Panicking before followup appointment

Have I got breast cancer? Appointments and waiting for test results
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I posted about my issue before and I am sorry, I know many people on this forum have a much harder time, but I am desperate for some support…

I have been breastfeeding my 9mo and in my left breast which is more prone to engorgement I felt like an elongated hardness. I had an ultrasound in December where they couldn’t find anything. As it didn’t go away, in February I went to a Breast Clinic where they repeated ultrasound, did mammogram and fine needle aspiration. On the fine needle aspiration the pathologist looked on the spot and he said all was good, normal breast tissue. They told me to go back after 3 months for an ultrasound. I was relieved and happy until I came back home and started obsessing what if they missed something?

One week later my doctor tells me that the sample they checked was also sent to a hospital and it came back inconclusive (insufficient tissue). I freaked out so she called the breast specialist that saw me and they confirmed they were happy with the biopsy check they did in the clinic and that if I am worried I can come for another check in 6 weeks.

I am due to go at the end of March but I am so worried, I am on anciety meds but they do not help, neither therapy. Today I checked that area again and it is more obvious than it was in December, I had a panic attack and I can barely function to take care of LO.

They didn’t tell me what it was, I think they said it was not a galactocele, but didn’t look like cancer, just to keep an eye if it grows.

Can it be something that changes without being malignant? Or what are the chances of it being cancer missed by ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy?

I am so worried, any experience would help.

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Hiyer -

I’m not a great person to reply to your post, because I have no breast-feeding experience, nor of the situation you find yourself in. However, I see you’ve had no replies and I know how that can affect you when you are already in a frightened state - so here I am

In all honesty, from trying to read objectively from your appointments and clinic feedback, it all sounds very encouraging - BUT, I can also see why you are so anxious. I think what you need at this appointment is a better explanation of what ‘this thing’ is or might be if its not a galatocele. Maybe it is something as simple as normal hormonal changes during breast feeding ? Maybe its a one of a myriad of other benign conditions ?

Clearly the ‘inconclusive’ has become in your mind - might be or might be not cancer (and in your fear its become more the ‘might’ of course) - but in actual fact the ‘inconclusive’ might simply be the standard response for when there is an insufficient sample. The good news is that you are due to return at the end of March. It won’t feel like good news as you are scared, but they have offered this only ‘if you are worried’ and not that they are worried, by the sound of it. This opportunity should provide you with an ideal platform to request more explanation and answers, and possibly another ultrasound and biopsy (?). This is a tough time for you, as your baby is only 9 months old, hormones will be all over the place and its an easy time for anxiety to take hold and worst case scenarios to become a perceived reality due to a panicked state.

Can it be something that changes without being malignant? Or what are the chances of it being cancer missed by ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy?

I am only ‘experienced’ by my being on this forum reading posts, and having had my own experience with BC - so therefore very limited. So, these are hard to answer, but I would say Yes, changes can definitely happen that aren’t malignant (in the majority of cases) and there is a very very low chance of all those scans, specialists and tests not coming up with a diagnosis, if there is one to be had. Also, if they had concerns from their scans, and the needle biopsy wasn’t sufficient in its cell count, then they would have requested another biopsy immediately. In your head, I have no doubt, that the thought is whirring around that ‘but sometimes things are missed and they make mistakes’. This is why its good you are going back, to be extra sure that nothing has been missed.

This won’t help you much to hear an internet stranger, with no real experience, say those words as you are in an anxious state. However, the specialists will be able to provide the answers.