Recall from routine mammogram

[Killermontstreet]

Just that really - got a recall letter today. The leaflet says 4 out of 5 recalls are not cancer, but I am still freaking out rather. In fact, I'm shaking after reading the letter.

Agh! Appointment is next week. Any words of wisdom on how to cope before then?

Try to stay busy. Have a think about anything you can do to plan ahead should it be a worse case scenario. What I mean is, if you are unlucky enough to be diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, can you start to think about how you'll manage - it'll be about a year out of your life with treatment and chemo but that's the worst case.

I hope everything goes well for you. Do you have any risk factors for breast cancer?

I had the same last year and it's terrifying , you just want someone to say it's not cancer .
Mine was not cancer thank goodness but one thing I tried to focus on was that if it was cancer at least it was picked up early eg before I noticed any issues / abnormalities .
One thing they did which I haven't got on well with is to put markers in the breast but it has left me with residual pain .
As hard as it is the chances are it's nothing so keep busy and focus on other things .

I was recalled. Mine was cancer. Better to have it spotted and get treatment started than not. I didn’t have chemo - lots of people don’t. It depends on all sort of things. It’s a scary time. I’m still going through it.

I have some risk factors in that my mum had bc. She was treated early and is fine now.

I have some work to do today, but I had to stop as my fingers were shaking so much I couldn't type.

I'm not sure I want to think about the possibilities of an aggressive cancer just now... still trying to focus on the 4/5 stats. I haven't been aware of any breast changes - no lumps etc. It's going to be a hard few days, I feel.

Thank you Hattie and Daisy. I know logically it's better to know than not to know, so trying to focus on this as well - a what will be will be mantra.

Just a shock though - it's a few weeks since my screening so I had talked myself into thinking it was all fine, as i thought I would have heard by now if it wasn't.

I was in your position exactly a year ago with my recall letter. The wait between now and the appointment is the hardest. All I can advise is to try and stay busy and surround yourself with family and friends. Be prepared for another mammogram, ultrasound, possible needle biopsy and possible core biopsy. This should all be done on the day of your appointment. They will probably also give you an idea of what you are dealing with which will hopefully be a cyst or fibroadenoma rather than cancer. You will then have to wait for results from the biopsies if they take them, this is also a hard wait. I found once I had the results and a treatment plan (I was diagnosed with cancer) I had something to focus on. Nothing anyone can say to you at the moment will help with the worry and anxiety but please be reassured that if you do need treatment you will be treated with great care and kindness. I cannot praise the NHS highly enough for the treatment I received. I wish you luck.

Thank you for your kind post Stepping. Uncertainty is really worrying, and I just wish Monday could be here already.

I know a few women in the last year who've been diagnosed with bc, and I have really admired how they have coped with the news and carried on with living their lives.

Wishing you the very best.

I feel for you, this happened to me during the fist lockdown. Is it your first mammogram? A call back is quite common on the 1st one as they have nothing to compare it to.

I had another mammogram, ultrasound & needle biopsy & then didn't sleep for 2 weeks while waiting for the results.

Best advice is to try & stay away from google as you'll drive yourself into worry. Keep thinking it isn't cancer until someone tells you it is. Mine was all clear thankfully & I know have what's called a marker so they know to ignore on next mammogram.

Thank you Fuzzy. I have had a mammogram before but not a routine one. It was done privately as I had health insurance through work. Not sure if they would have had access to this.

Need to work on this distractions. I have work to do but can't focus today.

This happened to me last year. The 5 days between receiving the letter and the appointment were hard. I coped by keeping busy but I was very worried.

It turned out to be fine but even though I'm normally pretty stoical I actually got weepy when they told me it was ok. With hindsight I think that it's good that they recall if there is any doubt but I know how you must be feeling just now.

Hope it all goes well.

I went through similar after my first mammogram a couple of years ago, and then recently found a lump which I had to get checked out at hospital. Fortunately both turned out to be cysts which were aspirated, but I was terrified. I think the only thing you can do is to keep telling yourself that it’s highly unlikely to be anything serious, acknowledge that it’s normal and OK to be scared, and to try and keep busy. Easier said than done though. I hope everything goes ok for you next week 🤞

Thank you Sirchen and Teamill. I am now worrying about getting Covid before the appointment - have just had a weekend of doing the most public stuff since Covid began - argh! Probably would have cancelled if I had known.

I hope all turns out fine for you. Hopefully, you're one of the 4 out of 5. I had a mammogram that showed "distorted tissue". Turns out that, when they squished my breast into the machine, some skin was overlapping, giving the distorted appearance. A repeat mammogram showed there was nothing there whatsoever! Could be something like that?

I have had a number of recalls over the years; the wait is so hard! The first one was over the Christmas period, so a further delay. I made some basic plans in my head for first steps if it were positive. It reassured me a bit as I had something I could do. Since then, I’ve taken the attitude of don’t worry until I have to and better to know and treat sooner. But as I said, recalls after a mammogram are fairly routine for me. The last one had me back in for ultrasound and 3-D imaging.

Hi, @Killermontstreet -

I got the recall last summer and remember it all too well. The lovely MumsNetters above have given you a good description of what to expect on the day, and how to get through the week. I would add, be very good to yourself this week. It also helped me to remember what a Breast Clinic Nurse once told my mum in the same circumstances about five years ago: ‘Early breast cancer is one of our most curable cancers’. And that is in the unlikely worst case.

Mine turned out to be benign calcifications and I was impressed that in its current state of crisis the NHS still looked into that very thoroughly. Very best of luck to you

Thanks all.

Mama - that must be hard, always getting recalls.

Poetry - your post had really helped me, thank you. I do have calcifications, I remember from my previous mammogram these were identified, so fingers crossed that's all it is. But even if it's not, deep breath, I need to accept whatever is happening.

So glad, @Killermontstreet. I do hope all will go well for you but we are here whenever you need us

I've had 7 recalls or referrals and three resulted in the all clear after either biopsy or ultrasound scanning. On my third recall (in late 2020) the radiologist was umming and aahing on whether to put me on yearly or 3 yearly checks and went with yearly after discovering an emerging cyst (I have many!). I had my annual mammogram come through for early December but got covid so had to postpone to early January. I expected a recall (due to the cysts I have) which came for a date within 2 weeks and trotted along to find the radiologist prepping to do a biopsy. I was given an appointment to return in 7 days and attended fully expecting to be given the all clear. Unfortunately, I was given the news that I have breast cancer but it has been caught early thanks to the radiologist putting me on yearly checks and I have surgery this week followed by a course of radiotherapy when I've healed. I am extremely grateful that the radiologist followed their gut instinct and put me on yearly checks as my cancer is in an area that lumps can't be felt in until it's too late.
I'm hopefully that I'll make a full recovery but what I can say is that I worried excessively with prior referrals and I had the all clear every time and it's the one that I didn't give a thought to that has jumped up and smacked me in the face - I even ignored their advice to bring someone with me which really should have been a clue that all was not good!
Honestly, please try not to worry too much. I have found that the breast check service always errs on the side of caution and when it isn't a good outcome then you will receive excellent care and advice.
Good luck!

Thank you for your story, Mothra. You're right, worrying does not change the outcome. Sending lots of positive vibes for your treatment and recovery.

Couldbe - hope it is something as straightforward as what you describe.

My friend had a recall recently that turned out to be because the mammogram was unclear, she just had a repeat and all clear.
I got recalled on my first one, it was not cancer but there then followed multiple appointments for different tests as nothing they did seemed to come up with a definitive answer. As above, ultrasound with needle biopsy first, inconclusive result so back for core biopsy whilst undergoing mammogram, again inconclusive result so in the end I had to have a day case lumpectomy involving a wire being put into position via a mammogram then operating room and yet another wait for results. They wanted me to have general anaesthetic but I was frightened of that and insisted on a local, I'm NHS so operating theatre didn't phase me but weirdly a general anaesthetic does, what can I say I have control issues😂wanted to watch what was done to me! It turned out to be a haemangioma, which is basically a little knot of blood vessels. The whole thing took about 3 months from start to finish, the staff were all absolutely brilliant apart from at every appointment they would ask if I had someone with me, having recently split up with husband of 30 years I found this really difficult😭, made me feel very conspicuous in the waiting room where everybody seemed to be in couples. Nothing we can say will stop you feeling terrified I'm afraid, I used a lot of lavender essential oils in the base of the shower so I inhaled it in the steam in an effort to relax and sleep. Good luck with it🍀🤞

Thank you Mosss - great that you got the all clear eventually but sounds a stressful process.

I'm at a similar stage, had more mammograms and a biopsy yesterday. I'll get the results next week, so more waiting.

I wonder if they can tell anything just by looking at its shape on the mammogram.

Try to keep busy if you can. Easier said than done I know!

I've been recalled after both my mammograms. The first time I was told it was because they didn't have anything to compare the image to. Once they'd done a couple more I was given the all clear.

Second time I was phoned up which threw me into a massive panic, especially since I was heading overseas on business and couldn't make the appointment they offered me. I had to wait a week and although they'd found a lump in the deep tissue, it turned out to be an cyst so it was drained after an untrasound and more mammograms.