Hi - I was diagnosed with breast cancer last Wednesday after having a biopsy and ultrasound (mammogram didn’t pick up anything). Then I had a MRI scan yesterday to determine extent/size and started to feel better as I thought at least next week I would know more and what treatment I’d need. But now I feel confused and uncertain again, as today I’ve had a message to say that they still can’t work out the size of it from the scan and that I need another ultrasound on Friday. Has anyone else experienced this? Now worried as to why the MRI might not have worked or what it has shown?
Hi Imi99
Welcome to the Breast Cancer Care forums. If you feel you need to talk to someone in confidence about the concerns you have please give the helpline a call, our specialist breast care nurses are able to offer you advice and support and a ‘listening ear’ The number to call is 0808 800 6000 the lines open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturdays 9am - 2pm.
I am sure you will get lots of help and advice from the many informed users of this site. You may find BCC’s resource pack helpful, it has been designed for those newly diagnosed. If you would like a copy just follow the link below:
breastcancercare.org.uk//content.php?page_id=7514
I hope this is of some help to you.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hi, Imi99
They never figured out what was going on in my boob until the op, it had them puzzled, and I had the mammograms, ultrasounds,biopsies and MRI sometimes they can’t quite tell until they can look at it so to speak… It doesn’t mean it’s worse it just isn’t that easy to tell sometimes. They’re just trying to ascertain as much as possible so you can have a mild an op as possible.
Hi Imi99,
Well, you’ve had a shock, and the level of medical intervention can be bewildering and frightening subsequently. I was dx in Jan and was called back for ultrasound in Feb after MRI discovered “something” in the other breast. The something turned out to be nothing. MRI can be very sensitive and apparently capable of over-diagnosing. Ultrasound can make things clearer; I’m with Alaskaval on this!
Medical science often seems to need loads of info from a myriad of tests to see what they and you are dealing with. Stay cool. The helpline is a good idea if you want to give them a call.
I am 42 years old and was first diagnosed on 8th April 2008 following a routine mammogram at the “High Risk Clinic” I had been placed on the high risk register for two years after becoming totally obsessed with lumpy breasts after my mother’s death in 2006. My consultant was happy with my right breast that I had gone to see him with but found abnormal shadowing in my left breast, I had a X-Ray Core biopsy and the result was normal.
As my Grandmother died from Breast Cancer, My Mother from Breast Cancer secondaries and my Aunt is in remission following mastectomy, my consultant offered to place me on the high risk register at the age of 40 for 1 yearly mammograms.
Last year my mammogram was normal, this year I was asked to return for more tests! Initially I just thought that they had found the shadowing again on the x-ray. I was surprise therefore to learn that the problem wasn’t with my left but my right breast. I was shown the new x-ray against last years x-ray and the suspect area was noticeable.
I was then given a ultrasound and they could find anything… maybe a small cyst but it apparently looked OK. I was given the option of having a biopsy or not as they were fairly convinced that there was nothing wrong. I said that I would prefer to know so had a Ultrasound Guided Biopsy there and then on the Saturday morning content in the knowledge that the radiologist believed there wasn’t a problem.
I was posted a appointment to visit an Consultant and after a few tears on the phone managed to convince the hospital to let me return to see my original consultant. Funnily enough he remembered me! Must have been my fantastic personality !!! Or the fact that I was SO neurotic…
Anyway to cut a long story short he hadn’t received the result from my biopsy as it had gone to the wrong hospital. He called the lab and whilst waiting for the result he gave me an ultrasound where he found there to be no problems, in fact his words were “There’s nothing there, I wouldn’t have even done a biopsy”! I was getting dressed in the next room when the telephone call came in, my husband said he could tell the result from the change in his voice and the look on his face… I undressed again and the consultant rechecked the biopsy area and them checked my lymph nodes.
I was diagnosed with Grade 1 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. My consultant was amazed and concerned because although they had seen the site on the mammogram, had it confirmed by biopsy he couldn’t see it on Ultrasound and therefore couldn’t see how large the tumour was.
I was consequently booked into have a MRI. However, the MRI inconclusive. In my right they could only make out the tumour when using the Mammogram as a reference and using this they found 3 sites of similar enhancement in my left breast.
When it came to making my treatment decision, what I was most worried about was the fact that if I had a lumpectomy how could they tell that they had removed it all and would they be able to see anything else in the future. The only fact I could go on was that I had a confirmed tumour in my left breast. There were probably 3 more in my right which I could have biopsies taken and get confirmation of tumour but with having a High Risk family history I opted to have a “bilateral mastectomy, skin and nipple sparring with immediate reconstruction” also “Sentinel Node Biopsy (SNB) in my Right breast” and wait for a SNB on my Left breast depending on histology once results were back in order to minimise increasing the risk of me getting lymphoedema.
I had my surgery on 18th April 2008.
When my histology came back from pathology a week later my consultant told me… they removed all the tumour with my right breast, fortunately there was no involvement with my lymph nodes and my left breast all 3 areas were pre-cancerous cells and therefore I didn’t need to have SNB but they would have had to be removed.
Bilateral mastectomy was the correct decision for me in the end. I’ve been returning to the hospital for regular “pumping up” of my implants as had temporary fillable type to stretch the muscles via ports on my sides and today six weeks on, my breasts are now virtually back to the 34DD I was before the op, although they are a different shape, flatter and higher.
I’m sorry but I have gotten a little carried away with my story… but I’m sure they will get to the bottom of it and enable you to make the right decision when it comes to your treatment. From what everyone is saying, I don’t think that all types of testing works on everyone!
I hope that all goes well with your results today, please let us know. I’ll be thinking about you
Sarah-Jane
Imi99
i know what you meen … i had scan’s and mamo and it did’nt pick up how small or big mine was. but at leat you no there is some thing there so that they wii invesagate on that …
i now that is no concerlasion but they will get to the bottom of it
take care sal x
Hi everyone and thankyou for all your advice and comments which have been really reassuring.
Looking back now it was unfortunate that I didn’t get to actually speak the person who left the message and so I just jumped to all the wrong conclusions and my emotions flipped into overdrive.
I went back for the ultrasound on Friday and the reason for having to return was because they discovered a lump in my other breast (about 7mm) and so they’ve now taken a biopsy of that, plus they also wanted to take another biopsy from the lymphs on the right hand side which hadn’t been done first time round. I get the results on Wednesday from the MRI and the biopsies so in the meantime I’m just trying to remain positive.
Will let you know how I get on.
Thanks
Sarah
Hi Sarah
Glad you are feeling a little better.
I wish you good luck for Wednesday, will keep my fingers crossed and will be thinking of you.
Kindest regards
Sarah-Jane
Hi imi and 003SJN. All these diagnostic machines are very good - but not infallable. I had a lump that showed up very clearly on the mamogramme but know a couple of people who had clear mamogrammes but still had bc. From the ultrasound my IDC was 1.5 cm but when removed turned out to be IDC and DCIS and just under 2cm - the biopsey did not show the DCIS. The bc nurse explained that all the non-invasive tests are good, but never as accurate as the pathology report following the operation. I was in hospital last week with a lady who was sooo cross that her bc had not been picked up by the mammogramme 18 months before - but it may not have been there then ??
What I have learned from this web site, personal experience and from others with similar experiences is to push for further investigation every time. I personally had a quick dx after I found the lump, but some bc just does not play fair and hides from the diagnostic screening. It is good to hear that the doctors do check and double check. A friend was diagnosed with a grade 3 tumour on the site of her mastectomy scar after 3 doctors told her there was nothing there - but - thank goodness - they double checked - and she is 5 years on and well.
Hi sal, I hope you have some more information now - good luck and huggs to all.
Hi Firebird
How did they pick up on your friend having another tumour on her mastectomy scar. Did she find a lump?
I’ve had a bi-lateral mastectomy in May08, skin and nipple sparing and I wondered if they do check ups, mammograms etc on the skin that is left.
I think your friend was very lucky that they checked and rechecked. I think the problem is that we are all in such a vulnerable position post op and when you go into see your consultant you ask him a few questions and an hour later you have 20 or so more which you really wished you asked.
Thinking of you all.
Sarah-Jane
h i all was very interested reading all your posts … I had a mammogm last OCT … nothing …unltrasound 3 suspicious areas ??? Biopsy confirmed was bc was booked in for WLE and SNB … The afternoon I was booked in they called me they had cancelled my op as they ahd looked at the ultrasound pix again and werent happy so I had a MRI on the following Friday …results were left breast toatlly unstable and opted for mast and expander implant …right WLE .
histology confirmed that they had it all …straight on Tamoxifen ,no chemo .no rads … it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster at the time but 7 months on awiting for new nipple and he uplifted my good boob to match my new one… still not quite right but it couldve been far worse as it was caught really early !!!
Maz
Hi Sara-Jane - sorry I have taken so long to get back to you but have not been on the p.c. for a couple of days. Thinking about it I would probably have been better off not mentioning my friend, I didn’t consider the worry it may cause others with a mastectomy. But to answer your question, she had a noticable lump come up, which was not big, but was very near the surface, obviously as there was not a lot of breast tissue for it to form in. She said it did not look like a lumpy bit of scar. At first they thought it was a bit of fatty tissue or fluid (she was about 2 years post mastectomy I think) but the main hold up was her own GP surgery, once she bypassed them and went straight to hospital they did not mess about at all, even though nothing would show on the mamogramme. After diagnosis her doctors surgency apologised profusly and all of the doctors there had been sent on an update course on how to recognise signs of breast cancer and confirming to them that it can be a painfull lump (this is what put them off). My friends case is EXTREEMLY rare, in fact she got bored with specialist asking to be in on her examinations and asking questions about it, so don’t worry yourself, but, like all of us, ever vigulant of course!
I went up the hospital yesterday for my results from 2nd operation and out of the 10 nodes removed 0 affected - yeppee! That was far better news than I had dared to hope for. Margins on WLE now clear and they did find some “naughty bits” in the extra flesh they took so that was well worth doing. Next step is an appointment with the onchologist to discuss chemo treatment which they should offer to me as the bc did spread to the sentinal node. Then rads, then hormone then possibly something else, but don’t know yet as HER results not back. Still a long road adhead, but now I feel that the treatment is prevantative rather than ‘cure’ which puts a whole new aspect on the damn thing!
Hi mazaroo, your surgery sounds very traumatic, you must have been in shock, but glad when they told you they had got it all. Sounds like you have a low grade or DCIS? Glad you escaped Chemo, that must have been a relief as well.
Hi Firebird
Thank you for answering my question… Think all aspects about BC are worrying!
Glad your result came back positive.
Have you got your oncologist appointment yet?
Sal - How are you getting on?