Recall after very first Mammogram - I'm utterly terrified

[Gingerwine1]

Please help!
Had my first mammogram ever 2 weeks ish back. The lady said I may be called back as it was my first...and I have been.

I am completely terrified, I called the department and all they could say was they were checking my left breast.

I have always suffered with anxiety my whole life..and I had very bad health anxiety in my 20s.

So here I am...I can barely eat, I feel sick....scared to death. I cannot get a handle on my thoughts and fears...my appointment is Wednesday.

Please any words of any comfort if you have a moment to reply. xxx
THANKYOU x

@Gingerwine1 the waiting is by far the worse part.
So much waiting!
But once you have a plan in place and know what you're dealing with it will feel so much easier.
Sometimes lumps are buried so deep that they just can't be felt, even by an oncologist, and will only show up on a mammogram as calcifications.
My own was buried deep, near the chest wall, 5 years ago.
Sending a gentle hug x

I have only just seen your thread and seen your update . The waiting is the worst thing ever . Waiting for the biopsy results will be hard but your are getting closer every day to the next appointment - once they know and tell you the plan it gets easier to deal with IME

I was diagnosed in January - recalled after a Dec yearly mammogram and it turned out the cancer. I have had surgery, had radiotherapy and am now on a drug regime for 5 years - caught very early and prognosis is very good (I am very lucky ) - one thing that I had been completely unaware of is that it's not always a lump - mine wasn't .

The cancer support thread under the health section on here is full of lovely supportive MN (I dip in and out) but they are fab.

Wishing you well

@Gingerwine1 I'm glad that you are feeling calmer but (of course) sorry that you are playing the waiting game yet again.

It sounds like you are in very good hands. Keep posting if it helps to put your thoughts and feelings in writing. Lots of good support to be had here from women who have been where you are right now. Take care.

I couldn't feel it !! They said I wouldnt...whats more scary is if I had been born say in january the following year ...I wouldnt have been called up till I was 52/53!....thankyou so much for your message xxxxxxx

Hi @Gingerwine1, wow! So it was good that you went back then and yes, good timing in terms of your age. It sounds like they've caught whatever it is good and early. As you've said, at least you know now what the route ahead is. Stay strong, you've done so well so far. Xx

Try not to worry OP, I was freaking out for weeks when I got a recall. They did a biopsy on my solid little lump, and until I got the news this afternoon that it is totally benign I couldn't bear to even open your thread and read it. These things mess with your head so much. I've got everything crossed for you that yours is the same sort of miscellaneous nonentity as mine and all is well. Take care x

Thanku x I feel a bit more in control now x my Mum had BC aged 52....shes 85 now...so im convinced something genetic xxxx back then she had an op...then tamoxifen for many years xxx thankyou so much for your messages xxx

Lots of lovely support here xx I have really appreciated it. So many different aged ladies at the clinic today...the nurses were so lovely x

Had a recall letter this morning

I have also had a recall letter. First timer as well

@Pixiedust49 and @chickenspots When are you going for your follow-up appointment(s)?

16th August.
It was supposed to be next week but I’ve had to reschedule due to holiday plans.
when I first got the letter my head was all over the place but changing holiday plans was going to be complicated so opted to wait.
Hope this was right decision.

@chickenspots Waiting a few weeks isn't a problem medically, it just can be hard to wait if you're feeling really anxious. Sounds like you're going to have a good distraction with your upcoming holiday😀Remember that callbacks are very, very common and there's no reason to jump to the worst case scenario.

Thank you.
Changing holiday plans would’ve meant telling the children and and I don’t want to alarm them if there’s nothing to worry about.

Monday for me. Despite being warned of this being a possibility I’m still petrified.

@chickenspots I had a holiday booked when I was undergoing tests after a recall. I was supposed to get the results of biopsy before holiday but they weren't back and had to wait till after holiday. Obviously it was very stressful and did wonder whether I should cancel but it was actually a great distraction. I was lucky in that I'd had ultrasound and they'd seen calcifications and a cyst but couldn't rule out anything more sinister.
Definitely the waiting after the letter is the worst. I lost 4lbs in less than a week.

I had to have a further biopsies because they couldn't see the calcium in the first samples but have got the all clear now.

@Pixiedust49 I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Hope everything goes smoothly. Will someone be going with you to the appointment?

Thankyou. I’m beyond terrified. The waiting is agony.

I've got mine tomorrow too. Last night I dreamt that I missed the appointment as I couldn't find a babysitter for DD. DD is 30.

Perhaps if he's handsome, intelligent, single and wealthy your DD wouldn't mind you finding her a "babysitter"😂

Hope everything goes well for you tomorrow. Hope to see a "great news!" post 🍀

Nothing useful to add except that my own biopsy was very straightforward - not at all difficult as a procedure

@Pixiedust49 and @MrTiddlesTheCat, I'll be thinking of you.

She wouldn't mind, but her DH might raise an eyebrow.

I had this back in April. First mammogram and called back, like others I was really frightened.

I went for the appointment and was given a biopsy with a titanium marker put in. I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t painful, just mildly uncomfortable from the position I needed to lie in. I had very minimal bruising afterwards and went straight out for lunch and some retail therapy.

I think I was a lot calmer after that. Whatever it was it wasn’t huge and I reasoned that worst case scenario we could lob off a tit and I’d be fine because it was only there and only small. I don’t mean that flippantly I add, but thats how my brain processed it at the time.

Two weeks later I had a phone call. It was calcification and nothing to worry about. It really did scare the shit out of me.

Thoughts with everyone in the middle of this. This too shall pass.

Thinking of you both and hoping you get good news tomorrow

My biopsy wasn't painful at all, just a bit uncomfortable to start and over pretty quickly - they put the marker in , did another scan to check placement and I drove myself home , I had very little bruising