Mammogram recall

[ajandjjmum]

Only got to wait until Tuesday, but obviously concerned (although I know the majority of women are fine), and have one or two things that keep playing on my mind. Just thought I'd try and pick anyone's brains, if you don't mind?

My last mammogram was just over 3 years ago - I'm 63 - if there is cancer, could it be at a life threatening stage without me knowing? Obviously, as a group of MNers on a Sunday morning, I know you can't answer that, but just wondered if anyone had any experience?

I have had a backache at the top of my spine for the last 6-8 weeks - not very painful at all, and certainly not there all of the time. I thought it was from Kayaking, but now I'm wondering.......

Thank you for any thoughts on my drama-making!

Hi, OP -

Unfortunately I haven’t got any expertise for you, but having been recalled (and cleared) a year ago, I did not want to read and run.

Of course you are anxious, even though the kayaking is a highly plausible cause for backache. I am so sorry you are going through this. The only thing I can think of is that it perhaps it is unlikely that a breast cancer would spread without forming a noticeable lump first? My GP told me that breast tumours are hard and immovable - think firmly rooted marbles, rather than peas. Very best wishes

Thanks @poetryandwine - what you are saying is totally logical, but waiting over a weekend lets the imagination run wild! At least come Tuesday I'll have a better idea of what we're dealing with - hopefully nothing - but if it is, we'll just have to get on with it! My boobs are going to be black and blue by the time I've finished prodding!

Hi. There are these tiny things called calcifications so sometimes they recall for those. I had a mamo in 2016 and was called back - no worries, nothing there apart from the calcification. Then I had a very obvious sympton in March 2017. Mammo and immediate biopsy. Was grade 2, invasive ductal, which is the commonest kind. Operations dealt with the little beastie (only 1.7 cm) and a bit of radiotherapy. Was scary waiting for results and that was the worst bit. To be honest, there isn't anything you can do between now and Tuesday and the technicians don't tell you so you kind of have to relax into it and let yourself by carried by the tide. I'm not going to tell you it won't be cancer but the word cancer and people's reaction to the word that it immediately means death, battles, bravely born, no hair is not the reality for everyone with a diagnosis.

Oh, OP! I shouldn’t have said that, because TBH I don’t think this is the time to start getting to know your boobs! I was thinking more of an obvious lump or symptom like @KathieFerrars mentioned.

When I got my recall I also started prodding, I found loads of the very small peas and some highly suspicious rib tissue. So it was worse than useless. Turns out my breast tissue is very dense.

Best of luck to you both.

Many mamograms are repeated because the scan is not clear - either just poor quality or there is some part they want to see better. I had a recall and it was fine.

I was recalled after a lump was found and had to go to a breast specialist clinic where I had 2 further mammograms and then a biopsy was taken. The appointment lasted 5 long hours and I was the only one left in the waiting room which I thought must be serious. The Consultant who took biopsy said it didn’t look typical cancer, but wait for result. I had to wait 20 minutes after to make sure I was ok to go home, and I must admit I broke down then. I had to return in 7 agonising days to get result, but the Consultant rang me that morning to say it was a fatty lump so I didn’t need to attend appointment. Good luck to you for Tuesday.

There is a thing called occult breast cancer where it has already spread but there is no actual lump in the breast, but that is really very rare. I have also known of several early stage ladies who were then found to have had unpainful mets on their bones and livers, which only became visible after chemo, but they aren't very common either. Metastases pain is constant, unrelenting, and gets worse over time - if your pain is stopping and starting or not really changing in intensity, its unlikely to be bone mets.

At your age, if it is bc, its likely to be slower and less aggressive than that diagnosed at a younger age and therefore less likely to have spread or even grown significantly locally in the breast/lymph nodes. That's IF its bc - as a lot of ladies above noted, there are plenty of recall reasons!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge/experiences with me. I'm a little anxious but we'll just have to deal with it when we know what it is - in the meantime, I've got my fingers crossed that it's just a fuzzy image!

And I won't prod too much!

So - just got back from my appointment at the Breast Clinic - shout out to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton - I was so impressed with their organisation and the empathy shown by their team.

Had more mammograms on my left breast - they were checked, and I then needed another one. Then ultrasound and biopsy. All absolutely fine - even for a wimp like me!

They have found a small lump - less than a centimetre - which 'looks more suspicious than not'! I will see a consultant at the beginning of September when the results are back, but was left feeling that whatever it was, it was eminently treatable.

Feel much more settled, and will deal with whatever it is.

Hope this might help someone in the future, when they received the dreaded recall letter!

Hi, OP -

I am awfully sorry that the lump looks suspicious. But yes, that is very small. So likely early and/ or slow growing. And it sounds like you are in excellent hands.

Do come back here if you need us. Very best wishes

I had similar.

Called back after routine mammogram. Had ultrasound and was told they suspected one area may be an issue. Had a biopsy there and then. Was told the suspected Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). It was scary. But I had it removed two weeks later, then a further surgery to make sure they got all the margins and then three weeks of radiotherapy. That was in 2016 and my last mammogram this year was clear.

I won’t deny I was scared initially but I remember talking to my hairdresser and she said her mother was 80 and had been diagnosed with breast cancer four times. All treated. She’s still here. I found that quite reassuring.

Thought I'd update! So DH and I saw the consultant yesterday, and she confirmed that they had found a 12mm cancer. It is ER and PR positive and the HER2 result was borderline, so they've sent it to a larger hospital for further tests.

The lumpectomy is in a couple of weeks, so they're not hanging around - much to my relief. Depending on the result of the HER2, I may have to have chemo, which was a bit of a shock, otherwise it will be just radiotherapy.

The very lovely consultant answered my 'it's not going to kill me is it?', by telling me that I'll outlive the Queen. DH looked rather shocked, as HM is not in the best of health these days, until the consultant clarified that she meant I'd live into my 90's!

So although it may not be as straightforward as I'd hoped, it can be dealt with. Happy to get the op out of the way quickly - dreading the injection of radio-active something the day before - but just got to get on with it.

As DH says, the optimistic outcome is treatment finished by Christmas, the less optimistic - but still fine - outcome is treatment finished by the middle of 2023.

Hope no-one minds me updating this thread - I think it will be quite useful to look back at.

Sorry to hear this.

So injection of radioactive thingy is dead easy and I can't remember much about it apart from the fact your wee turns the most beautiful colour of greeny turquoise. Compared to the biopsy under mammogram which was the most painful thing ever and lasted an hour, it was fine.

Lumpectomy and they will take some sentinel nodes. I was up the next day and actually tottered out to a cafe. Some places give you a chest binder and I found it ok. The sentinel node op causes more pain. You can fashion a sort of waterproof pelmet out of surgical tape and plastic food bags for the shower. They say don't change the dressing for two weeks. I think I lasted about five days as I discovered I was allergic to tegaderm plasters and they gave me burn like marks.

You do kind of get a bit abandoned. I found the 'call us anytime' Macmillan nurses variable, very good in hospital but trying to get to speak to one on the phone was very hard. You have this op as a day case and then nothing so I landed up just dealing with myself. I really recommend Boots large waterproof dressings.

You will get through this. I'm 5 years on. Radiotherapy is easy but knackering. I didn't have chemo but did have the acid stuff for bones. The Breast Cancer forum is very good but be wary - people post when they are scared and also there is a lot of worst case and scaremongering particularly about follow up medication. I would go cautiously and stop if you are getting stressed.

Pm me if you want. I had lumpectomy, sentinel nodes then 3 further ops for margin clearance. I had invasive ductal caused by oestrogen.

Oh and drink lots of water. Take arnica tablets a few days before the op - really helps to reduce the bruising. Also tumeric afterwards - really reduces inflamation and during radio. During radio drink water and use the medihoney they may give you - tis wonderful. Also ensure you do the exercises they give you to ensure shoulder mobility.

Sorry to hear this. A friend of mine, who is in her 70’s had her lump removed earlier this year, it had also started to spread to her lymph nodes. She was in a lot of pain after the op and on painkillers 8 a day for 3 weeks, she then had a 4 week course of chemotherapy which she said was fine and the only side effect she had was night sweats, which apparently is quite normal for a while.

My mother could have written your update. Exact same scenario. She had a lumpectomy 9 years ago, followed by radiotherapy.
Surgery went fine, hospital (not UK, France) managed her pain very well, she was pain-free , then had 30 or something sessions of radiotherapy, which were harder because of the fatigue, but also the burns on breast and armpit. Again, hospital provided creams and care to minimise the burns.
Her skin, 9 years later, is still vey sensitive, and she either buys. " teenager crop soft bras" but straight after surgery, she would use cancer breast bras that you close at the front. Don't buy them now, but have some singlets to wear in the weeks after surgery.
She was also put on tamoxifen.
Best wishes

Thank you @KathieFerrars , @Mindymomo and @Cormoran for the experiences, tips and reassurance. Especially about the radioactive injection Kathie! Much appreciated.

I need to keep busy, so I'll pop to Boots to get some waterproof dressings today and Arnica.

Just waiting for the HER2 result, as that will dictate whether chemo is necessary or not, but trying to put it out of my mind (unsuccessfully!), as they will do whatever they need to, with my full co-operation!

I always thought I was invincible!

OP,

I am also very sorry for your news but agree that things sound pretty good. Years ago a BC nurse once reassured my own DM that ‘early breast cancer is one of our most treatable cancers’. She is now 87.

Very, very best wishes

So I'm now 6 days post op, and all is good.

Got to the hospital at 7 am and was taken off for a further mammogram, wire insertion and radioactive injection - all done by 9.15 a.m. For all of my fears, they were more than manageable, even for a wimp like me. I was fine, had a great neighbour so we chatted until she went for her surgery around 1 pm and I went down at 3.15 pm. I was so wound up by the initial procedures, I was more relaxed than I have ever been for surgery. Went home that night.

I'm told that all went well, and certainly I have minimal discomfort now, and can complete my exercises easily - so I've been very lucky on that front.

Heard that the HER2 test came back negative, so unless anything in the histology of the surgery changes anything, I'm unlikely to need chemo.

All of the medical people at the hospital have been brilliant - admin not so much - but I am feeling good and positive now.

So many thanks to everyone who commented and messaged - hoping I'll be like your Mum @poetryandwine !

Very best wishes, @ajandjjmum !!! It all sounds good so far. One step at a time.

The beginning of my story was like yours. I was 62 back in 2006 when, following a recall I was diagnosed with triple negative bc. Lumpectomy, chemo and rads all finished in 6 months and, 16 years later , no further trouble. 🍀🍀🍀🍀

So good to hear @thegreylady ! Wishing continued good health to you and everyone else who has been through a dodgy health situation.