Hi all,
not sure if i’m on the right forum for this subject because i was diagnosed with BC a year ago but i guess its still all fairly new.
Anyway, I’ve got my first mammogram coming up shortly.This will be my first one after surgery and treatment etc etc. I can honestly say i am feeling extremely anxious about this. I have done so well so far and i have had a very positive attitude and everything has gone really well, but im just feeling very paranoid and nervous. I’m just a bit worried ill have to go through the same process again…silly thoughts… i know, but i can’t get them out of my head. However, what i do keep thinking is if they do find anything again then i guess its going to be caught early. I hold on to that thought.
I am also wondering why we dont have mammograms every 6months rather than a year.
Hi KB
i feel exactly like you ! I was diagnosed last July and have had surgery and am on tamoxifen now and have been trying ( not very well ! ) to eat healthily , exercise … Basically do anything to prevent it coming back. I am dreading this July already as am so fearful it will be back and well that hellish time will start again … I am sure that our feelings are normal and that we will get used to those annual check ups
Cazza xx
Hi Karen,
I was diagnosed 01/03/2012 and had my first follow-up mammo on 12/03/2013. Like you I was really anxious. For me, it brought the whole diagnosis experience back and I was very afraid of the same outcome. The mammo was a bit more uncomfortable on my treated side but bearable. But I found I just silently cried throughout the whole thing! The nurse in the mobile unit was very kind and gentle towards me. I have now had my results and I am currently NED so start the rest of my life with my good friend tamoxifen to help me keep the dreaded BC at bay. You have withstood surgery, chemo and RT so you can get through this mammogram - it is understndable thet you have these anxieties. Be kind to yourself
Helen
I was dx 3/2/12 - WLE, SNB and rads, and had my first annual follow up mammogram last month. I was terrified of being sent back to start all over again. The mammogram was VERY painful on the treated side and I was sore for a couple of days. Make sure you have painkillers with you, although I’ve heard some ladies say theirs was OK.
Waiting for the results (I was told up to 2 weeks) was pretty tense, and I held my breath when I opened the envelope from the hospital. I have never been so relieved to see the word “NORMAL” - (their capitals, not mine!) Such a relief. 'Though I expect I’ll put myself through the ringer again next year when it’s time for the next one!
Good Luck - look on the bright side: At least if there is a problem it’ll be dealt with sooner rather than later. It’s great consolation in those demon-on-the-shoulder moments to know you’ve been thoroughly checked!
Hi JCJ,thank you for you comment. i have to say that im getting so stressed about it all tbh, this is not like me but im so scared, i need to get a grip lol…
Some hospitals do not even offer yearly mammograms post-diagnosis so I think 6-monthly is very unlikely anywhere. I have had to fight for yearly mammograms in spite of having a full mastectomy for Grade 3, 5cm multifocal IDC with node involvement and BRCA1 variant.
Hiya,but im wondering why we have yearly ones instead of 6monthly ones because a lot of changes can happen between that time. Thats what i dont understand. When i had an abnormal smear and had treatment for it i had to be checked every 6months at first so why isnt it the same for breast cancer patients?..i will ask this question when i see my onc…xx
I had my “one year on mammogram” in March and found it a very worrying time. My hospital only contact you if there is a problem so check with them how they will inform you of the results. I was told I’d get the results the next time I saw the consultant (which isn’t until May) but if I couldn’t wait that long to phone the Breast Cancer Care nurse. People kept asking me if my results were ok so eventually I cracked and phoned the nurse. Luckily mine was clear although with all the pain and discomfort caused by the test I don’t think I’ll relax about it until after I’ve seen the oncologist. I’m feeling a bit rough at present due to tamoxifen and herceptin so it’s easy to think something’s wrong.
My understanding re frequency of mammograms is that it’s down to the x-rays/radiation and it’s not considered a good idea to have them more frequently unless absolutely neccessary.
I had a physical examination of the breast in January and my oncologist was happy with that but at the back of your mind a mammogram is more reassurring as not all lumps and bumps will be picked up by feel alone.
Good luck with your test KB. I wish I knew the way to end the worrying.
Good luck KB - hope all goes well for you.
I understand completely where you’re coming from … it just brings it all back and we wonder whether we can trust our bodies again. My cancer was picked up with my first routine mammogram … I couldn’t and didn’t feel it. So I’m grateful that we’re ‘covered’ by having yearly mammograms for the next five years. No doubt when I go on to normal three yearly mammograms I’ll be even more paranoid lol!!
Sending squishy hugs and hoping that you’ll have a positive outcome.
Lozza xx
Good luck KB - hope all goes well for you.
I understand completely where you’re coming from … it just brings it all back and we wonder whether we can trust our bodies again. My cancer was picked up with my first routine mammogram … I couldn’t and didn’t feel it. So I’m grateful that we’re ‘covered’ by having yearly mammograms for the next five years. No doubt when I go on to normal three yearly mammograms I’ll be even more paranoid lol!!
Sending squishy hugs and hoping that you’ll have a positive outcome.
Lozza xx
Thank you for all your comments,lovely ladies… . I havent actually got a date for my mammogram yet but im sure i should be getting an invitation fairly soon as i was diagnosed in April last year.
Take a friend along with you for extra moral support. I had my first annual mammogram and ultrasound in January. A few minutes after I returned to the waiting room I was recalled back to the mammogram room as they needed to take extra pictures. This was a scarey experience. Luckily the additional images proved to be clear.
It is natural to be concerned especially as you will still clearly recall the traumatic experience you went through 12 months earlier. Nobody wants to go through that again, but early detection is your saviour. Good luck.
In our area it’s 18 months after last operation for your first mammo, I also had to have more pictures taken and saw a large white area turned out to be operation site. Girl was so kind, caring and very gentle, it was a bit sore but others have had no pain at all. The worst part is the wait again for the letter, wishing you the very best xx
Thankyou once again ladies, yeah its a very scary time but then i think to myself im no different from someone who is having a routine mammogram …if that makes any sense…xx
Well, my appointment for my mammo has come through and its at 10am, friday the 26th April. I saw my onc yesterday and he did a breast examination and he said there were no signs of recurrances, so there are no obvious lumps. There is no reason why my mammo wont be clear. That’s how i look at it anyway.I shall keep you all posted.
When my wife went for her Mamo in January twelve months on from her diagnosis she sat with a lady who was having her fifth after diagnosis she said 'it doesn’t get any easier sweetheart whether it’s your first or your fifth, the same worries are always there, I know for a fact I couldn’t eat or sleep for a week after her mamo and when she got the results from her breast care nurse I burst into tears, whilst my wife looked at me as if I to say shouldn’t that be me, good job one of us is strong in our family]
Hi Karen
I go for mine on 26th too (17 months after diagnosis) mine is at 12.50. I didn’t have a visable lump in the first place and picked up on a routine mammogram. I nearly diidn’t go for the test as I forgot the appointment and remembered just in time but I thought as the first one was normal 3 years previous that I wouldn’t bother but my husband made me go and a good job he did! I can’t believe how stupid I could have been. I won’t forget this one that’s for sure.
Hi guys, well im fairly confident it will be clear and if it isnt theyll sort it. Caroline 1313 was your lump deep in your breast? or was it something else? xx
. I havent actually got a date for my mammogram yet but im sure i should be getting an invitation fairly soon as i was diagnosed in April last year.