10 YR SURVIVOR, REAL SCARED

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

Hello all,

I am 50 yr old female. I am a survivor of breast cancer and anal cancer. I went into
the hospital yesterday for a "transvaginal" for something else. While there I had my
follow-up mamo/ultra sounds. My right breast is where I had cancer 10 yrs ago in fact,
next mth. The MD radiologist found a 2cm, mass but he said, it was not a cyst or, scar tissue. But a mass. Maybe hemotoma, I think he said, that not to scare me. Anyway, today I had a biopsy. The report read on mamo, "right breast showed scattered fibrograndular density. 2cm rounded somewhat "ill defined" retro areolar mass. There were no suspicious classifications. He mentioned some edema and skin thinkening was up near upper quandrant possibly scar tissue i think.

On the ultra sound, they put "right breast showed a 2.1cm x 1.8cm multilobulated and again "ill definded" mass in the retroareolar area. Suspicious. He mentioned the thick skin, and edema and biopsy recommended which i had today.

My breast surgeons told me 10 yrs ago, if I ever get a reoccurance, that the breast can only get radiated once. I will probably lose my breast?

OMG, I AM SO PETRIFIED , TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS......my first cancer was a stage 1. no lymph node involvement. Intermediate.

Has anyone ever heard of this 1....."retro areolar mass" before? and he put ill defind, I would think a very experienced radiologist, as much as they want the biopsy first, would know what the mass is. 2.Have you ever heard of a multilobulated mass in the retoareolar area?

PLEASE HELP ME....I AM SO VERY SCARED. Also, I had terrible pain in pelvic and groin, came to find out, i have alot of dark blood that came out, due to alot of scar tissue i had up there from anal cancer, ( they radiate from, for the lymphs ) now i have scar tissue but the gyno oncologist was able to get specimen of the blood and get a uterine biopsy of which i am going back next week to find out.....if it wasnt for all that and me having to go for a transvaginal the other day, I would NEVER have done my followup mamo and ultrasound yet.

Please someone? Have you ever heard of a multilobulated mass in the retoareolar area???

I CANT TELL YOU HOW SCARED I AM........PLEASE THANKYOU.

I HAVE BEEN TO THIS BOARD BEFORE IN THE PAST.

I WISH YOU ALL PEACE AND LOVE.

Double Whammy · March 2012

It's impossible not to be frightened
and having had cancer previously makes it even more frightening. I wish I could say it isn't so. I hope your biopsies are not cancer, but of course, until the pathology is back, you just don't know. Unfortunately, they won't venture out on a limb, they'll just say words like "we won't know for sure until the biopsy results are back" or "80% of all breast lumps are benign" or "it looks suspicious". Whatever the words are on the reports you have, they do not say cancer, so there is still hope that it won't be.

I was simply being efficient when I scheduled my routine mammogram at the same time I was having a transvaginal ultrasound. Two weeks and 2 biopsies later I received the news that I had both breast and endometrial cancers. Please keep in mind that it is fortuitous that you scheduled your followup mammogram when you did.

This is what I was told about my breast cancer (Stage 1B, Grade 2, invasive ductal carcinoma). Remember, this might not be applicable to you. I had a lumpectomy and was told the breast could only have radiation therapy once. If the cancer were to return in that breast, I would have to have a mastectomy because they would not do radiation again, and they wouldn't do a lumpectomy knowing I could not have radiation. I was also told that a local recurrence is more treatable than metastasis to a distant organ.

Welcome to our board, TuffCookieHere2. There will always be someone here for you. Please let us know your results.

Suzanne

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

Double Whammy said:
It's impossible not to be frightened
and having had cancer previously makes it even more frightening. I wish I could say it isn't so. I hope your biopsies are not cancer, but of course, until the pathology is back, you just don't know. Unfortunately, they won't venture out on a limb, they'll just say words like "we won't know for sure until the biopsy results are back" or "80% of all breast lumps are benign" or "it looks suspicious". Whatever the words are on the reports you have, they do not say cancer, so there is still hope that it won't be.

I was simply being efficient when I scheduled my routine mammogram at the same time I was having a transvaginal ultrasound. Two weeks and 2 biopsies later I received the news that I had both breast and endometrial cancers. Please keep in mind that it is fortuitous that you scheduled your followup mammogram when you did.

This is what I was told about my breast cancer (Stage 1B, Grade 2, invasive ductal carcinoma). Remember, this might not be applicable to you. I had a lumpectomy and was told the breast could only have radiation therapy once. If the cancer were to return in that breast, I would have to have a mastectomy because they would not do radiation again, and they wouldn't do a lumpectomy knowing I could not have radiation. I was also told that a local recurrence is more treatable than metastasis to a distant organ.

Welcome to our board, TuffCookieHere2. There will always be someone here for you. Please let us know your results.

Suzanne

ITS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO BE FRIGHTENED

Hello Suzanne,

Thanks for responding, and let me say I am truely sorry about your 2 cancer diagnosis.

You are right until i get the pathology back I wont know anything. The waiting is killing me, but I have this sixth sense that something is not right.

Last year I had a pet/ct scan, as you know that has a sugar based dye, when injected it lights up somewhere in the body. Where it lit up was my breast. The breast surgeon took a specimen of skin, biopsied, and it was negative, so was the mamo and ultrasound, he told me sometimes, those Petscans are, false positive, well, this was one case, I don't believe it was. He told me, to come back in 6 mths, which would have been this past Dec. I have a host of disabilities, and i am in pain 24/7 from other things, most times housebound, so, I went in March instead, I figured, the skin biopsy he did in June last year was ok and I took his word for them PET SCAN.

In reality what i think happen? The pet scan prolly picked up the mass, at a cellular level, by the time the mamo and ultrasound was done, it was still not visible, 6 mths later, might have been, i should have gone in December, but in June, he could have also said, go get an MRI in 3 mths, which might have definitely picked it up, more then cellular, and less then 2cm..aka less then an inch. He should have taken that petscan more serious. That i beleive was one case, it was on the money, they should assume the worse case first, saying it might be a true reading of the pet scan.

Anyway, no matter last June, Dec, or this March, something was found, cant turn back time or beat myself up. Regardless of what it is, if its malignant God forbid the breast needs as you even said, to come off. Can't be radiated 2x.

I am not sure Suzanne that they will call it cancer or mention the word anywhere on the reports. What still has be puzzled, is that line he used, "ill defined" 2cm rounded ill defined retro aerolar mass...the Pet scan people last year, called it a "nodule" now I dont know if that is just the way they call it, verses calling it spots, or masses, or, if that is what it was a "nodule". I will investigate it for sure. I am very proactive and knowledgeable, and I am able to have an intelligent convo with these doctors. Alot of them know I am on my toes.

When were you diagnosed with Stage 1B? I hope you are doing well and have family around you. I have my mom, my dad passed away, no siblings or kids, never married. My fate was on of a different turn. I feel so sad, i wish I had been, not im a big mess, with other disabilities. Such a long story and im housebound most times.

I will pray for you Suzanne, thanks for all your kind words, I hope i can realy on this
board for help. I was reading some of the post and people seem so nice, including you

)

I feel like crying, it is getting closer to tomorrow, I had been told by a surgeon of
gynocology i was big risk to be on operating table, how the heck are these surgeons
going to remove my breast if that is the case. I hate being put under, they also said, i would be at risk for intubation.

Hope to see you soon

God bless you!

Nina~

laughs_a_lot · March 2012

Wowsers
You have already been through enough. How unfair that you must go through this again. It is not yet certian that you have cancer but the scare of it's possible return is unfair enough in and of itself. I do not know much about the terms you mentioned. Just wanted to welcome you back. Will put you on the prayer list.

disneyfan2008 · March 2012

I am so sorry you are going
I am so sorry you are going through this...

hugs coming your way..

Denise

Jobi · March 2012

Prayers
You are in my thoughts and prayers! One day at time!

Dorene

Kylez · March 2012

laughs_a_lot said:
Wowsers
You have already been through enough. How unfair that you must go through this again. It is not yet certian that you have cancer but the scare of it's possible return is unfair enough in and of itself. I do not know much about the terms you mentioned. Just wanted to welcome you back. Will put you on the prayer list.

I am so sorry. I did want
I am so sorry. I did want to let you know that my rads oncologist said that my breast could be radiated again should the bc come back.

I am praying that your cancer is not back.

Hugs, Kylez

Ritzy · March 2012

disneyfan2008 said:
I am so sorry you are going
I am so sorry you are going through this...

hugs coming your way..

Denise

Praying for you
I'm very sorry...

Sue

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

laughs_a_lot said:
Wowsers
You have already been through enough. How unfair that you must go through this again. It is not yet certian that you have cancer but the scare of it's possible return is unfair enough in and of itself. I do not know much about the terms you mentioned. Just wanted to welcome you back. Will put you on the prayer list.

10 yr survivor real scared

Wowsers, thanks so much for adding me to the prayer list. God bless you!

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

Kylez said:
I am so sorry. I did want
I am so sorry. I did want to let you know that my rads oncologist said that my breast could be radiated again should the bc come back.

I am praying that your cancer is not back.

Hugs, Kylez

10 yr survivor, real scared

hello kylez,

maybe i misunderstood, your oncologist said, your breast could be radiated again?

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

disneyfan2008 said:
I am so sorry you are going
I am so sorry you are going through this...

hugs coming your way..

Denise

10 year survivor real scared

Ty so much Denise, God bless you!

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

Jobi said:
Prayers
You are in my thoughts and prayers! One day at time!

Dorene

10 yr survivor real scared

Ty Doreen, for your kind words, God bless you.

TuffCookieHere2 · March 2012

Ritzy said:
Praying for you
I'm very sorry...

Sue