Birads 5- my mom
I joined here several years ago after I had multiple lumps which ultimately revealed adh. I appreciated the level headed support I received while awaiting results during the height of covid chaos. I never dreamt I'd be back looking for support, this time for my dear mom. She went in on Friday for a mammo and us after telling her endocrinologist (I have no idea why her except mom sees her more often) about several lumps she found. Mom is 76. The surgical center called this morning and asked if mom had heard from the doctor about the us results...she hadn't. My mom is quite hard of hearing and I come alongside her on most medical conversations. Well surgical center wanted her to talk to the referring doc for results and call them back. After 3 hours and multiple calls to both the doctor and the surgical nurse the surgical nurse just told us that the US came back birads 5 and they want her in on Wednesday to see the surgeon and hopefully biopsy.
I know from my own small experience, and the women here, that no diagnosis is possible without a pathology report. My own care providers always emphasized that to me thru my process..but darn, my mom's doctor and the surgical center were both using really urgent language... including the actual word "urgent".
I realize as I write this it's irrelevant till we see the surgeon and get the biopsy results back. I'm aggravated that the patient portal is on the fritz and I can't help her access it to get the actual US report and now we head into the holiday. My sister and BIL are visiting this summer (they have a summer place an hour away) and BIL is a radiologist. They have company today so mom doesn't want to bother them tonight.
Frankly, I'm overwhelmed. About 2 hours before my mom's docs started calling I had to call 911 on my mentally ill 40 yo brother who lives with mom and dad. He was so out of control screaming at my dad it was scary (and I don't scare easy). My folks need to apply for a guardian for my brother as he is no longer stable enough to stay with my folks. So between the sheriff deputies (who were great by the way), making attorney appointments about guardianship, and trying to navigate medical calls for mom, I might be expressing all this to strangers because I don't know what else to do. I'm so grateful to be here to help my folks. I just wish to heaven they didn't have to go through all this.
Thanks for reading. I'll post again after we get the actual results on mom.
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I am so sorry to read this. It absolutely sucks. A whole dissertation could be written on the lack of mental health support and care in this country but it does absolutely nothing to change what your family is going through. I hope you find someone to help your brother very quickly so that your full attention can be on your mother. As far as the Birads score goes, yeah a 5 means they are pretty sure. But they are not always correct and hopefully the biopsy and the results will come quickly so that you can move on from this middle space. Remember breast cancer is a variable beast. Never fun most certainly and the treatment sucks but the diagnoses are usually early stage and early stage has quite high cure rates. Wishing you the best and many hugs sent your way.
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Bless you Kay. I needed that. Its been a day and I'm realizing I need to get myself in to talk to someone myself and I need a good cry...and a drink. And ice cream. My mom is awesome and we'll get my poor brother some help. I just have to knock down a few more doors. I hate Mondays.
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We're so incredibly sorry, bellvue1110. That's an awful lot to shoulder, we know how overwhelming it all must feel right now. We hope the biopsy results come back with the best news, thinking of you and your mom!
The Mods
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We saw the surgeon yesterday. He did a biopsy. He said its over 5 cm and there are multiple lumps in the same breast. My BIL, radiologist, looked at the studies and he and the surgeon both said best case is advanced local intermammary metastatic. Scans next week to see if it is elsewhere distant. The surgeon connected us to a nurse navigator who walked us thru the cancer center. The surgeon said mom is not a surgery candidate and treatment will depend on what mom wants. Surgeon said he or nurse navigator will call Friday or Saturday as soon as path comes back.
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IDC, nuclear grade 2, ER/PR positive, her2 equivocal for over expression. Surgeon said next stop MO. More tests. Going to caregiver thread.
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