check ups
check ups I have a yearly mamogram on my remaining breast but even though it says ultrasound and mamo on my checkup letter, they always say I don’t need an ultrasound
. I have had a lump checked by ultrasound and when I suggested the radiographer could check the rest of my breast she said no and that she had been asked to check the lump only.
Do other people have both tests at checkups? I am 47 and have not yet gone through the menopause.
Suex
check ups hi Sue
I am 48 and pre menopausal (at least before the zoladex injections!). I had my first yearly check up in December. What an unbelievably anxious time. I only had a mamogram and as far as I know that was all they were supposed to do. Fortunately all was ok. Fantan
check ups Hi Sue - we only get 2 yrly mammos after bc at my hospital in Plymouth - both Onc and Surgeon say yearly is too much radiation and can cause cancer. Talk about a catch 22 situation. Friends in the US get annual mammos whether they have had bc or not - can’t understand the reasoning, Onc says you can have anything you like done in the US because you have to pay for every test/consultation.
I have had 2 mammos and ultrasounds since being dx in Jan 2003 - mainly because I had a weird long ropey lump between the top of my breast and nipple. Eventually dx as Mondor’s disease (thrombophlebitis of a superficial vein in the breast) - surgeon said it is rare and he has never seen it in a patient who has had bc. It came about a year after chemo and rx.
Just had my annual check up in March, no mammo or ultrasound, but had two new lumps under the arm where the lymph node removal scar is - surgeon aspirated them and they turned out to be cysts. I would hazard a guess that the docs only do mammos or ultrasound outside of their own hospital’s protocols if there is a particular problems, i.e. new lump. I had thought of paying privately for a mammo in the year I don’t get one on the NHS, but figure my surgeon knows best so am letting it ride.
Liz.
Hello Sue When I went for my initial ultrasound before diagnoses they only checked the breast I was having the problem with, when I mentioned this after diagnoses the doctor just felt the other one and said if seemed fine. Don’t you think it would make sense to check both at the same time; it would only take an extra few minutes, especially as mine was a recurrence.
Jan
I have both My original lump was clearly visible and could easily be felt. Absolutely nothing showed up on the mammogram - no lump at all. It showed up on the ultrasound (but as benign - got that wrong!). I had my yearly checkup in January and my consultant agreed that I should have an ultrasound as well - on both breasts as nothing had shown up on my mammogram. He knew that a clear mammogram would not in the slightest reassure me! My understanding is that it is standard practice to just do a mammogram.
Love
bjj xx
Hi Sue I am 54 and peri-menopausal according to a recent blood test (i.e. nearly there!) and I have a mammogram of my remaining breast every 2 years with no ultrasound. I’m not very happy about this but can’t really afford private mammograms (I was quoted £130) in the alternate years.
Thanks everyone I think my experience is very similar and I guess at the end of the day, you cannot have any guarentees.
It seems at my hospital, depending when you were diagnosed, you get a mamo yearly or every two years. I fall into the yearly and am thankful for that. But The radiographer has mentioned the risk of bc from too many mamos so I guess either way it is not ideal.
Suex