cervix when I was 24 (linked) so that might be why. I am being checked for BRCA 1 and 2 and Bart's syndrome. Thanks a lot for the good wishes!
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Argggh! My favorite nurse navigator just called & asked if they could move my appointment tomorrow up a couple of weeks. Good & bad news I guess. In a way I'm relieved because my Grandad's memorial service is Saturday & spending the day before at our big county hospital is always a butt-kicking and I was feeling really stressed at having the two days back-to-back. Good news is that I told her that might even be better because it would push me closer to the official two-year mark & make it more likely I get to move to semi-annual appointments after this one. She said she thinks that they will:) bad news is I've worked really zealously on my diet and avoiding alcohol for the last couple of weeks to help insure all my labs are good, so I guess I keep doing that (need to anyway) but maybe after pizza & a beer tonight. I'd already taken tomorrow off. i think I still will & just enjoy the day.
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Ugh, I hate when that happens! I've been off of the caffeine because it bothers my cysts and my appt is tomorrow for diagnostic smashing, ultrasound and possibly a ductogram, yippee :-(. Funny the things we do!! It was supposed to be bad weather-wise tomorrow morning and I was stressed about these appointments being pushed again, but the new forecast shows the morning is ok now, yay. I really want to get in there and see whats going on. My appt is at 8:30 so I'll come back and give an update later in the day. Enjoy your pizza and beer!!!
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Thank goodness bad weather, aside from the very occasional ice storm or snow, very rarely happens here. I just looked and we only had ten days below freezing here in December & January. The trees are already budding out.
Good luck tomorrow. Ductograms don't sound like fun to me, but I suppose they are like many of the other things we've had done - not as bad as we imagined.0 -
Well here I am, in the waiting room! The last time around they did the ductogram after knocking me out for surgery, so this is the first time I'll go through it awake. Will be here for a whole, diagnostic on both, probably the normal follow up shots on busy left, then ultrasound on right, try to get done fluid to test then ductogram. Wish I could get drunk after that but I have carpool and evening events to run kids around to. Lol! Well I shall let the universe unfold as it will..
Be back later to say hi and thanks for bring there, ladies! Hubby has checked out on me, and wonderful sweet teen daughter has been so comforting, but shouldn't lean on her too much, obviously. Hugs to all of you!0 -
Best of luck, Carpe! I'll be thinking of you this morning and sending lots of positive thoughts your way. {{{HUGS}}}
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Will be thinking of you today Carpe....hope all goes well.
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I'll have the drinks for 'ya!
(((HUGS!)))0 -
Gentle hugs and know I am rooting for a good result! xo
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Well, what a day. I am just now sitting down at the computer after running daughter to her activities. I arrived early for my 8:30 appt and left the clinic at 11. Good thing I ate some breakfast! First I had the diagnostic on both, more shots on the busy left etc. On to the right - they did an ultrasound to see if they could figure out which duct is giving me trouble and maybe see a papilloma, etc. No luck on that at all. Then the doctor says - "what's that?" and they spend about 10 minutes trying to hone in on something (got painful but I didn't want to say that because I know they would jump automatically to the "cyst" conclusion! - see I've learned a lot from these boards!!) - this was not at all related to the duct, it was in the upper outer quadrant area. It was a 9mm cyst or mass, she couldn't tell, it was really hard to get an angle on. She said, lets try to aspirate it and see if it's a cyst, if not, come back for a lumpectomy. Options were numbing and using a fine needle that could take longer, or just using a fatter needle and getting it over with. Of course I went with the fat needle, so it was over fast - the fluid looked ok to her so she did not send it for biopsy. I had to just trust her on that one, but she seemed pretty straightforward and looked like she has been around for a while ;-)
But, when this was all over, she said "I can't believe we couldn't see that on mammo", to which I wanted to scream "I have dense breasts, that's why!!!! Mammos don't work!" Good Lord in heaven. Well, good to get that taken care of. I went off of caffeine and my other cysts are still there but collapsed - this one was going strong, so best to have it aspirated. Of course this did not at all address the spontaneous discharge issue! They told me to try and express the fluid in the shower and get an idea which duct so they can do the ductogram. So I guess that's what I'll do. I wasn't too surprised that that mammo and ultrasound turned up nothing, since the left breast duct issue we could feel a papilloma and see it on mammo, but when it came out there were two. Those pesky things can hide. But I am glad I took a picture of the stained sheets so they could see the amount of fluid and color. You know how you get all defensive when they can't find something, like you're making it all up. AS IF I would want to go through all of this for attention, LOL!
So that was my day, ladies! A little sore from all of the squishing, probing and poking, but all is well. Back to Birads 3 for all of the dense areas on the left and increasing (but still scattered) calcs! Need to work out the discharge issue since we're likely moving overseas this summer, gotta sort it out, don't want to get over there and have it get worse.
Sigh. Melissa, drink for me tonight, please!! I am driving girls too and from a dance, so won't get home until 11PM or so!
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