31 y/o - Waiting for biopsy on Friday morning
This is the most terrifying week of my life.
On Sunday night, I felt an ache in my right breast - between the top and my armpit. When I rubbed it, I felt two palpable lumps. I'm 31 without a direct history of breast cancer, but I jumped to action immediately.
Primary care appointment Monday morning, diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound on Tuesday morning. I do medical copywriting for a living, so I knew that I would almost certainly need a biopsy. But I wasn't prepared for the reality.
Radiologist tells me that he can't rule out cancer from the images. I'll need a biopsy of 3 of the masses. Fine. [My results are: BI-RADS 4
There is mild skin thickening and increased trabeculation in the upper outer quadrant in the area of the palpable abnormality. There are 3 circumscribed masses at the 10:00 position, mid to posterior depth. No suspicious microcalcifications.
Right breast ultrasound was performed:
1. Hypoechoic 0.7 x 0.7 x 0.9 cm mass with indistinct margins
2. 0.8 x 0.9 x 0.9 cm oval hypoechoic mass. Question small fatty hilum with blood flow.
3. Hypoechoic 0.5 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm mass with indistinct margins. This is approximately 1 cm superior to the 0.9 cm mass.
4. Mild skin thickening.
5. Right axillary lymph node measures 2.4 x 1.6 x 3.0 cm. This has focal cortical thickening and cortical bulge, asymmetric compared to the left axilla.
BI-RADS 4: Suspicious]
I feel terrified and numb. I'm alternating between crying, doom-researching, distracting myself with bad TV. My biopsy was originally scheduled for two weeks from now, so I feel grateful that I can get that done in a few days. The only person who knows is my spouse. We've been talking about everything. I'm not sure if I should tell anyone else in my life before I know for sure if it is cancer...
I'm mostly here to word dump out some of the fear. We just lost my mother-in-law to a cancer of unknown origin last summer, six months after her diagnosis. I can't believe my family may be about to go through that again...
Comments
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This is so scary! Feel all your feelings but know you'll get through it. Try to avoid the doom researching if you can. We all do it and it's hard to resist but it really doesn't help at all and it makes everything seem super scary before you even know what's actually going on. I'm glad you'll get an answer soon!
I opted not to tell anyone until I knew it was cancer, but if you need support and you have people who can provide that, let them know. Maybe friends, since your family has already had a rough year. You might be surprised to find out who you know who has already had a breast cancer scare themselves and didn't tell anyone.
I'm also a fan of word dumping feelings so I hope your post helped.
Editing to add: This situation is not comparable to your mother in law's if that helps. If your lumps turn out to be breast cancer, it is highly treatable and most women go through treatment and then go on with their lives, cancer-free.
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You're right, I appreciate you commenting. And I'm sorry that we both find ourselves on this forum!
I'm trying to curb the research. The only way to know is... to know. I'm comforted by the posts from all the people here who have gone through something similar and either were clear or have had a lot of success with treatment.
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You were proactive and brave to get it checked right away!
I'm sure you know, but in case it's helpful to hear again, birads 4 means that your doc does not suspect cancer, just (as he said) can't rule it out. It's probably not cancer. But even if it is, the known will be less terrifying than the unknown. That's a near universal experience for breast cancer and everything else. Do what you need to do to get yourself through until you get the results.
Many of us turn to friends for emotional support. I don't think you need to tell anybody for the sake of it - there isn't really anything to tell. But I also think you shouldn't hold yourself back from telling if it feels like it would bring in some love and/or distractions to help you get through this time.
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When I had mine they allowed my spouse in the room with me and he rubbed my feet to help keep me calm during it. You can always ask. With COVID there may be specific rules there on who can be in there with you too.
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Another thing about Birads 4 is that it's the minimum number for coding that insurance will pay for - so some doctors assign it even when it's "We might as well take a look" thinking.
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Thank you for your kind words. I definitely didn't feel brave to make those appointments, I've never been so scared in my life!
The uncertainty is nearly paralyzing. I've only felt like myself in a few short bursts the past few days. I don't know what I'd do if my clinic hadn't been able to get me in for a biopsy this week. Thinking about waiting until Jan 26th was awful. Of course, then I overthink about why they moved my appointment up...
I go in at 7:45 tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that once the biopsy is done I can calm down a bit. I'm nervous about the pain, but I'm ready to just know and either find out what I'm facing/make a plan or put this behind me.
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The biopsy is done. It didn’t hurt at all. Now the real waiting really begins. I’m expecting to know on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. That’s the trouble with Friday appointments.
So glad the procedure is over.
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MNice, if you can lots of binge watching is strongly recommended
we all have been there, and still once in a while go through one of these waiting periods. For me, what works best is to binge watch or just online debates with my friends over non-sense! Take care of yourself.
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praying for good results for goi
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Update - my results came back and they were benign! Each lump they biopsied was a swollen lymph node.
Of course, the doctor had left for the day by the time my report came in, so I don’t have all the details. But the pathology report is very clear that it’s Not Cancer.
Thank you to everyone who replied to this thread to offer insights and comfort. The people on this forum are so knowledgeable and kind, you were such a help to me.
I’m going to leave this thread up because I read every thread like mine looking for some comfort in this stressful time.
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great news
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Yay!!
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