Deep Sigh, Here Again
I had Stage 1A IDC ER/PR+ HER2- dx in Oct 22, lumpectomy, radiation, oncotype 14, been on Tamo since Feb 2023. 14mm sized mass.
My new surgeon put me on a different imaging cadence so I get mammo/US in the fall and now MRIs in the spring. I had my first MRI yesterday hoping to sail through without alarm…until the radiologist I’ve often worked with called to say they found a 9mm mass with an oval shape, no inflammation in the lymph nodes. Plan is to do a US and biopsy if needed but boy y’all…I’ve made it just 2.5 years out of diagnosis and I’m so bummed. Not as floored as my initial diagnosis because I gave context: the mass is small to the point that my surgeon could not palpate it during our visit last month. I couldn’t find it just now. Smaller than my small mass the first time around. It’s oval shaped and not spiculated. And the last time after the mammo/US the radiologist came into the room to tell me she thought the results were concerning and there was no chance it was benign. This radiologist thinks there’s still a chance it’s benign, even if both were BIRADS 4
I’m just here to vent and sigh and get some perspective. It’s so hard to be a cancer haver or survivor! I fear metastatic disease so much…and I know I can know nothing until I get more tests, but you know, sighing and venting and raging. Thanks BC community
Comments
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brooklyn,
I can’t give you much perspective on your medical situation and my heart goes out to you as you face this again. I will say one thing with respect to BIRADS 4. It is my understanding that in the US, most insurance companies will not cover a biopsy unless it is a BIRADS 4/5. I have a different type of health insurance (Kaiser Permanente) so it’s possible I am incorrect but that has been voiced often on bco. Take care
PS: I really am an ex-Bronx girl!
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@brooklyn7784 - Hi, and welcome to BCO. We're sorry for what you had to find us, but glad you did!
We’ve moved your discussion here, to the “Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned” topic so that it’s easier for others in a similar situation to find and connect with you.
We’re really sorry you’re going through this. If a biopsy is planned, we’re wishing you all the best and hoping for reassuring results. Meanwhile, please, come back to let us know how you're doing. We're here for you!
The Mods0 -
If it's something in your breast, it would be a local recurrence or a new breast cancer, neither of which are metastatic spread. Hope that brings the anxiety down a notch or two!
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Thanks so much to y’all and the mods. It does help bring the anxiety down a few notches, @alicebastable. It would likely be new since it’s a different breast. But I have been there before so as much as it stinks, it’s less scary than before
Thank you too, @exbrnxgrl ! That helps me wrap my head around it as well. Also yerrrrrr!1 -
Hi again @brooklyn7784,
We're just checking in on you to see if you've had your biopsy and if you've learned anymore about what you might be dealing with? We're thinking of you!
—The Mods
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Thanks so much, @moderators . I had an unexpected but good result— when I went in for a follow up ultrasound on Monday, the radiology tech had a really hard time finding the mass or spot indicated on the MRI. The radiologist herself (who happened to be the same radiologist who read the images for my cancerous tumor, and told me that day that she'd seen something concerning), came in and performed a US as well, but she couldn't find anything. Ultimately on the report she noted an intramammary lymph node near the spot indicated on the MRI, but as she spoke to me, she couldn't figure out why they could not find it. Next step is doing an MRI guided biopsy, which i got an appointment for about a month from now. The radiologist assured me though, that as compared to my cancer diagnosis, she was NOT concerned. She rated this as BI-RADS 3 based on what she saw and also said that because the MRI had shown something oval shaped and smooth, she really only wanted me to chase it down because of my past risk.
All to say, I feel a lot better, based on what she said. It won't be fun to get an MRI biopsy (she told me they use a clamp to hold your breast in place) but I'm glad I have providers who just want to make sure I'm okay.
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@brooklyn7784 that's great news! So glad you're feeling better and they have a plan to investigate further just to be sure — but sounds like things are looking up for you! Thanks for letting us know and please keep us posted on how your MRI biopsy turns out!
Crossing our fingers for you!
—The Mods
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Thanks again, @moderators . It feels pretty great to be downgraded from BI RADS 4 to 3, maybe just from the emotional side of things. Also a good lessons learned about MRIs and how sensitive but not specific they are.
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Very encouraging. I have been following this thread, and from the beginning I thought that oval and smooth doesn't sound like cancer. I hope the MRI guided biopsy confirms that beyond any doubt.
As others said, if it is cancer it would still be local. But hopefully it wont come to that. Fingers crossed for you!
Take care,
LaughingGull
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