Does Breast Cancer Hurt - honest truth from bc patients
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Isabelle....big HUGS to you! It IS so very hard! This thread was started to find out who had pain BEFORE there DX. Did you have pain before your biopsy/lump removed. You will have pain or discomfort afterward for sure. I had my surgery the same time you did. It hurts more for the Lymph Node removal from what I am hearing. Ice helps a lot. I still get out an ice pack from time to time. There seems to be a small lump of fluid build up at the end of my scars too. That's starting to hurt too. Good luck to you...Please pm me with any ?'s you might have I will try & help. Keep us posted with your results! It's gonna take time for it all to sink in. There is still hope that it might be B9!!! My thoughts are with you! Julee
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Hello Julz4,
The only pain I had beforehand was when I discovered the lump & it was very tender... although I did recall when visiting friends a week earlier I got a bearhug that hurt...just thought our friend had squeezed me too hard. Did not notice anything until rolling over in bed & my breast hurt....how clueless was I?
The biopsy did show that the lump is malignant & 2 sentinal nodes are swollen. It also showed that there were very few "bad" cells in the lump(which surprised my doctor) but the lump had a lot of fluid surrounding it. The lump & 3 nodes were removed so as to see if cancer cells had travelled into the 3rd node & therefore elsewhere in my body. These results I will hear on June 6th but so far no stage or name has been given. At this time, if what my surgeon suspects is correct, I have a rare type of cancer that hits 1 in 100 women and is ...the best of the bad. How lucky am I....
Thanks for the tip about the icepack...didn't think of that.
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Don't beat your self up!!!! Don't go there!!!! You did the right thing when your realized there was a problem! That's what really counts! Yeah when your lucky....but it doesn't feel that way with this.....understandably so! The 2 nodes they took out of me were swollen but both were negative for cancer! I was really worried! I will just keep thinking B9 for you too!
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Thank you Julee, my new friend. You will hear from me on Friday, June 7th.
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- RE: chemofrom Isabelle211 minutes ago
Hello Julee,
Met with my surgeon on Wed. ..Musinous tumour, but clear around the lump. Removed 12 nodes, 2 Macrosopic, 1 Microscopic & 9 clear. Estrogen positive
ER pos. Pr Pos.,HER2 neg....still struggling with what all of this means, have to do more research (this whole procedure is quite an education). Bone Scan was good & have not received CatScan yet. Dr. Rowsom felt very positive about my results. & the cancer clinic will be contacting me for appointments with rad.onc. & med. onc.
In the meantime I am carrying on with my life..yesterday I did 1 hour lefthanded gardening, made 2 blueberry pies, went for Lagoon Cruise in our boat & played Mixed League Bid Euchre at our community centre.....gives me no time to worry....but the thoughts are always there.
We live in Lagoon City, near Brechin on Lake Simcoe...wonderful place to be in the summertime. I am still in shock that this has happened to us but my husband is being a prince and I know that life could be worse.
Thank you so much for your caring & support,
Isabelle
0 - RE: chemofrom Isabelle211 minutes ago
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Oh Issabelle Wow! I was so hoping that your nodes were clear! I am not up on that kind of BC at all. It is a big shock but you take one day at a time one foot in front of the other as best you can. I know it's never from your mind no matter what your doing. In time it will from what I here. But doing things takes the edge off. Where you live sounds wonderful & an added bonus of it being a good time time of year to extra enjoy the lovely weather! Keep in touch & let me know through a pm how your doing. I think there is a place on here for rare subtypes of BC. Look around & if I find it I will let you know.
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I had deep jabbing pain to the point that I went to the ER. They ordered a stress test and made a note my lymph nodes showed up.
That was in July. I had a clear mammo in Jan and it was still clear in July. My tumor was 5 cm and 3 or 4 more showed up as cancerous. You would think I would know if it was 3 or 4 but I couldn't remember if he said 4 more or 4 total. At that point it didn't really matter.
In Jan, I told the dr and the radiologist who did the mammo that I knew I had a lump. I even showed them both where it was. When it came back clear, I thought they saw it and could tell it was benign. I was surprised to hear it didn't show up. I ended up spending 4 days in the hospital after failing the stress test but passing the heart cath with them trying to find out what it was. Finally, my surgeon came in and told me they should never let a woman 40 or older come in with a lump that doesn't show up go without a biopsy.
I wish I wouldn't have read so many times that it is rare to have pain with breast cancer. My mother had just been diagnosed the year before so I had it in the back of my mind.......Could this be cancer?......and I can't tell you how many times I found comfort reading that "pain is rare with cancer" before it got so bad. I told myself, I have a clear mammogram and pain....I'm okay. I even once told a friend I wonder if they could have sent me the wrong results but then I thought.....that would never happen.
I wonder if they are afraid less women would get a mammo if they knew they didn't always work? A better understanding of the different types would be good to have readily available. However, I don't know why they don't let people know that pain is more than rare.......or at least from what I've heard since I've been diagnosed.
Good question......Thanks
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Hi all, I just joined this forum today. I have a question not only about pain but about the time it takes bc to metastatize. Here is my story: In 2003, I found a pea sized lump under my left breast. Saw my gynecologist and he sent me for mammogram. It came back ok but he said he didn't like the way it felt so he sent me for ultrasound. He said (I have learned that what they tell you isn't always what is in the report) that it was fine but he still wanted me to see a surgeon. When I saw the surgeon, he wanted to do a biopsy. At the same time, my right ovary had started causing me intense pain to the point I was having difficulty walking and a vaginal ultrasound showed it was engorged to the size of a tennis ball and needed to be taken out. I had undergone an abdominal hysterectomy due to early stage IV endometriosis in 2001 and had an endometrioma on my left ovary. My doc left the right ovary hoping to save it to get me thru menopause because I was only 38 at the time. So, in my mind, getting the ovary out was more of a top priority than a pea sized lump that checked out ok on a mammogram AND an ultrasound. However, around 2004, I was on a trip riding a trailways bus with my son's marching band, I began to have pain in my left side that wrapped around to just under my left should blade. I thought it was the bus ride. Over the next several years, this left side pain has spread to include my left arm, hand, the shoulder blade pain goes up into my left all the way to my jaw. It also has spread to behind my left rib cage---this area behind there burns and churns ALL the time. I will not list the numerous specialists I have seen for this pain with no diagnosis that explains the severity of it. Several chest xrays over this time showed deteoriation of my first rib and the last time this deteoriation had spread from 1st rib to the 1st-3rd ribs. My left clavicle looks like somebody has their fist behind it pushing it out. It's swollen and has a lump that is shallow but about 1.25 in by 1.25 inches in diameter. I know this because my primar care doc finally listened to me on last Tuesday but only because I have lost 30 lbs. since May, 2011 and my heart rate and blood pressure were both very high. They had been blaming all of this on the pain medication I was on but in January, I quit taking ALL meds to prove a point!!!! I also get these weird flushes where my chest, especially the left side, turns blood red, I literally cannot breathe and the redness extends down my left arm to my hand. The pea sized lump that was nothing is now 1" by 1" (I forgot how deep he said it was) and is in the 6 o'clock position, there is one that I found after my cardiologist noticed how swollen my left clavicle is in Dec. that is in the 3 o'clcock position that is 3/4" by 1/2 in" and one in the 10 o'clock that is 1" by 1"....I am seeing the surgeon on June 26th for a biopsy. My question is IF it is breast cancer, is it possible it's from the lump I very first felt in late 2003 and if it is, what am I facing?? I have tried to find out how long it takes it to metastatize and did find one website that said it depends, everyone is different and it can take anywhere from 1-10 yrs. I'm all kinds of emtions right now from anger to fear. The surgeon who was going to do the biopsy NEVER told me he needed to check this pea sized lump every 90 days but that's what he put in my chart. I have seen over 20 specialists trying to get releif from this pain on my left side and have been very prolific in describing all of my symptoms. I won't bore you with my physical limitations but nausea, vomiting, pain, shortness of breath with the smallest exertion, all keep me pretty much sedentary. Any information you all have will be GREATLY appreciated!!! Thank you so much and prayers out to all of you!!!0
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living4grace - I love your username by the way. I'm so sorry to hear how much suffering you have endured over these past few years. I can't imagine what you've been through. I have no idea what could be causing all this but IF it is cancer I pray that you will have some peace of mind knowing and getting started in the fight to get control over it.
Our minds can run away with us and waiting is the most difficult part. I'm glad you have an appointment coming up soon. Please come back and let us know what you learn. I will be thinking of you and have you in my prayers.
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Sommer so glad you are getting in to see a new practitioner.
Iisabelle, Julz and living4grace, read every words of your stories. Tank you for sharing what you are going through, exactly, details help everyone.
Living4grace, please be persistent in getting care. A thought, since the doctor had it in your chart to check this every 90 days, maybe he is the go to guy, even though he screwed up by not telling you to c ome back for rechecks every 90 days.
Isabelle, the pain after surgery is also normal, but they don't warn you of enough pitfalls like lymphedema, see the forum for that one on bco too. I am dealing w that now, there are ways to get relief and ways to avoid the progression before it happens, so a must read for all. To date, the surgery for me was end of Nov and the pain after was terrible, but I think moreso from too many mammos. I think I got burned and it was like inflamatory breast cancer for awhile the way it felt I mean. But the pain of nipple is still as bad, the surgeon shaved behind nipple very very closely since I would not have a mx, so the pain will not go away ever. But I still have the nipple, just can't enjoy it, if I don't wear something that irritates, I am pretty good all day though, but ... hate to be too graffic, it's just that since the surgery do not touch is my new motto.
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Hello DianeEssa,
Had a lot of swelling & pain the last 2 days....saw my surgeon this a.m. & he drained both incisions, breast & nodes. This excercise was absolutely painless.
I also opted for a lumpectomy & fortunately for me it worked.....had 3cm tumour which was removed free & clear, although it was very close to the muscle.
First consultation with 2 oncologists today....radiation starts within the month....chemo would give me another 10% over & above my 70% chance of recurring cancer in the next 10 years .Well, 6 months of chemo & its horrible side effects plus recovery time before radiation....I opted out...10% for maybe one more year & go through all of that suffering for a year?? Does not seem to me a good trade off.
Starting blockers immediately & radiation soon. Very stressfull day as my understanding was that chemo was imperative....I am so relieved....hardly slept last night. Fear of the unknown is such a dreadfull thing. I also got the results of my bone scan & cat scan & both were clear. I guess if there is such a thing as a "lucky cancer" I have it. It is amazing what I am considering lucky....a month ago everything in my life was wonderful. Our worlds change overnight. I am so impressed with all of the brave women on this site...I am trying so hard to be brave but sometimes I just want to cry.
Thanks for your input Diane & I get the "nipple" thing. lol & lots of hugs.
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On June 2nd I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my left breast as well as stinging (it kind of reminded me of when you get a stretch mark when you are pregnant) I unconsciously rubbed the area and felt a lump. It is a definite lump
I called my doctor on the Monday morning and had an appointment for the very next day. When I visited him and he too could feel the lump (left breast 3 o'clock back towards the armpit). He said that it was about 4 centimeters long and about half as wide. He booked me immediately for a mammogram and ultrasound and has already referred me to a surgeon. This scares me tremendously because everything is happening so fast. I had a breast exam in late winter and there was nothing to be concerned about but he did mention that I had dense breast tissue. My left breast aches constantly like a toothache and then I get random stabbing pains either towards the nipple or towards the armpit.I was called in for the mammogram exactly six days after seeing my doctor they then told me that the were also going to do an ultrasound right after my mammogram. When this was done the radiologist said that the lump that I found was definitely not a cist and that they wanted to do a biopsy. I was booked in for the very next morning for the procedure. I have now had the biopsy done and when I asked the radiologist the size of the lump he said that it was 2 cm which is odd because I can feel it and see it and the length of it is more than 2 cm. He also, when talking to me said that "fingers crossed" it wouldn't be cancer. He said this on two different occasions and each time he literally crossed his fingers on both hands. I have been looking online for information and like most of you felt less concerned when I had read that cancer is normally painless. I am only 2 days into my 7 to 10 days waiting for results and trying my very best to not panic. I am 44 years old and none of my sisters or my mother has ever had breast cancer.
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hello jcolford,
Your story sounds just like mine....discovered my lump, almost the same way, on Sat. night April 28th, saw my doctor Mon. Apr. 30, had mammo, ultrasound & biobsy the next day. My results, benign large tumour, came on May 7th, saw surgeon May 22, removed 3 cm lump & 3 lymph nodes May 24th. Yesterday I met with oncologists & the rest of my story is posted above.
The worst part for you right now is the waiting for results.....it was agony for me, both times, the biopsy & the oncologists reports.....it is so very hard & I understand your fear as mine is still all so fresh. I am not going to give you any platitudes.......about positive thinking, not worrying and all that stuff. Everytime someone says that to me I want to scream. If positive thinking worked none of us would have this horrible disease. It is so difficult to shove it out of your mind ....it is just always there. What that helped me was to keep busy. The day my doctor called with the biopsy results I hung up the phone, went out to my garden, pulled rhubarb & baked 2 pies. That night I went to our club house & played mixed league bid euchre. Not that there haven't been any tears, but this works for me. I guess in my own way this is positive thinking. I wish I could help you with this wait time but this is the best I can do for now.
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Thanks Isabelle2 for you fast reply. In a weird way I have received more comfort on this site than any of the other hundred I have been on in the past week. Hearing from others who have had similar experiences with pain, etc has reassured me that I am not crazy. Also, I am really fortunate to have a terrific family doctor who is pushed hard to get the necessary tests done quickly. I know what you mean about keeping busy, I have been driving my motorcycle, walking, working and of course researching information. I was wondering when the radiologist said that I should have the results in 7 to 10 days I didn't ask him to specify if it was 7 to 10 business days or calendar days. I guess I will wait the 7 calendar days then if I don't hear from my doctor I will give them a call. My doctor's nurse told me when I was there last that her daughter had breast cancer and is doing well (just another thing to make me nervous about my outcome). At least she will understand my impatience with getting the results. My husband has been really good about keeping me busy - even taking me out for icecream on a daily basis. LOL! Thanks for the support and sharing of your experience.
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Hello jcolford,
You're absolutely right, there is comfort, support & wisdom beyond compare here. I can talk to plenty of family members & friends but noone gets me like the BCO gals. I'm sorry you're having to worry & wait and know that there is many sisters sending prayers & healing thoughts your way.
My experience was burning/stinging pain & really prominent veinous pattern over same breast, no lump. People kept telling me that BC doesn't cause pain but I just couldn't feel comfortable with that.
Please keep in touch & post how you're doing. hugs0 -
Jcolford....I'm sorry your having to go through all this! It is a good place to come. Yes we so get it & your right others just don't understand. The waiting is the worst. Oh how I have waited! Although I have tried to keep myself busy, it still is in the back of my mind. I take off& go where ever my DH goes just to ease the wait. It does help, not totally, but I'll take anything! ; ) Now I'm not saying yours is cancer but sometimes the whole lump is not seen so that when it is taken out it is bigger. That's what I am thinking in regards to it "feeling" bigger than seeing. I hope this makes sense. Please let us know whats what! Come here & scream all you want! Better out than in I say!
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I found these studies on breast pain. It looks like there's not much hope for it to be taken seriously with incomplete studies like these.
Research finds little benefit of breast imaging tests for women with breast pain
March 7, 2012The researchers analyzed a group of 916 women who were referred from 2006-2009 for breast pain at Boston Medical Center. They compared the clinical management of women who received imaging to evaluate breast pain to women who did not. Six cancers were identified: all these women either had a lump on exam, or had a routine screening mammogram find a cancer in the other breast. For women who had a completely normal breast examination, the addition of an ultrasound, MRI or mammogram did not help the patient or the doctor in their decisions.
Pre-op breast pain in about 28 percent of breast cancer patients
June 15, 2012"Findings suggest that breast pain occurs in over a quarter of women who are about to undergo breast cancer surgery," the authors write. "Based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics found, inflammatory mechanisms contribute to preoperative breast pain."
The full text must be paid for but they seem to be speculating that the pain comes from multiple biopsies. Did they get the biopsy histories, and whether the pain was there prior to biopsy? It's so frustrating not to have the full text.
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Hi - like so many, I also had pain with my bc. Mine was DCIS, rather large (4+ cm) and located in the 5:00 position. I felt a thick/bumpy area there back in April and it was tender to the touch. It then started to ache, and I had the occasional shooting pain into my armpit too. Both my GP and Radiologist at diagnostic mammogram/US said its probably not cancer (I'm 37). They were wrong. As horrible as it was getting this diagnosis and the resulting mastectomy, I am very glad I didn't wait to get it checked out. I am very lucky, and my surgical path report showed no invasive component (which my doctors had all been realistic and prepared me for that possibility since my tumor was so large.)
I had just had my very first mammogram almost exactly one year prior to finding this lump, and it was clear. Now, I am sure this thing was there for quite a while so the mammo missed it. Oddly, I had absolutely no calcifications in this breast (which is maybe why nothing showed on mammo.)
Bottom line: we know our bodies best, and we know when something isn't right. Don't let fear keep you from getting it checked. Even though this site is filled with women who have gotten the dx of cancer, remember, most lumps are NOT cancer. Even if it is cancer, there is so much to be hopeful for. Many, many of us are doing very well (better than before!)
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The studies do leave in question of what mechanisms could have caused the breast pain. I know I had the pain prior to the mammos and US, and I did not have a biopsy at any time. My decision was that since I could not handle it then for them to get it out then we will see what it is. Cancer. That is what it was. I have been through cancer pain and healing of cancer pain, besides the surgery pain and mammogram burns that were painful. I was told I was a good candidate for chemo, but only a 10% chance raised is not enough to endure it, I agree. I was told I could not endure the raadiation given the location of this mass right behind my nipple and toward the armpit. The rads do not seem warranted for lymph node cancers? I will have to research that. I just know the rads were not an option for me.
I would think that there are more than 25% that experience the pain of breast cancer. My opinion too.
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I believe the studies should be done on those who are newly diagnosed, not those who just report pain and then undergo tests. If a statistically significant number of women who get a BC diagnosis also have pain then the pain should be considered one of many symptoms to be taken seriously.
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Key is they need to be BELIEVED when they say there was pain before the mechanisms were used. After surgery I told the BS there was still the same shooting pain and he said it was from surgery, I said that in his file on me he should have the notes that there was pain prior, but he didn't take me seriously at all. The study would help. This thread helps, just pass it on to our drs and nurses, they will get the idea.
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Precisely. Symptoms are subjective, signs are objective, and sometimes the patient's word isn't accepted. The doctor wants a lump or mammogram result to believe anything could be wrong. Not feeling heard is very dis-empowering and damages trust between doctor and patient, not to mention all those other adults who believe the doctors because they have qualifications. No wonder we turn to alternatives.
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Hi everyone, thanks to all who posted in reply to my posts. I finally got up the nerve to contact my doctor to see if he has the results of my biopsy and they are out until next week. The toothache like pain is always there with the random sharp stabbing pains this does not help with trying to keep my mind off what ever this is.
Does anyone have any suggestions of what helps to ease the discomfort? I am not a "pill" person although I take meds when necessary.
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Hello & welcome Living4Grace, sorry to have to meet you here though. I feel as though I can so easily identify with your pain issues. I am extremely curious to hear of your upcoming bx outcome, both because I hope everything is good & b9 and also because of my similar issue. I too recently joined these boards (in June) and am also 'so young it's probably nothing' as the drs have said (36). I had an ovarian cyst and a uterine fibroid found in dec 2011 and have since been told it may be endometriosis. I have just recently switched from a midwife clinic to my moms life long gyn, so he is just starting to get a 'baseline' for my body. During my first annual exam with him at the end of May he initially told me that he recommends a baseline mammo at age 35...he then felt a lump on my right breast (between the 5 & 6 o'clock position) during the exam and said he really wanted the mammo at that point. I had a diagnostic mammo and an us, but because of my 'very dense' breast tissue nothing was seen....the us tech actually had the radiologist come in and perform the scan again herself because the lump is so easily felt and she did not like that she could not visualize anything. Do you also have dense tissue? I have had horrible pain toward my armpit and wrapping around to my shoulder blade/rib cage on the same side and always dismissed it as trigger points, rib out of place and muscle spasms. This pain radiates to my arm as well. I am very curious if there is any correlation between the shoulder and rib pain to this lump. I see my gyn again on Monday (it can not arrive quickly enough) for another manual exam as recommended by the radiologist so that he could assess any changes from the initial exam since the gyn had only seen me once, and was told that a surgeon may be the next step, because of the lack of visualization on imaging. I know my mind is probably playing tricks on me but I have been checking the area weekly since and know that it has changed (texture, somewhat in size, tenderness). I hope to hear of a happy outcome for your bx on the 26th. Sorry this is so long, but I appreciate any info you may return.
hello & welcome jcolford, I know that everyone is different but ice &/or heat therapy has helped my pains. Even though it does not totally take away the pain & discomfort, it does offer some 'pill free' relief. So hope you receive good news on your bx results. : )
Thank you DianeEssa for beginning this thread...I have found it to be most helpful as yours and everyone elses sharing of information from real experience is so much more than I have found elsewhere.
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You're describing my pain exactly. I tried going to my regular GP today because the pain in my breast is waking me up. I've tried Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Aleve, ice packs, no bra, sports bra, and not much has helped. I took 1/2 of an old Vicodin from a root canal 2 yrs ago and that gave me some relief. I don't like how the pain meds make me feel, so I started w/just 1/2 a tab. The GP pretty much blew me off. Told me I should try going to Nordstroms for a bra fitting! Been and done thanks. He did a "limited breast exam", I think I probably had more thorough one's from highschool boyfriends, and said he didn't feel anything. Really, because nobody ever feels anything even when we have a map to follow from an ultrasound. Told me to alternate tylenol & ibuprofen and wear my bra 24 hrs a day. He told me he was reluctant to prescribe pain meds for chronic pain because that's how you turn someone into an addict. Yes, by taking 1/2 a Vicodin about once or twice a week. Most frustrating appointment ever. Once I got home and was rubbing the sore breast I found a lump part way between my breast and armpit. I so want to kick him really hard.
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My GYN sent me for a mammo & US because I had PAIN! That is one symptom that they can send you for one. I would go to a GYN or a Breast Center. A GP is a General Practitioner.....they know a GENERAL amount of everything. More about colds, general sickness, high blood pressure....I know that is easier said than done in some areas of the US. I travel an hour to see my breast surgeon...but started with my GYN. I'm not knocking all GP's but I think they don't spend their day checking female things like a GYN does. Just my opinion. Follow your gut instinct. It's better to Ere on the side of caution.
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It's shameful that medical professionals don't listen to us! My Gyn ARNP wouldn't send me for Dx imaging because my exam was "normal"....to her. I had pain like I've never felt before & I was always sore & lumpy with PMS. So I went to my PCP & that ARNP sent me for diagnostic imaging. I also had very prominent veinous pattern over that breast only.
We have to be persistent when we know something is wrong & not let professionals stand in the way of getting answers. If I had listened to the first ARNP I would have been taking anti-infammatory meds & waiting 6 more months for my annual mammogram which may or may not have detected the abnormality.0 -
Well, here it is folks. I called my doctor today to see if they had any results and was told to come in this afternoon. The results of the Biopsy is "Infiltrating ductal carcinoma, high grade. They are trying to get me in to see a surgeon next week for a consultation. The doctor seemed quite surprised that I wasn't shocked and more upset - not that the entire situation has sunk in yet - I think I already knew or I wouldn't have been on this site for the past couple of weeks. Wish me luck ladies!
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Hugs ~ jcolford
This is the place for support, guidance & understanding.0 -
It is 2 am here and I can't sleep. I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow morning. Everything is happening so fast that I haven't been able to catch my breath yet. I spoke to my cousin who is a doctor and a breast cancer survivor and she told me that my father's family are all high risk for breast cancer. They knew this since 1997. My father died in 1985 and since then we haven't been really close to that side of the family. I am so angry that they didn't think this information was important to pass on to me or my sisters. According to my cousin the type of cancer that I have is the same as what she had and she told me to be prepared to learn that it will be Er-/PR- and that the surgeon will recommend a double masectomy.
I am known as being the strong one in my family and I hate being emotional or dependant on others. This is definitely going to be one of my toughest challenges.
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