breast screening recall..please reassure me !

[MargaretMountford]

Had a routine mammogram a few weeks ago and have just had a letter asking me to go back to be seen again,this time to the hospital (rather than mobile unit locally) for fyrther xray or tests...I know women are asked back but this has thrown me a bit..

They have a lot of recalls from the mobiles as the radiographers can't look at the x-rays as they go and see whether they have got the image right - there are very tight criteria on how they have to be done, and it's pretty hard to do

And even if its been flagged as something, it is most probably nothing to worry about - lots of women have cysts, thickenings, or calcifications that are totally benign

thanks CMOT..am hoping that might be the case

am just bumping for further reassurances..

I finished treatment for breast cancer two weeks ago and can recommend the Breast Cancer Care website. I've looked at all the 'breast' related topics on here and nobody appears to have much first hand experience of breast cancer. You will find there are many women who are going through the same as you right now on the site. It would be foolish to say don't worry, it's probably nothing. You will worry until you've had all the tests. I had terrible aching all last spring and summer and finally had a feel in September and found the lump immediately. My thoughts were not 'why me?' but 'why not me?' I had a long wait for referral due to GP mistake [who couldn't actually feel the lump] and was finally seen in November. Was referred for mammogram the following week. It did show something but not very clearly so I had an ultrasound scan. The radiographer said I had cysts and would take some biopsies. Had to wait a week for results which came back as invasive ductal cancer. It was two weeks before Christmas. My prognosis was always deemed to be good 80% survival at the time. The surgeon who gave me the results examined me and said he would never have suspected cancer so I was very lucky that the biopsies were taken. I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy just after Christmas. It was day surgery and I went back to work as soon as I was able to drive again. Two weeks later I had the post op results. Couldn't have been better, no node involvement, downgraded from a grade 2 to grade 1 and smaller than scan showed. Prognosis changed to 95% survival just from the surgery. Radiotheraphy is always given after lumpectomy, which for me was 4 weeks. The worst part of investigations like this is the waiting. Everyone on the BCC website says the same. Once [and if] you get a diagnosis of breast cancer you become part of a well rehearsed system. A treatment plan will already have been made and a date set for surgery [provided chemo isn't necessary to shrink a large tumour first] There is a huge amount of support available if you require it. I had a long time to come to terms with the fact I might have cancer so it wasn't too traumatic for me. Advice was available on how to tell the children but we decided to only tell them once the post op results were back and they have hardly been affected at all. I do hope your further tests come back clear and that I haven't frightened you unnecessarily, but I wanted you to know that there can be good outcomes even if cancer is diagnosed.

thank you mega..am glad that your outcome has been so good. I went to my appointment on Friday and they re x rayed = the radiologist pointed out microcalcificaions in one area of the left breast and they did an ultrasound and biopsy..results on Tuesday...have looked everything up and am reassured that this is pretty dealable with. The very worst bit was getting the letter and waiting, not knowing what was wrong - knowledge is so much better,even if it was bad news,at least you'd not be in that awful limbo

hope everything goes well for you now btw