Should I be more proactive
hello,
I have a strong history of breast cancer in my family. Mom, Aunts, Sister and Cousins. I am 60 and have had annual mammograms since I was 35.
My recent mammogram results were indeterminate asymmetry. All other have come back normal.
I called my doctors office to get a referral so I could schedule the additional testing ASAP. I was told that I had to make an appointment to go over results with the doctor before they would send the referral. I just saw doctor last month to get the original mammogram referral. I had to make an appointment before she would send the original referral. The reasoning was the doctor had to make a notation in my file. My previous doctors would just send the referral and let me schedule a follow-up appointment if the results were not normal.
There are no appointments until the first week of March 2026. I’m looking at more than 6 weeks before I can actually get the additional testing completed.
My question to this group is: Is it normal for a doctor to require a visit before sending a referral and making someone wait so long? Should I be more proactive in wanting the referrals now instead of in March?
Due to my family history, I’m kinda freaking out. I have researched this type of results and I’m under the impression that the chances of it being cancer is very low. But I’m still very anxious and don’t feel that I should have to wait…I believe that this is just another way to bill a visit and make me pay another co-payment.
what is your opinion? Thank you
Comments
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Hi @concerned1965, A diagnostic mammogram/ultrasound is only called for by a radiologist when a mammogram is BIRADS 4 or 5, suspicious for malignancy. Indeterminate asymmetry is usually classified as BIRADS 3 with a 6 month follow-up recommended. If you visit your doctor and she decides to order a diagnostic mammogram based on your family history you can have the more detailed imaging done sooner.
The extra appointment seems to be required by insurance companies. My neurologist referred me to a neurosurgeon and ordered a MRI. She told me she would see me after the second opinion but I got a phone call from her office telling me I had to have an appointment to discuss the imaging results. When I questioned this I was told it was an insurance requirement to follow up with the doctor placing the order even though the MRI will be evaluated by the neurosurgeon,
While having diagnostic imaging done more quickly would give you peace of mind you will have an answer sooner than the usual 6 months, BIRADS 3 means there is a less than 2% chance of cancer so you are most likely fine to wait a bit. I hope your results are benign.
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@concerned1965 Yikes!!! I’m 63 with issues that started as bilateral asymmetry. I got my original mammogram ordered and my referrals without even seeing my doctors. I’m curious as to if you are in the US or somewhere else? Here in Connecticut , the radiologist who read my mammogram and flagged it as birads 0 ordered my first round of diagnostic testing. (I had some issues with them and ended up changing providers). I got a referral to a breast surgeon over the phone from my OBGYN because my PCP was on maternity leave. The breast surgeon saw me the next day. The longest wait I’ve had was a month between getting approved for biopsies and being able to schedule them.
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hi,
I live in Nevada. I think my main concern is having to wait so long to see the doctor. My mom, her sisters and some of my cousins tested positive for the BRCA gene, I myself test3d and I’m negative. However, my concern with the wait, is that one of my cousins (same age as me) tested negative for the BRCA gene but did develop breast cancer. It was a different cancer gene which I wasn’t tested for at the time.
It’s very frustrating that the doctors don’t take in account what an abnormal mammogram result does mentally for a patient as they have to wait to speak with their doctor. I live in a small town and there are not many options to see another doctor sooner. I think waiting more than a week is too long….
Thanks for your responses 😊
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@concerned1965 I just cannot imagine having to wait that long simply to get the follow up ordered. Honestly, it seems unconscionable. The only other suggestion that I can think of is to reach back out to the radiology group who read your screening mammograms and tell them you are having difficulty getting the follow up scheduled. Be nice about it, but explain that your doctor wants to see you first and that you can’t see them until March.
I feel so incredibly badly for you. It took me about 10 weeks from mammogram to biopsy, but that included changing practices and getting an extra set of ultrasounds for the new group. I also had to wait a little bit longer because I needed biopsies on both sides and they had to find a double appointment. I have my follow up with the surgeon this week so that I can decide the next steps. My biopsies were benign, but they were still questionable. Even though I was making progress, I was going mind worrying because everything was taking so long. I wish you all the best and hope that you find some way to speed things along.
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