New and Worried.
Hi! New here and scared. I went to HerScan for a screening ultrasound and got back this
Hypoechoic area 8:00 right breast 3-4 cm from nipple measuring about 14 mm. Adjacent
complicated cystic density measuring about 13 mm. Complicated cystic density 1:00 left breast 2-3
cm from nipple measuring about 10 mm. Cystic density with septation 6:00 left breast 2-3 cm from
nipple measuring about 17 mm. Recommend consult physician and consider additional diagnostic
imaging. Moderately dense tissue
My U/S and Mammo from 2021 was all clear -so this coming up is scary and Im not sure what to make of this. I am 43 with no 1st degree relatives with breast cancer. No signs or symptoms. I was just going to get screened.
My PCP has put in for a follow up Mammo and U/S to get more clarity.
How worried should I be?
Im really very scared right now.
Comments
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Hi @jessicargrimes , It’s always worrisome when you are recommended for further imagining. Your ultrasound showed lesions that might not be normal and further testing has been ordered to take a closer look. The new imaging could show all is fine or lead to more testing. There’s no way of knowing but chances are that things are OK. Try to stay busy in the meantime. Come back and let us know how it goes (well I hope.)
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Thank you for your feedback. I’m just in a really anxious place and wish I could find someone to help me understand my risk at the moment 😞😢
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We can't. There's nothing to do but complete the testing and find out from there. Hopefully it goes quickly. In general though 90% of people with callbacks find out it's just benign so the chances are high that you'll be the same.
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Hi @jessicargrimes , The toughest part of the situation that you (and everyone who is called back) are in is that there is no way of knowing the end result. Whether or not you have a close relative with breast cancer doesn't have a huge impact on the outcome. The only way to tell if you have cancer is by biopsy which is only ordered after imaging indicates it is necessary. Most biopsies turn out to be benign. Also, risk statistics use a very large sample of people and can't predict what will happen in an individual case. My friend had several first degree relatives with breast cancer and her lump turned out to be a fibroadenoma. My risk of breast cancer was calculated at 2.3% and you can see my stats below.
If anxiety is affecting your functioning you can ask your PCP for meds to help. Unfortunately, nobody can tell you the result until it is confirmed by going through the process which takes way longer than we would like. All of us here (and hundreds more whose biopsies were benign and have gone on with their lives) can sympathize with how you are feeling now. It's easier said than done but try to do things to keep your mind occupied. Here's hoping you will be in the majority who get a benign result!
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I agree with all the previous comments: only further imaging and perhaps a biopsy can show what’s really going on. Having said that, though, I do have a friend who has a “cluster of cysts” that required a biopsy to figure out. They’re all totally benign, but they looked weird on imaging and needed investigation. Again, only further testing can show what’s going on in your situation, but sometimes it helps dial down the anxiety during the waiting to hear about someone who had a similar sounding thing and was fine.
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I am mainly worried about this " Hypoechoic area 8:00 right breast 3-4 cm from nipple measuring about 14 mm.'
Can someone help with any clarity. I know that I need to (and have scheduled) a F/U Mamm and US. That is weeks away.
Wouldn't a normal report give more info re this area? Borders? Measurements? Vascularity? Would these not being mentioned be a good sign?
This US was at a moble US Scanning company called HerScan. I know I shouldnt have done this. I should have just gone to a normal mammogram place but it is what it is. Now I have these scary sounding words and weeks of waiting.
I dont need anxiety meds :) I am worried and just hoping to find some compassion and insight.0 -
You certainly have our empathy since we have all been through the waiting and worry. Unfortunately, not even doctors with a great deal of experience can make a breast cancer diagnosis or determine its likelihood by looking at a scan. At the most they will recommend a biopsy if there is more than a 5% chance of something being amiss.
Don’t blame yourself for your choice of imaging center. In many locations there is a wait for conventional mammograms. You did the right thing by taking the initiative to look after your health.
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jessica,
I’m going to agree, tenfold, with what everyone else has said. Lots of compassion and empathy here as we’ve all been in your shoes. But asking about your risk at this moment or to predict anything is not possible. There is simply not enough information known yet for anyone, even a doctor, to make a diagnosis or reach any conclusions and that is why you are being asked to have follow ups.
Waiting is difficult 😞but time will pass. Take care
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@jessicargrimes, hang in there. The unknown can be unsettling. Just know you are not alone. Take care.
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