Very first mammogram callback
Hi everyone
I had my very first mammogram last week. It was a 2d and 3d. I turned 40 in July but didn't stop nursing until October and read it takes your breasts 4-6 months to return to normal. Anyways I got a callback for more imaging and ultrasound on my left breast. The report said I have heterogeneously dense breast, and there were nodular asymmetry in the upper outer quadrant of my left breast. No other asymmetries or masses no calcifications or architectural distortion. It also said there were no other reports to compare it to so I'm hoping that this is just to get a baseline. The tech did tell me call backs are common, but I am losing my mind. I do regular self exams and keep questioning if I missed something. It is in my left breast which is the larger of the two but it is always been larger. I feel like I am going to self-examine myself to pieces and I also feel like I'm constantly feeling sensations in both breasts which I know can be a lot of a head game. The hard part is I have to wait until the end of April due to scheduling in the area. I think I'm just really looking for reassurance from people who have gone through the same thing more help understanding the terminology even though I feel like I've googled it all. My anxiety is through the roof and I'm just not sure how I can function this next month. My mind is already going to very dark places. I appreciate any help advice and information.
Thank you so much.
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The tech is right. Call backs are very very common, and the majority of the time, it's for something that either isn't visible on the follow-up, or is for something benign. Since you've very recently finished breast feeding, I'd think there's a very good chance of anything seen being related to that, even though you waited a few months.
End of April sounds like an enormously long time, but it's a month. If you have an infant or toddler, and very likely other things going on in your life, pay attention to those things. If you catch yourself stuck in an anxiety or worry loop, see if you can grab the worry and put it in a box. Tell it you'll come back to it in a while, but right now you have something else you need to do. Put the lid on the box. DO THE OTHER THING. Also, find ways to enjoy the time. Watch funny tv or movies, go for a walk in the spring weather, think of something FUN you've put off and do it. The point is, focusing on other things will help the time go by more easily.
Let us know what you find out, and good luck.
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Thank you for the reassurance. I will definitely update on my follow-up. Yes it is an extremely long amount of time but I was just told that's the next appointment they have available we are new to the area and sadly from what we've learned the healthcare here is limited. Part of me you would like to see if I can go somewhere else and get seen sooner but I'm not really sure how that works with insurance and my doctor etc. I
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The nature of these boards is that most/all women who stick around actually ended up with cancer. But if you go browse the thread history in 'not diagnosed but worried' and see how very very many women come and post when they are scared and then either post a benign result or just never come back again, maybe that can be a source of reassurance.
It sounds like at least your radiology center is conscientious and experienced, and that's great. The vast majority of callbacks are fine, the vast majority of biopsies are benign, the vast majority of breast cancer caught through screening is early stage and treatable, and the vast majority of women with early stage cancer go on to die of something completely unrelated.
Breathe! You have many many more chances for things to go right before you have to deal with a worst-case scenario.
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Hey just an update. I did call my mammogram center back and asked if there was a waiting list or if I could be put on a list of any openings come up sooner so I wouldn't have to wait until the end of april. The good news is they called me back this morning and said that something became available so I go in next Tuesday but now I am freaking out thinking that they saw something of such concern that they wanted to get me in sooner. The mind is a terrible thing sometimes. Trying to look at the bright side that I can get in sooner but still freaking out. Also there is a chance that I may be on my period when I go back should you have your follow up mammogram done if you're on your period?
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Hi everyone
I had my follow-up today. They did the screening mammogram and ultrasound. They gave me the all clear to go and just continue with yearly mammograms. It was classified as BIRADS 2. And I copied the exact results and wording...
There is a circumscribed 0.7 x 0.4 x 0.7 cm
hypoechoic nodule with a fatty echogenic hilum. Finding corresponds with
mammography and is a benign intramammary lymph node.Does anyone have any information on this to share ... I guess I should be relieved and thrilled but of course I googled and I'm having a hard time understanding terminology. They told me these are completely normal and the lymph node itself was completely normal. So can I breathe now? Like I said my anxiety is very high and my mind tends to go to the dark side. I appreciate everyone's responses and knowing I have a community to go to if I'm worried or unsure about something.
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dancinamyg, I'm glad you got good news! The radiologist is telling you that you have fat lining one of your lymph nodes which makes it look enlarged. That is one of several benign reasons for enlarged lymph nodes including inflammation from a virus, an infection or an injury (the cause of mine several months after surgery.) You can breathe, get on with your life and resume your normal mammogram schedule. It's always good to check unusual symptoms but more often than not it turns out to be something benign. Hopefully you won't have to come back here but please do if you have any questions in the future.
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Thank you for the information. I'm definitely relieved. And trying to breathe and move on. Is this something that will go back to normal size? Or is this something that I can expect to show up every time now? I did have a cold/virus a few weeks ago nothing that caused me to go to the doctor but definitely some yucky congestion etc, so I'm not sure if it's from that.
Thank you for your support and reassurance!
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Since the fat is lining the lymph node it will probably show up as enlarged on future mammograms. However, the radiologist will have your previous films and medical record so they will know the cause and will not call you back for that. If you change providers make sure to bring a CD of the imaging and accompanying notes with you so the new doctors have a comparison image.
My enlarged lymph node caused by injury (a box of pasta on a high shelf slipping from my arthritic fingers and hitting my armpit) took about 4 months to return to normal size. My RO wasn't pleased since I had just finished radiation and was not allowed to ice the area. I'm glad it got smaller when it did because he was about to schedule me for a biopsy.
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