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Scheduled for biopsy Thursday
I am scared too death. I wish I could handle stress better. I went for a screening mammogram (12/29). My 4th. I am so stressed every year I almost cancel. 1/3/11 they called me back for more views of my left breast. It was the 1st day of my period & it very painful. She took about 6 views. She kept running in & out to talk to the radiologist on the phone. I asked if it looked better or worse.She said it looked all right to her but she hadn't been to school 13 years. I said I didn't feel anything. That was point the she said. She came back in for another & the buzzer goes off & she said "wait that is her. I have been on the phone with her (radiologist)". She comes back, takes another & says we are taking you to ultrasound. I am lying there & the tech asks if there is beast cancer my family. Not that I know of. I did tell her I might lay there & have a heart attack. She said it may be nothing. She said could not tell me anything. Should hear by Thursday. Don't stress & Happy New Year. NP calls the next afternoon to tell me I need biopsy. Try not to worry. She said it was a small distortion in 10:00 postion near sturnum. She said they didn't know what it was. I asked what it could be other than cancer. She named a few things & told me to stay off the internet. On the request for the biopsy it said questionable mass. How worried should I be? I don't know what kind biopsy I am having or anything. All I got from the radiologist was a letter stating my tests showed the need for biopsy. The NP didn't tell much. She didn't give me a reason not worry. The only thing I can think of is they must be pretty sure it is cancer or they would tell it was probably benign. How often are these things benign? Why aren't they telling me more? Sorry this is so long.
Hi,
I think that you are jumping to conclusion on thinking that the abnormality detected in your breast has to be cancer.
I can understand your anxiety with all the the phone calls between the technician and the radiologist....that would make anyone nervous,but you really shouldn't worry too much about it.
When a biopsy is recommended it's because the radiologist can see something suspicious,but nothing more than that.He did not tell you anything because he really doesn't know.
No one can tell you for certain what this abnormality could represent unless a biopsy is performed and the tissue examined under a microscope by a pathologist.
I wish I could allay your fears by telling not to worry,but all I can tell you is that many many biopsies (80%) return a benign finding.
Please let us know about your biopsy results,so that we can help you the best way we can if you have more questions. I sure hope that the report will state benign finding.(I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!)
Wishing you all the best and good luck!...
I think that you are jumping to conclusion on thinking that the abnormality detected in your breast has to be cancer.
I can understand your anxiety with all the the phone calls between the technician and the radiologist....that would make anyone nervous,but you really shouldn't worry too much about it.
When a biopsy is recommended it's because the radiologist can see something suspicious,but nothing more than that.He did not tell you anything because he really doesn't know.
No one can tell you for certain what this abnormality could represent unless a biopsy is performed and the tissue examined under a microscope by a pathologist.
I wish I could allay your fears by telling not to worry,but all I can tell you is that many many biopsies (80%) return a benign finding.
Please let us know about your biopsy results,so that we can help you the best way we can if you have more questions. I sure hope that the report will state benign finding.(I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!)
Wishing you all the best and good luck!...
Take a deep breath. The ladies that are on this website have been where you are and we know how scary and stressful it is waiting for test results. First, don't feel badly because you are upset. Second, try to take charge of your reaction and your thoughts. Focus on what you know is true and what is the next test and what it will tell you. A biopsy tells you more about what is going on in your breast than any other test. You will have some real answers soon.
Thursday will come and you will wait another several days or a week. You will find out that the abnormality is either nothing to be concerned about because it is something benign that occurs in some women or that it is something more serious and requires further treatment. You will have been checked out as thoroughly as possible. If it is nothing, you will get peace of mind from an explanation of what it is, if it is chronic or just a passing thing and what you can do. If it is something serious, you will find out what it is, and formulate treatment plans. Most people get good news, that they have something odd that showed up on the mammogram and on further investigation, it was found not to be serious. I can tell you, that even after I was told that I had cancer, taking things step-by-step and having people to discuss things with helped me through. We are here to help you through the waiting on test results, share our experiences to help you through whatever you find out and rejoice with you when you have good news. Feel free to reply to this thread with more questions or send me a message if I can give you a shoulder to lean on. I am thinking of you.
Thursday will come and you will wait another several days or a week. You will find out that the abnormality is either nothing to be concerned about because it is something benign that occurs in some women or that it is something more serious and requires further treatment. You will have been checked out as thoroughly as possible. If it is nothing, you will get peace of mind from an explanation of what it is, if it is chronic or just a passing thing and what you can do. If it is something serious, you will find out what it is, and formulate treatment plans. Most people get good news, that they have something odd that showed up on the mammogram and on further investigation, it was found not to be serious. I can tell you, that even after I was told that I had cancer, taking things step-by-step and having people to discuss things with helped me through. We are here to help you through the waiting on test results, share our experiences to help you through whatever you find out and rejoice with you when you have good news. Feel free to reply to this thread with more questions or send me a message if I can give you a shoulder to lean on. I am thinking of you.
Good luck and if it makes you feel any better I just had what was suppose to be a simple FNA which turned out to be a nightmare last Thursday.The Radiologist said I was abnormal and had never seen so much blood with an FNA and called the head of the pathloogy department while I was still on the table and then called in a nurse to rush my samples to pathology ASAP while I was still on the table. She said she was treated mine as a special case. Well I have been waiting since Thursday and I just got my good news results! Everything was benign! So good luck and know we understand what you are going through. Good luck and I am bet everything will turn out ok. Sounds like you might just had a scare like mine! :)
Ladies, thanks so much for your replies. They mean more than you know. I am one of those people that always thinks the worst. I am trying to get out of that , because it sure doesn't help anything. I am thankful they were able to get me the first available appointment. She did that because I wanted it done as quickly as possible. "quite anxious". That is an understatement. I guess that is why she told me not to "google anything" to keep me calm. I was on the internet when she called. I wasn't surprised when she told me where the problem was located. My left breast seems to be a lot more lumpy than the right & I seem to have more pain on that side. Especially in that area. I was concerned when the ultrasound results were never mentioned. I didn't know what that meant. I hope that one day there will be a way to accurately diagnose breast problems more quickly, without all the waiting. Thanks, again for your replies. I will keep you posted. I go tomorrow afternoon.
Hi stressedout,
You absolutely must go thru with all tests they decide to do on you, whether you are anxious or not. If you don't, you will never get another good night's sleep ... you will spend the rest of your life worrying!
But I found that biopsies (most of them) were less traumatic than actually having a mammogram. (except for the stereotactic one, but that was because I couldn't lie on my left side for them, & they had a lot of trouble getting me positioned correctly into the machine).
None of them are particularly pleasant, but my radiologist gave me a local anaesthetic prior to each of my "3" biopsies. It helped a bit. Just ask for one, as I don't think it's routine to give it to everyone. Most Dr.'s will oblige.
2 of the 3 biopsies I had left my chest (both sides) looking like I had been kicked by a horse. One formed a haematoma that was the size of 2 golf balls, but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable ..... but it did take 4 or 5 weeks for it to slowly resolve itself. I went to the ER one morning, knowing that they would undoubtedly try to aspirate it (I am a retired R.N.) For me, but ONLY for me, that was a mistake ... because it ended up being botched rather badly by a resident with no experience (under the supervision of the head Dr. in the E.R.). I knew it was going to be rather awful, but because, when I was a student many years ago, my patients let me "practice" & "learn" at their expense .... so always now I will let the newbies use me as a guinea pig, so to speak .... after all, they have to learn too. In the end, all she got out of me was a couple of cc's blood in the K-basin ..... the rest was all over the bedsheet, & my body. But they have to learn. You are free though, to request that a full-fledged Dr. be the one to do the tests on you, if you wish.
When it came O.R. time for a bilateral (3 weeks ago) ... I asked my surgeon if taking 1mg of Ativan would interfere with the general anasthesia I'd be getting later in the a.m. after the radioactive tracer was given to me. He said, "not at all." In fact, he offered me a RX for a few. That definitely helped me in the couple of hours or more I had to spend in Nuclear Medicine before the actual surgery began.
So, ask your Dr. if you don't think you can tolerate the biopsies .... he/she will probably oblige & tell you it's okay. But never take more than he/she says is okay! Very unsafe to overly sedate yourself. Let the Dr. decide how much is appropriate, & only take that much.
Best of luck. And let us know how things turn out. We've all "been there," & so we do understand all the emotions that go along with this. There is light at the end of the tunnel, & it IS really quite a large percentage that turn out to be nothing to worry about.
But you will never know, if you don't have the tests. And the sooner you can get them, the better. Prayers for a good outcome!
You absolutely must go thru with all tests they decide to do on you, whether you are anxious or not. If you don't, you will never get another good night's sleep ... you will spend the rest of your life worrying!
But I found that biopsies (most of them) were less traumatic than actually having a mammogram. (except for the stereotactic one, but that was because I couldn't lie on my left side for them, & they had a lot of trouble getting me positioned correctly into the machine).
None of them are particularly pleasant, but my radiologist gave me a local anaesthetic prior to each of my "3" biopsies. It helped a bit. Just ask for one, as I don't think it's routine to give it to everyone. Most Dr.'s will oblige.
2 of the 3 biopsies I had left my chest (both sides) looking like I had been kicked by a horse. One formed a haematoma that was the size of 2 golf balls, but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable ..... but it did take 4 or 5 weeks for it to slowly resolve itself. I went to the ER one morning, knowing that they would undoubtedly try to aspirate it (I am a retired R.N.) For me, but ONLY for me, that was a mistake ... because it ended up being botched rather badly by a resident with no experience (under the supervision of the head Dr. in the E.R.). I knew it was going to be rather awful, but because, when I was a student many years ago, my patients let me "practice" & "learn" at their expense .... so always now I will let the newbies use me as a guinea pig, so to speak .... after all, they have to learn too. In the end, all she got out of me was a couple of cc's blood in the K-basin ..... the rest was all over the bedsheet, & my body. But they have to learn. You are free though, to request that a full-fledged Dr. be the one to do the tests on you, if you wish.
When it came O.R. time for a bilateral (3 weeks ago) ... I asked my surgeon if taking 1mg of Ativan would interfere with the general anasthesia I'd be getting later in the a.m. after the radioactive tracer was given to me. He said, "not at all." In fact, he offered me a RX for a few. That definitely helped me in the couple of hours or more I had to spend in Nuclear Medicine before the actual surgery began.
So, ask your Dr. if you don't think you can tolerate the biopsies .... he/she will probably oblige & tell you it's okay. But never take more than he/she says is okay! Very unsafe to overly sedate yourself. Let the Dr. decide how much is appropriate, & only take that much.
Best of luck. And let us know how things turn out. We've all "been there," & so we do understand all the emotions that go along with this. There is light at the end of the tunnel, & it IS really quite a large percentage that turn out to be nothing to worry about.
But you will never know, if you don't have the tests. And the sooner you can get them, the better. Prayers for a good outcome!
Hi again,
I am glad that we've been of some help.
When you are back home,you could experience some discomfort, bruising, and swelling . Applying ice to the breast (on and off, no more than 30 minutes at a time) can help reduce bruising and swelling. Most women also find that a supportive sports-type bra makes them more comfortable for the first 24 hours.
Wishing you an uneventful biopsy tomorrow and most of all a BENIGN finding! :)
God Bless....
I am glad that we've been of some help.
When you are back home,you could experience some discomfort, bruising, and swelling . Applying ice to the breast (on and off, no more than 30 minutes at a time) can help reduce bruising and swelling. Most women also find that a supportive sports-type bra makes them more comfortable for the first 24 hours.
Wishing you an uneventful biopsy tomorrow and most of all a BENIGN finding! :)
God Bless....
I was told the breast that hurts is the healthy one...does that count as compassion for the other?
Thank you all for your comments. Have been trying to stay busy to keep my mind of off this. Sometimes it works & sometimes it doesn't. Saw the breast specialist & his Nurse Practioner Thursday. The core biopsy will be Monday at 8:00. They were very nice & encouraging. I was a mess. My face was red. I know my blood pressure was through the roof. The nurse practioner told be that 80% , probably more of biopsies are benign. She said she sees it everyday.She showed me the size of the nodule & said even if it was a cancer it was small & it could be taken care of. She was concerned about my anxiety. She didn't seem to understand how I could have worked myself up into that state in that amount of time. The dr came in and was encouraging also. He said he couldn't feel it so he was going to call his friends in radiology. He said he couldn't tell me it wasn't cancer, but most were not. He said that several times. He showed me the size too. He, too, was concerned about my anxiety. He said,he wasn't talking about was going on now, but as you get older things pop up & you have to be ready for them. They think I need something for anxiety. He said he would know the results probably by Friday. They made an appointment for me a week from Monday. The receptionist said that is when I will get my results. That is my birthday. He didn't seem that concerned. I wish I could take that at face value like a normal person. I always feel like they could be hiding something so I won't stress. Thanks again for your replies.
Hi again,
I remember when I was due to have my biopsy,and waiting for the results,I was very nervous too.
I couldn't function normally.So I went to my prescribing doctor and told him about my anxiety.He prescribed Ativan for a short period of time,just to get me through these stressful time.It worked pretty well for me.Sometimes we do need medication when we are facing difficult times...
Call your doctor and see what he/she can do to make you feel better.
The radiologist is not hiding anything from you,as I said before,he simply doesn't know...
Just keep in mind that most biopsies turn out to be fine and why shouldn't yours be fine too? Arm yourself with positive thoughts,go out,see your friends,keep busy as much as you can.Time will go faster believe me.
I sincerely hope that you'll get good news on your Birthday! :)
Happy Birthday! and good luck on Monday.. I'll be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way...
I remember when I was due to have my biopsy,and waiting for the results,I was very nervous too.
I couldn't function normally.So I went to my prescribing doctor and told him about my anxiety.He prescribed Ativan for a short period of time,just to get me through these stressful time.It worked pretty well for me.Sometimes we do need medication when we are facing difficult times...
Call your doctor and see what he/she can do to make you feel better.
The radiologist is not hiding anything from you,as I said before,he simply doesn't know...
Just keep in mind that most biopsies turn out to be fine and why shouldn't yours be fine too? Arm yourself with positive thoughts,go out,see your friends,keep busy as much as you can.Time will go faster believe me.
I sincerely hope that you'll get good news on your Birthday! :)
Happy Birthday! and good luck on Monday.. I'll be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way...
I am just like you, I am in the beginning stages of all this and I am scared to death. I cry at the drop of a hat and am already imagining cancer has spread. This is my fault. I haven't had a mammogram since 2004 which I was told was normal. I had fibroadenomas removed from my breasts when I was 17 and 20. My mom works for my doctor and she just told me there was an increased amount of calcification in my right breast since my mamm in 2004. No one TOLD me there was calcification AND it is not on the report. My mom made the mistake of showing be the report which was a bi-rad 4, suspicious abnormality. I have an appt with a surgeon this Wednesday and I am going crazy, can't sleep, crying and feeling like I am doomed. I am praying for you, please post results when you get them!
Thanks for your support. I have always been pessimistic. I hope I can stop that. I know people who, if they were in my sitituation,would not make themselves sick with worry & would perfectly optimistic about the outcome & wouldn't get that upset unless they were sure they had a reason to be. The dr really could not believe how worked up I had let myself get. One minute I am ok, the next in a panic. I probably should take something. They did their best to encourage me. They were basically telling me the statistics are in my favor. Thanks for the birthday wishes!
I had the biopsy this morning. It wasn't bad. Didn't feel a thing. Now the waiting continues. I kept trying to read their faces. I couldn't. One paper it was called a mass, the breast surgeon called it a nodule. I asked what it was they were looking at & they said tissue that looked different from the other. I did hear the word califications. Now I just have to figure out how not to make myself crazy for the next week!
Hi,
I am very glad that your biopsy was uneventful and painless :)
Now that the procedure is over, you are going to go through this week whether you feel nervous or not.To release tension,please click on the link below to show you how breathing exercises can help you.
http://stress.about.com/od/breathingexercises/ht/breathing_ex.htm
In my opinion and the opinion of all the women who posted in this Forum the waiting for the results is not fun at all,but we have no choice in this matter,you are not alone and we know what it means...but you have to try to calm down and keep busy...busy..busy! The busier you are the shorter the week will seem.
We'll all be waiting with you and hoping for good results!
Good luck...
I am very glad that your biopsy was uneventful and painless :)
Now that the procedure is over, you are going to go through this week whether you feel nervous or not.To release tension,please click on the link below to show you how breathing exercises can help you.
http://stress.about.com/od/breathingexercises/ht/breathing_ex.htm
In my opinion and the opinion of all the women who posted in this Forum the waiting for the results is not fun at all,but we have no choice in this matter,you are not alone and we know what it means...but you have to try to calm down and keep busy...busy..busy! The busier you are the shorter the week will seem.
We'll all be waiting with you and hoping for good results!
Good luck...
Glad to hear the procedure went well.
Mass, lump, nodule,and lesion are all used pretty much interchangeably, so don't try to read anything into that.
Hang in there,
bb
Mass, lump, nodule,and lesion are all used pretty much interchangeably, so don't try to read anything into that.
Hang in there,
bb
Dear Stressed Out,
Still thinking about you, my appointment with the surgeon is Wednesday and I too am so nervous that I am literally making my self sick! Not sure how I am going to get through all this. I just keep imagining this is cancer and it is everywhere! I am glad you will at least have a little certainty soon and praying it is nothing!
Tina
Still thinking about you, my appointment with the surgeon is Wednesday and I too am so nervous that I am literally making my self sick! Not sure how I am going to get through all this. I just keep imagining this is cancer and it is everywhere! I am glad you will at least have a little certainty soon and praying it is nothing!
Tina
Hi, I just went through the very same thing, there is a long post about it somewhere on this forum. My anxiety level was so high that I couldn;t function.. I had the biopsy today and my stress is greatly relieved..Please don;t let your imagination run away with you..I have been walking around for a week feeling like I could vomit at any given moment. It over now and I am grateful...the only thing that is a bite worriesome to me is that the site is still bleeding..if it continues I will call the doc tommorrow.
Good luck to you and just hang in there. by the way, I started taking valium yesterday and I believe it was a great help to get me through this procedure.
Good luck to you and just hang in there. by the way, I started taking valium yesterday and I believe it was a great help to get me through this procedure.
I think we have all gone through this, fortunately for me I got the results the day after the biopsy and saw a surgeon the day after that to set up a double mastectomy. I am so grateful that science has evolved from when my Mother was diagnosed with BC. I was told that with the newer digital imaging, callbacks and biopsies are up 85% because digital imaging shows much more and the majority are negative. What is the history of Breast Cancer in your family? For me my Mom and Sister died of it so I expected it and was not surprised. Good Luck to you and your stress is understandable, but remember there are a lot of treatment options if necessary.
While you are awaiting your results, if I were you I would write up your experience with the mammography technician, and report it to, for one, the hospital's quality assurance people. What you describe is completely inappropriate. If there was that much concern on the part of the technologist, it was time to get the radiologist in the damn room.
Also -- do not believe, for a moment, that women are happy-go-lucky about these issues. A pessimistic attitude can be as much of a strength for some people, as is other people's (alleged) optimism. (How far away are you from Vanderbilt University Medical Center?)
Dreckshage -- I don't care if your mother is the doctor's 4-year B.S. degree nurse, you should be getting much better information directly from your doc.
Also -- do not believe, for a moment, that women are happy-go-lucky about these issues. A pessimistic attitude can be as much of a strength for some people, as is other people's (alleged) optimism. (How far away are you from Vanderbilt University Medical Center?)
Dreckshage -- I don't care if your mother is the doctor's 4-year B.S. degree nurse, you should be getting much better information directly from your doc.
Thanks again to all of you for your replies. I go to the dr at 1:00 on Monday for my results. I saw my NP Tuesday. She was checking up on me because of my stress. She had spoken with the PA & she didn't seem too concerned. She said she told her how small the area was. I am, can't help it. I am now taking something for anxiety. I couldn't concentrate on anything. I had paperwork to do, bills to pay ,a normally clean house that needed to be cleaned. I have been trying to keep busy & my mind on good things. roe551 & Dreckshage you described exactly the way I am feeling. Good luck to you also! I have been making myself sick too. Shirlrae,there is no breast cancer that I know of on my mothers side. She died of cervical cancer, & my grandmother died of a heart attack , I have know idea about my fathers side. There is a lot of high blood presure , diabetes etc..........on my mothers side. Good luck to you as well. healthcareguerilla, that was an experience that I won't soon forget! that is the only place to go in this town. The fact that they gave me no information as to what was going on really didn't help. I started feeling sick almost immediately! The specialist I was refered to is in the next town & I have been thinking about going over there from now on. The imaging center is connected with the one here but I was much more comfortable there. I understand if they see a problem they go ahead with the diagnostic mammogram/ultrasound the same day. I am guessing, but I am thinking I am at least 10 hours away from Vanderbilt. This Monday will be exactly 3 weeks since this started. I don't see how anyone could be happy go lucky about this. I was talking to the technician the day of my biopsy & I mentioned that everything I read said don't panic when you hear the word biopsy. I told her that is exactly what I did. She said that she thought most people did, it was human nature!
Went to the breast specialist today! All is well! Benign! It was a fibroadenoma. No cancer or pre cancer. I am so relieved. I felt like I aged 10 years in 3 weeks. I go back in 6 months. He said if things are the same & he expects them to be, I won't need to go back! He said he sees no need to remove it unless it increases in size. The stress this causes is unreal! Thanks for all of your help! And the best of luck to you all!
Congratulations! I am so glad for you!
Thank you for letting us know...
Have a happy and healthy life! :)
Thank you for letting us know...
Have a happy and healthy life! :)
Hi,
I had my yearly mammogram last July and received a letter a few days later saying that there was an abnormality and that they wanted to do further screening. I was not too alarmed because this has happened to me before. I called for an appointment that very day and was scheduled almost immediately for a subsequent mammogram. That showed the abnormality again, so they did an ultrasound. I knew from the technician's face that I had cancer. They said that the next step was a biopsy. I told them that I wanted it done immediatly and they were very nice...said I may have to wait until a couple more patients were seen, but they would do it that very day. The radiologist came in, did the biopsy and came back with the results right away. I was referred to a surgeon and had that consultation a couple of days later. I cannot say I was not upset, but I also kept my cool, tried to think the best and tried not to freak out. My husband was extremely supportive, but really didn't know what to do. He was upset also. I had stage 1 invasive ductile carcinoma, hep-2 negative, hormone positive.
I had surgery a week later, a lumpectomy. The lymph nodes were not involved and I was very lucky. I had mammosite radiation which lasted a week...two treatments a day for 5 days. You might want to look up mammosite radiation on the internet. It's relatively new and I just fit all the criteria. I had the Oncotype test which can tell if you would benefit from chemo. My test came back with a very low number which told the doctors that chemo would not benefit me at all. I have a 5% chance of recurrence. I started with Femara, a hormone-inhibitor drug, however, the side effects were extremely hard on me. The oncologist took me off that medication and I am now taking Arimidex (three weeks now) and seem to be doing fine with that. I seem the doc again tomorrow, checking how I am responding to the Arimidex. It is very expensive - $510 per month, but I have good insurance. I just turned 64 last week and am looking toward retirement after the next school year in 2012. I am quite concerned about Medicare and the supplemental insurance that I know I have to have.
I have been very lucky with my experience and must say that I never once went off the deep end. I just tried to take each day as it came. I am a very faith-filled person and was not hesitant to ask for prayers from every aqaintance I have. I felt very comforted by the support of my family and my friends. I am very optimistic at this point that I will not have a recurrence, but one never knows. Heck, I may get hit by a bus tomorrow. Nothing in life is assured. My suggestion to anyone going through this is to try to have a sense of humor about things, be positive even in the face of the worst news that you will overcome the dreaded "C". It is NOT a death sentence, but can be a life altering one. I feel that my outlook on life is better. I don't take myself so seriously and love my family and friends more each day.
I have been very blessed to be in the care of wonderful doctors, my family physician, my surgeon, my radiation oncologist and my medical oncologist have all been extremely kind, caring and willing to spend as much time with me and my husband as need be for us to feel comfortable. That is the most important thing, feeling comfortable that the physicians who are treating you and feeling as though they know what they are doing so that you can leave the worry to them, which is what they told me to do.
I'm so glad that your situation turned out so well. Just know that even if it hadn't, there are those of us out there who got a not-so-good diagnosis and had a pretty positive experience. I keep saying when anyone asks how I am, "So far, so good", which is about all I CAN say at this point. I've come a long way since July, 2010.
I had my yearly mammogram last July and received a letter a few days later saying that there was an abnormality and that they wanted to do further screening. I was not too alarmed because this has happened to me before. I called for an appointment that very day and was scheduled almost immediately for a subsequent mammogram. That showed the abnormality again, so they did an ultrasound. I knew from the technician's face that I had cancer. They said that the next step was a biopsy. I told them that I wanted it done immediatly and they were very nice...said I may have to wait until a couple more patients were seen, but they would do it that very day. The radiologist came in, did the biopsy and came back with the results right away. I was referred to a surgeon and had that consultation a couple of days later. I cannot say I was not upset, but I also kept my cool, tried to think the best and tried not to freak out. My husband was extremely supportive, but really didn't know what to do. He was upset also. I had stage 1 invasive ductile carcinoma, hep-2 negative, hormone positive.
I had surgery a week later, a lumpectomy. The lymph nodes were not involved and I was very lucky. I had mammosite radiation which lasted a week...two treatments a day for 5 days. You might want to look up mammosite radiation on the internet. It's relatively new and I just fit all the criteria. I had the Oncotype test which can tell if you would benefit from chemo. My test came back with a very low number which told the doctors that chemo would not benefit me at all. I have a 5% chance of recurrence. I started with Femara, a hormone-inhibitor drug, however, the side effects were extremely hard on me. The oncologist took me off that medication and I am now taking Arimidex (three weeks now) and seem to be doing fine with that. I seem the doc again tomorrow, checking how I am responding to the Arimidex. It is very expensive - $510 per month, but I have good insurance. I just turned 64 last week and am looking toward retirement after the next school year in 2012. I am quite concerned about Medicare and the supplemental insurance that I know I have to have.
I have been very lucky with my experience and must say that I never once went off the deep end. I just tried to take each day as it came. I am a very faith-filled person and was not hesitant to ask for prayers from every aqaintance I have. I felt very comforted by the support of my family and my friends. I am very optimistic at this point that I will not have a recurrence, but one never knows. Heck, I may get hit by a bus tomorrow. Nothing in life is assured. My suggestion to anyone going through this is to try to have a sense of humor about things, be positive even in the face of the worst news that you will overcome the dreaded "C". It is NOT a death sentence, but can be a life altering one. I feel that my outlook on life is better. I don't take myself so seriously and love my family and friends more each day.
I have been very blessed to be in the care of wonderful doctors, my family physician, my surgeon, my radiation oncologist and my medical oncologist have all been extremely kind, caring and willing to spend as much time with me and my husband as need be for us to feel comfortable. That is the most important thing, feeling comfortable that the physicians who are treating you and feeling as though they know what they are doing so that you can leave the worry to them, which is what they told me to do.
I'm so glad that your situation turned out so well. Just know that even if it hadn't, there are those of us out there who got a not-so-good diagnosis and had a pretty positive experience. I keep saying when anyone asks how I am, "So far, so good", which is about all I CAN say at this point. I've come a long way since July, 2010.
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