Have not been on here for a long time and was kind of hopeing i wouldnt have to come back and could move on from all the blooming BC rubbish. But here i am finding myself back in the worrying and waiting room again.
For anyone who remembers me, i was originaly DX with BC in 2007,stage 2 grade 3 IDC/clear nodes, had WLE/SNB/8xChemo/Rads/ Tamox and now on Anastrozole.
I went for my 6 mth check up 3 weeks ago at my breast clinic and was discharged as my 5 yrs is up in July, had a mammo before i left and was told if i hadnt heard in 4 weeks to ring up for the results then was told that i would be passed back to the national screening program so would have mammos every 3 ys eeekkkk.
Anyway,unfortunatly a week later i recieved a callback letter from my clinic asking me to come back for further assessment and other investigations, so ive been in a blooming panic, freaking out mode since as its just all come flooding back again.
I went back to the clinic last Tuesday and was told that they had found one area of calcifications BC side around my scar, and 2 arears of calcifications plus a node/nodule about the size of a large grape on my good breast,i was at the clinic for over 2hrs and had many more mammo views including magnification views and then had a US to both breasts and the radiologist carried out 3 core biopsies on the good breast and was then asked to come back the next day for a further FNA and also a sterotactic core biopsy where a further 5 core tissue sample were taken.arghhhh!
Anyway, am sitting here bruised and sore and panicking, and my mind is going into overdrive thinking i may have to go through all this again,and am not sure if the worst comes to the worst if i can, the waiting is realy the pits isnt it as you all know here only too well, i now have go back next Thrursday for my results with my breast surgeon and have been told there will be a MDT meeting on Tues to discuss my case with the results and what happens from there,so am realy trying to keep myself busy (not easy)untill i know whats what and can either get my life back on track again ,or god forbid, start more treatments.
Am feeling pretty peed off at the minute, and even moreso as id just been discharge,feel like ive had the shortage discharge in history! arghhhh.
Any positive outcomes from anyone who has been in a simular situation would be very welcome right now.
Thanks in advance, Linda x
PS, just to say its been 2 yrs since my last mammo,which isnt helping with my panicking!
That is poop! can’t use any stronger words or I will get beeped. Can’t think of anything to say other than you are not alone. I am here thinking positive thoughts and I am sure lots of other people will be along soon to join both of us. Where do you live? Ten of us are getting together on the 21st of April in Leamington Spa, you would be most welcome to join us I am sure!
My hopes and thought are with you. I am still on herceptain so not so far down the road. The only thing I can say is we did it and it is bloody hard but do able… Keep strong and I hope someone will come along soon
Love silver. X
I am really sorry you have had to come back, when you felt you ad moved on. I had some thing similar if not quite the same. I got a recall on my two year mammo in late march. The letter just said suspicious area- I hit the roof. I phoned my BCN who said I needed a core biopsy as it was an area of calcification. I googled and found that they gade calcifications according to how suspicious they looked and found that they were common and mostly benign. But of course with a history of BC you always feel like yours will not be.
Anyway I rang back and asked what mine had been graded as by the radiographer and my BCN said ‘probably bengin’ but they needed to be certain as it wasn’t there on my last mammo. I felt so much better, hearing the probably benign grade but I was still freaked out at any problem at all.
In the end they didn’t even biopsy. They did an extra magnified mammo and ultrasound. Two radiologists went through it with me and explained that the calcifications were large (which is a good thing) and mixed into the scar tissue , which tells them they have been caused by the reproduction cells forming the scar. They were also outside of the ducts and tubes and did not present in a pattern which concerned then. They ad simply wanted to check they were not missing anything on the original mammo so wanted a closer look.
I am having the breast removed in August hopefully and to be honest I will be glad to be rid of it.
Did they give you a grade for your calcs? I really hope they are just benign, but I was told if they were cancer if would be probably a mx with no further treatment as it would be v v early ( don’t know if they just said that to scrape me off the ceiling) Am sorry I don’t know anything about your grape sized nodule, crossing my fingers it’s a cyst.
It is exhausting and terrifying. I hope you get some answers quickly and can get back on with your life.
Just wanted to add that I was told that even suspicious looking calcs often end out benign and they are common, caused by age, rads, trauma and other things too. They also said that as it was a suspicios area not to be surprised if many biopsies were taken as there was no distinct lump to target.
Thanks so much everyone for you messages i do realy appreiciate it,i have been trying to keep a clear mind and not jump to any conclusions but its very hard as you know when youve been there and done it once and all the horrors of it all come flooding back.
Hi Supertrouper , thanks so much for the offer of meeting up with you all in Lemington Spa ,but unfortunatly i live in Cornwall so is a bit too far for me to travel but would have loved to have met up with you all otherwise.
Thanks Silverjill6666 for your support,like you say we have done it once and if i have too i will get myself through it again hopefully ,realy just want thursday over with now so i know whats what and can get on with everything either way.
Hi Midge, thanks for shareing your expierence with me, it realy is horrible when you get a callback isnt it, BC has a habit of messing with your head, and of course we will always think the worst because we have been there and done it once before, I dont know what Grade they have given the Calcifications but the radiologist just said to me he wasnt happy and the only way to know for definate was to do the core biopsies,hopefully if they do come back as anything sinister it will be very early and very treatable, the Node/Nodule they are not sure which (Mammo thinks Node)(US thinks Nodule )is the one that is worrying me the most so am just hopeing and praying that the core biopsy of that doesnt contain any cancer cells ,its definately not a cyst though unfortunatly i think the main worry is that none of these things were on my previous mammos.
I know that they are extra cautious with exsisting BC patients so need to be sure that any new findings are fully investigated just in case of a reocurrence so im very greatfull that at least we get regular follow ups and aftercare so as to catch anything suspicious at an early stage,but its just a neverending rollercoaster sometimes isnt it that you just want to get off, i guess all i can do is keep everything crossed that all will come back benign on Thurs and everything will turn out ok.
Hope you are all doing ok and keeping well,thanks so much for all your support. Il let you know how it gos on Thursday.
Linda x
Hi Linda, just to say how pleased I am that you found the strength to come back to the forum. I know you would have found it very difficult, but I think you’ve made the right decision. You must have support, and the information is very useful (most of the time).
You already know that I’m rooting for you, so all I can say is cross the bridge if you come to it - and lets pray you don’t need to.
Hi Linda, I’d just like to echo what lemongrove has said.I know how difficult it was for you to return.keeping everything crossed for Thursday.(((hugs)))) Melxxxx
Awh thanks to both of you,and thanks for your help and advice in keeping me grounded these last couple of weeks, youve kept me sane!! ,so i promise to stop all my blooming moans and groans after Thursday lol, i think one thing ive realised is that without the support of your fellow cancer friends like yourselves and forums like this cancer can be a very lonely place.
Big hugs
Linda xx
Sorry only just caught up with your posting. Keeping my fingers crossed for you! I’ve been back on chemo since Jan although fairly low dose and feeling pretty good, no loss of hair etc. Long story but was finally diagnosed with mets in Oct. Although strictly speaking I was diagnosed with spread to liver at initial dx so just another hiccup!!! Liver is fine spread to head of pancreas this time!!! I hope Thursday brings good news, however if there is a problem and you want to chat/meet up let me know by pm. I’m over your way a lot now as we are living a bit nearer.
Hi Mandy ,its so lovely to hear from you again,am so sorry to hear about your mets Dx though, thats bloody crap (am trying hard not to swear!!)sorry your back on chemo , but very glad to hear its being kind to you pet and your feeling ok ,good also about the no hair loss at least thats something i guess ,dont know about you but the blooming GI Jane look never realy did it for me lol but i did have a lovely shaped head (or so i was told grrr),
Glad youve got all moved now,and hope youve settled in ok and like being down this little part of Cornwall ,thanks for thinking of me,im seeing Prof Thurs at 3.20pm think we still have the same Prof? at least he always makes me laugh bless him.Il let you know how everything gos when i know more thurs,would be lovely to meet up for a coffee sometime if your ever in town.