A few years ago I had a breast lump, due to my dreadful gp I wasnt referred to the breast clinic straight away, but in the end had to have FNA, Core Biopsy and then the lump removed under surgery. From finding the lump and having the surgery results back which were luckily a benign lump this took three months. My mum also is recovering from breast cancer.
Due to my (possible) family history. There is a chance a younger relative on mums side died of bc in early thirties but I dont have the details, but the family history clinic decided it was better to be safe than sorry to have organised for me to have yearly mamograms.
I had my yearly one ten days ago and yesterday I received a letter in the post asking me to come back for further investigations next week. I am so upset that I got this letter on a Saturday morning as its thrown me into a massive panick attack and there has been nobody I could call at the hospital to find out why I am having to go back.
Just wondered if anyone could give me any words of wisdom or advice re being recalled.
Hi stargazer, I too had one of these recall letters, my outcome wasn’t that great hence being on this website. However I know tha they recall anyone with a questionable mammogram. My recall appointment was ten days from mammogram so a bit quicker than yours, two ladies I met in the waiting room were both told that there were few concerns about their mammogram, though I was told they were very worried at the start.
The clinic will likely do an ultrasound +/- extra mammograms or biopsies. I had a fine needle biopsy and had the results of that in 45 minutes.
Try not to panic too much easy to say I know it’s just dreadful not knowing, my best wishes to you that it isn’t anything too dreadful, let us know how you get on.
Pat
I know its easy to say try not to worry. If you are anything like me you will not be able to. Perhaps you could try and put your thoughts into a compartment in order to retain some sort of normality. Also keep yourself busy - it’s best to keep your mind occupied on other things even if you are on automatic pilot. There are many women who get recalled that do not go on to have breast cancer. My recall letter came on a Friday when I was due to go away for a three day holiday. Fortunately, it wasn’t abroad but I do remember not being what I call “normal” throughout the holiday regardless of how much I tried. I also had a dreadful GP who didn’t refer me when I asked which was playing on my mind. When I was at the recall clinic I got chatting to two other women. Out of the three of us I was the only one who was diagnosed with cancer.
Dear Stargazer, mammograms in younger women sometimes aren’t very clear because you have dense tissue (unlike we older, saggy people!)so sometimes a recall may not be because there is a particular worry but because the first one isn’t clear. I know several people who have been recalled who don’t turn out to have bc but just have something that wasn’t clear or which needed further checking. I, for example, have very fibrous tissue and it was always hard to understand on a mammogram so often needed ultrasounds. I know it is easy to say, and we are probably the wrong set of people to say it, given that most of us have bc, but we are the exceptions not the rule. Most people in your situation are found to have benign conditions which don’t require any further treatment. It is good though that you are being properly checked out because it means that even if you ever were diagnosed, you would be diagnosed early when the condition is very treatable xx
Thank you ladies, I have been out all afternoon with family trying to get my head round it. My mum and I have been chatting about her cancer and how she feels about it all. I have decided to ring the clinic up tomorrow and try and get some answers and also see if they will bring my appointment forward. I have some other serious medical conditions and had to have a hysterectomy just before christmas, so this really was the final straw. I am also under St Thomas’s in London as I have a serious bleeding disorder. I am due there the afternoon on the day I go back to Kings for my breast assessment in the morning, to get some results from tests they have taken and have more blood tests done. Thank you for your replies it really is appreciated.