First biopsy tomorrow
Hi all!
I have posted here before though it has been a couple years. When I have my yearly scans I usually check in and read through posts for reassurance.
I'm 38 years old, and a mom to 3, one of whom has special needs...which means I need a long and healthy life so I can be there for him! lol.
Anyway, my dr has always been so cautious & thorough with me due to extremely dense breasts, but mostly because of my mom's breast cancer diagnosis's at the ages of 34 & again at 36.
I've been having mammograms since age 27 and I've had a couple minor issues, but this is the first call back for a biopsy.
I had my yearly mammogram & ultrasound yesterday, and when my doctor called me herself first thing this morning, I had a feeling it wasn't great news. Sure enough, I need a biopsy and she called ahead to the breast surgeon to tell them I needed to be biopsied tomorrow morning. Which is amazing so I don't have to sit around and make myself nuts! haha.
I guess I have two questions. My report is confusing because there are words that I know from reading through here for so many years that suggest benign findings. I'm wondering what they based the decision to biopsy on. Would it be the vascularity?
Also, I've never had a biopsy so what should I know going in for that? It's an ultrasound guided vacuum assisted biopsy. I've had surgeries and things done in the past so I'm not too concerned about the actual procedure, just not sure what to expect.
Here is part of the ultrasound report: "Right upper outer at 10:00, 3 cm from nipple, measuring 22x15x22mm. Correlating with findings on mammogram, there is a new, oval, circumscribed, hypoechoic mass. Doppler shows rim and multi-vessel vascularity. Suspicious findings with likelihood of malignancy."
Thank you all for any thoughts, I will definitely keep the post updated!
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If you didn't have a single child, you would still deserve to hope for a long and healthy life. Your life's value/worth is intrinsic, not based on your dependents. Studies have shown that single women who are not mothers receive worse medical care because some literally think our lives are worth less because we are not taking care of anybody. I hope that isn't something you have internalized either.
The only thing that took me by surprise at the biopsy was that they told me not to bike home after (wish they'd told me that before I arrived by bike...). I was lying down sort of on my side and had just local anesthetic. The surgeon was really good about telling me what to expect, and there was a nurse who held my hand. They gave me an ice pack and I wore it in my (soft, wireless) bra after, and that was nice.
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Hi Elamom,
I'm not clinical in background, but my guess you're getting biopsied because the multi-vessel vascularity.
I live in a small town with a pretty darn good hospital system and went in for my mammogram and US and ended up getting my biopsy that afternoon. The most painful part of it to me was the injection to numb the area to be biopsied. They had me lay on my side with my arm above my head, injected the numbing medication, let me sit for a bit for it to start to work, then did my biopsies. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable.
I'm crossing my fingers that you will get a positive report. And if not, you are in the perfect place on here to get valuable information and support.
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salamandra, absolutely! It wasn’t meant in that way at all. That study is really sad, I’ve never heard that before.
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kotchaj,
Thanks for your response, I appreciate the info!
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well, the first update is that the dr got called into surgery this morning so my biopsy got bumped until Monday. If anyone else has any insight on my report, I would appreciate their thoughts :
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Are you having an excisional biopsy that would need a surgeon to do it? At my hospital, most regular biopsies are done by interventional radiologists.
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AliceBastable,
my doctor (the obgyn who orders my yearly tests) called me yesterday when the results came in and wanted me to see the breast surgeon for the biopsy. She gave me this specific doctor and I’m just following the recommendation. I’m having an ultrasound guided vacuum assisted biopsy.
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does anyone else have any thoughts on the report I posted? I have my biopsy this afternoon. A little nervous, but doing much better than I was a couple days ago.
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I don't think it posted, the post ends with "I would appreciate their thoughts : "
Edit: oh you mean the report in your original post? I wouldn't worry about that now. It will be irrelevant after you get the biopsy. You can ask them at your appointment if you want more information about it though.
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Hoping all goes well with your biopsy today Elamom.
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Elamom, good luck today! Regarding your ultrasound report - it seems very reasonable to me to biopsy a new mass, especially if it is vascularized. "Hypoechoic" means that it is solid, not necessarily malignant but not simply a fluid filled cyst, for example. Though you're right that circumscribed masses are most commonly benign.
Let us know how it goes!
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parakeets rule…I guess adding that would’ve helped! Haha. I’ll definitely update later
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jojo 2018, thank you so much!
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mle42, I appreciate the response and your thoughts
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I had the biopsy earlier today. It went great, I had no pain or discomfort during, and still not really having any soreness.
The surgeon was very positive and encouraging. She thinks it’s benign as it looks pretty regular. But then on a different view she said it did look slightly irregular. Also, it grew from 22 mm last week to 24 this week which was a bit concerning. However, she said many benign growths are fast growing.
I should have results in a couple days and I will update!
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Hoping for good news for you, and fast
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Glad all went well! I'm rooting for a B9 outcome!
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Elamom, I wouldn't read too much into a 22mm vs. 24 mm measurement. Definitely not if comparing between different imaging tech (mammogram, ultrasound or MRI). Even if all with the same system, if they get a slightly different angle on it they can end up with slightly different numbers week to week. Not hugely different, but 2mm is really small and may just be within the noise.
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Elamom: Having a child with special needs does put a lot of pressure on you feeling you need to be healthy and there to provide care. And that need does not diminish over time. You do not need to apologize for stating that as it did in no way suggest that you felt your life was more valuable. And I am so sorry that you came here for support and reassurance to only have to defend your words right out of the gate.
Your history also creates stress for you and I am so glad that your medical team is on top of this. Hoping that everything is benign and that you will have endless years of health and energy to invest in that special child. And all else that is important and dear to you.
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salamandra, thank you!
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jo-jo 2018,
Thank you
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mle42,
Thanks, that is really reassuring. She was so positive on the one hand, but then mentioning that detail made me nervous and I wish she wouldn’t have. I’m not afraid of a low grade/stage cancer. But of course when you’re in this situation and already nervous and hear the word “growing quickly” it takes my thoughts where they don’t need to go!
Thanks for the encouragement
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TB 90,
Thank you so much for being so kind and understanding! I was kind of caught off guard by that and wasn’t sure if I should change my post, but ended up leaving it. I so appreciate you and the others who gave the support and reassurance I came here for. It has been such a help to me
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No results yet. Biopsy was Monday and today is Friday. They said it would be a couple days, but I’m sure covid factors in there too. I’m pretty good at staying distracted, but then it’ll hit me again. Waiting is HARD!
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Ugh! I hate that "going into a weekend with no results" feeling! I've seen multiple posts in the forum recently from people waiting a long time for results, so I'm thinking you're right about covid slowing things down.
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Ah no! Sorry your results are taking so long.
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Hi Elamom! We just wanted to check in to see if you'd heard anything yet - we know the waiting is hard, and we sincerely hope you get answers soon!
The Mods
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Mods,
Thanks for checking in…I still don’t know anything! I called this morning because the dr’s office said it would be a couple days for results and it’s been a week. They said the report was on the dr’s desk but she hasn’t had a chance to go over it.
I see the dr Wed morning, but I’m still hoping for a call tomorrow. I will keep the post updated
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I called again this morning and they said the same, the results are on the dr's desk and they reminded me that I have an appointment tomorrow...duh, like I forgot, lol. I asked if that was typical and they said yes, and I said I was under the impression the dr would call. They said she does sometimes and they'd let her know that I called and was asking.
I'm not sure what to think. Should I be bracing for bad news tomorrow? Should I have my husband come along? ( for his sake, lol). Wouldn't they let us know if results were benign so we didn't have to go through all this?
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Elamom, please don't assume anything either way. Office procedures aren't always understandable!
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