Mammogram after lumpectomy
Hi fellow bc friends, I had a lumpectomy & sentinel node biopsy in Jan 2020 followed by 4 weeks radiation. Currently taking Tamoxifen & generally coping pretty well considering the weird year we’ve had. I still get quite a bit of pain in my bc breast and underarm, especially when I wear different bras or swimmers and if I overstretch or lie on my stomach at all for any length of time. I am due to have my first follow-up mammogram and ultrasound on Monday and am feeling extremely anxious. I’m fearful of how painful it will be having my breast compressed, to the point now that it makes me feel sick in the stomach just anticipating it. Can any other ladies who’ve been through this provide me with any reassurance that it won’t be as painful as I fear. I keep telling myself that I’ve coped with worse and it’ll be over in no time but I can’t help feeling really anxious about it.
A Pain in the Boob
Around the middle of August I noticed my right boob hurt. It wasn't a constant pain and it didn't stop me doing anything, it was just annoying. As it continued to hurt I thought I'd have a feel. I found a lump, or at least I thought I had, I really wasn't sure to be honest. A couple of weeks later the pain was still there and I was sure it was a lump, but I'm only 36. I booked a doctors appointment and off I went. I walk in and the first thing she wants to do is a Pap smear. The doctor and I got very intimate that day. Pap smear done, it was time to get the boobs out. She felt the lump, but didn't seem overly concerned. She said I had good dense breast tissue and it may well be absolutely nothing. She gave me an ultrasound referral and said keep checking it for the next couple of weeks and see if there are any changes as I go through the rest of my monthly cycle. The lump remained, but the pain had gone. My boob however just didn't feel right. I was aware of my boob when I was sitting in certain positions. I booked my ultrasound and off I went. I met a friend for lunch straight afterwards and within an hour I'd had a call from my doctors surgery asking me to come in that afternoon. So according to my ultrasound results, my left breast is unremarkable. My husband thinks this is hilarious! My right breast however is suspicious of a primary carcinoma. I wasn't shocked or upset by what the doctor was telling me, I'm a very practical sort of girl. My doctor recommended a surgeon and rang her office there and then to see exactly how she would like her to progress things. The surgeon asked for a mammogram and a core biopsy. These were booked for the following morning (Friday) and an appointment was made with the surgeon for Tuesday. The mammogram was ok, a bit unpleasant, but standing on a piece of lego is more painful! The core biopsy was not as bad as I'd imagined. I've heard so many biopsy horror stories that I was expecting something awful. The local anesthetic didn't hurt and I watched intently on the ultrasound monitor as it went in. I saw the biopsy needle and thought, maybe I didn't actually want to see that! I watched again on the monitor as two biopsies were taken. I didn't feel a thing. Now I just had to wait four sleeps to get my results.
PT
Hello Ladies, So happy to find this site today. I was diagnosed with a borderline/low grade PT last week, I found a lump early 2011, had the ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy and was told to never think of it again as it was a fibroadenoma, after feeling another lump in June this year my Dr decided to check this one out, just to make sure as it looked like a cyst. After having this mammogram the new lump was just a cyst but the 'fibroadenoma' had grown and changed shape. I went to see the surgeon and they took it out 2 Mondays ago, the surgeon certain it was still a fibroadenoma, until, the pathology came back. I am now scheduled for the 20th Sept to have the margins removed. This week has certainly brought mixed emotions, 2 days of not being able to speak because I would keep crying, I think it was the shock, the surgeon was just as shocked! I am now nervous about, I have had a sore hip forever but now your mind plays games with you and you start wondering if its worse, the same with feeling tired, I am a nurse who works all sorts of hours, but in my mind the tiredeness is now because of this stupid tumour. The surgeon kept saying its benign and I have nothing to worry about, I did ask 3 times, but he printed the pathology out for me and borderline/low grade doesn't say benign to me. I live in a rural area of NSW, my first reaction was to try and find some sort of specialist who has studied or researched this type of tumour, it worries me that there isn't much info on PT's. It has be most enjoyable for me to read everyone elses experiences and to share the same story. :-)