AWAITING SECOND OPINION FROM WBCI
* Previous post was accidentally deleted by myself (fml) * Is there a cancer hiding somewhere in this moderate to highly dense Fibroglandular breast tissue of mine? HISTORY: Age: 36yo Menst...
Forum Discussion
THat's a bugger @amyf798 about the deleting! :( Ne'er mind ... I will have a go at recreating the post I had put up - great that you have much more info there now too ;)
Welcome to the club no-one really wants to join .... You are in the right spot for support and info on anything that you ask .... It sounds like your GP is really on the ball, so they are a keeper!
A specialist Breast Surgeon is always the way to go - and Dr French was my surgeon & he is lovely and a wonderful surgeon. He specialises in Breast Cancer surgery & prides himself on doing the best possible aesthetic outcome (ie your surgery site LOOKS good after healing.) He is the head of the Breast Cancer at Westmead & also an Associate Professor - so teaching other surgeons how to 'do it right' - I would definitely recommend him to you. You couldn't be in better hands, if you go with him - and he is also a Thyroid surgeon if needed (sometimes the 2 can go hand in hand.) I finished my 5 years with him last year. He also does his own ultrasound on you in his room as well, so he knows exactly what he is looking at (and doesn't just accept what others have written in their report) which is good. He did a fantastic job on me - nipple saving lumpectomy & moved some of my breast fat around at the same time, to fill in the hole, so did a mini 'recon' at the same time. My Oncologist now has to look twice to make sure she is looking at the correct breast, my recovery was so good. I am rural & travelled to Sydney to see him. You can read about him here:
https://drjamesfrench.com.au/about/
Write all those things you've put above & give him a copy so he can go thru them with you. (I always went in with a copy of questions that I would tick off on my own copy as he addressed each one.)
My own Invasive Lobular was totally missed (for how many years) with the mobile NSW BreastScreen bus (as it only has 2D Mammogram, not 3D Tomosynthesis .... so I now go to port Macquarie and see a specialist Breast Cancer Ultrasound lady - and make sure I get in & see her every year. Invasive lobular is particularly 'sneaky' as it doesn't 'present' as a lump, as do most BCs. Invasive Lobular shows more like strands & is more difficult to identify with a mammogram, so ultrasounds are usually recommended. Dense Breast Tissue makes it difficult for mammograms to pick up cancers, as the breast shows as 'white' as does the cancer - so 'white on white' almost makes it look invisible.
https://www.bcna.org.au/resource-hub/articles/breast-density-and-screening/
I am surprised you haven't had a biopsy on those areas of concern - as it is the definitive 'test' to see if there are cancer cells in any of those areas that you are concerned about. So you don't know which BC you actually have, at this point in time?
You've got a lot of family history and other medical conditions (the yellowing of eyes would be a major concern, I reckon!) - so your team will look at all of this when discussing your case.
Try not to 2nd guess everything & definitely stay away from Dr Google, as a lot of stuff on there is totally out of date & not relevant to your condition xx. Plus, it may scare the pants off you! Even searching for research, when you don't have an actual diagnosis yet may only confuse you. Rely on your team and your Breast Care Nurse - (he has his own breast care nurse) for answering any questions.
Take care, look after yourself, keep busy, doing things you love .... and all the best with your upcoming appointments xx
Welcome to the club no-one really wants to join .... You are in the right spot for support and info on anything that you ask .... It sounds like your GP is really on the ball, so they are a keeper!
A specialist Breast Surgeon is always the way to go - and Dr French was my surgeon & he is lovely and a wonderful surgeon. He specialises in Breast Cancer surgery & prides himself on doing the best possible aesthetic outcome (ie your surgery site LOOKS good after healing.) He is the head of the Breast Cancer at Westmead & also an Associate Professor - so teaching other surgeons how to 'do it right' - I would definitely recommend him to you. You couldn't be in better hands, if you go with him - and he is also a Thyroid surgeon if needed (sometimes the 2 can go hand in hand.) I finished my 5 years with him last year. He also does his own ultrasound on you in his room as well, so he knows exactly what he is looking at (and doesn't just accept what others have written in their report) which is good. He did a fantastic job on me - nipple saving lumpectomy & moved some of my breast fat around at the same time, to fill in the hole, so did a mini 'recon' at the same time. My Oncologist now has to look twice to make sure she is looking at the correct breast, my recovery was so good. I am rural & travelled to Sydney to see him. You can read about him here:
https://drjamesfrench.com.au/about/
Write all those things you've put above & give him a copy so he can go thru them with you. (I always went in with a copy of questions that I would tick off on my own copy as he addressed each one.)
My own Invasive Lobular was totally missed (for how many years) with the mobile NSW BreastScreen bus (as it only has 2D Mammogram, not 3D Tomosynthesis .... so I now go to port Macquarie and see a specialist Breast Cancer Ultrasound lady - and make sure I get in & see her every year. Invasive lobular is particularly 'sneaky' as it doesn't 'present' as a lump, as do most BCs. Invasive Lobular shows more like strands & is more difficult to identify with a mammogram, so ultrasounds are usually recommended. Dense Breast Tissue makes it difficult for mammograms to pick up cancers, as the breast shows as 'white' as does the cancer - so 'white on white' almost makes it look invisible.
https://www.bcna.org.au/resource-hub/articles/breast-density-and-screening/
I am surprised you haven't had a biopsy on those areas of concern - as it is the definitive 'test' to see if there are cancer cells in any of those areas that you are concerned about. So you don't know which BC you actually have, at this point in time?
You've got a lot of family history and other medical conditions (the yellowing of eyes would be a major concern, I reckon!) - so your team will look at all of this when discussing your case.
Try not to 2nd guess everything & definitely stay away from Dr Google, as a lot of stuff on there is totally out of date & not relevant to your condition xx. Plus, it may scare the pants off you! Even searching for research, when you don't have an actual diagnosis yet may only confuse you. Rely on your team and your Breast Care Nurse - (he has his own breast care nurse) for answering any questions.
Take care, look after yourself, keep busy, doing things you love .... and all the best with your upcoming appointments xx