Do you still have your titanium chip/clip in?

Nope
Mine was also removed during my lumpectomy surgery Angie. I would think everyone's would be removed during their surgery since it is right where the tumor is and the surgeon removes the tumor plus additional tissue to get clear margins.

It will be interesting to see if anyone still has one and why.

Leeza

abrub said:

The clips are left as markers where there have been biopsies
but no need to further excise (benign.) They want to know where they've had the questionable tissue. My clip was removed with my lumpectomy, as noted in my pathology report (tho it appears they accidentally left in some of the locator wire, which finally - 8 weeks post-op - came out.)

They left in some of the
They left in some of the wire? Yikes! You said it came out? What happened?

Leeza

jnl said:

They left in some of the
They left in some of the wire? Yikes! You said it came out? What happened?

Leeza

There was a little point of
There was a little point of wire sticking out that was crusted over. I didn't know for sure what it was, but felt that it was odd that 7+ weeks post-op, I'd still have a sharp little scab where they'd put the wire. I was going to ask my dr at my next checkup (this coming Monday)but it finally came off (with a bit of encouragement) and I was mostly healed where it had been. With a magnifying glass, I could see the encrusted wire form - a little less than 2 mm long. It seems to be encrusted in calcium crystals - very hard. I will tell my surgeon on Monday (and bring the wire to her.)

abrub said:

There was a little point of
There was a little point of wire sticking out that was crusted over. I didn't know for sure what it was, but felt that it was odd that 7+ weeks post-op, I'd still have a sharp little scab where they'd put the wire. I was going to ask my dr at my next checkup (this coming Monday)but it finally came off (with a bit of encouragement) and I was mostly healed where it had been. With a magnifying glass, I could see the encrusted wire form - a little less than 2 mm long. It seems to be encrusted in calcium crystals - very hard. I will tell my surgeon on Monday (and bring the wire to her.)

Biopsy clips came out, lumpectomy clips went in
After a biopsy on each side, I had bilateral lumpectomies -- a total of 4 teeny tiny tumors were removed, plus sentinel node biopsies on both sides, total of 7 lymph nodes removed.

During my lumpectomies, my surgeon removed the clips that had been placed during the biopsies, but then marked each tumor and lymph node site with more clips, as markers for the radiologist for my future mammograms/imaging. He explained that he marks each site with 4 clips -- "north, south, east, west."

When I had my first mammogram after treatment, the mammography technician called me over to the screen to show me -- oh my goodness, it's like a party in there! Since each tumor and lymph node got 4 clips, we counted about 30 clips total. But of course, I can't feel them at all.

With all that "hardware" in there, I asked my surgeon if the mammography technician should be looking for his wedding ring or wristwatch, too. He looked at me very seriously and said, "No, but if she finds the Junior Mints, those are mine."

:-) Traci

Lighthouse_7 said:

Hi Angie,
I still have mine
Hi Angie,
I still have mine because I see them every time I have a mammo. That's how I found out that I had them.
Hugs,
Wanda

Angie, the one I had was
Angie, the one I had was removed during my lumpectomy. My onco even gave me a picture of it. Did you know it is, or mine was, kind of shaped like the bc ribbon? It is, or, it looks like it to me.


Sue

TraciInLA said:

Biopsy clips came out, lumpectomy clips went in
After a biopsy on each side, I had bilateral lumpectomies -- a total of 4 teeny tiny tumors were removed, plus sentinel node biopsies on both sides, total of 7 lymph nodes removed.

During my lumpectomies, my surgeon removed the clips that had been placed during the biopsies, but then marked each tumor and lymph node site with more clips, as markers for the radiologist for my future mammograms/imaging. He explained that he marks each site with 4 clips -- "north, south, east, west."

When I had my first mammogram after treatment, the mammography technician called me over to the screen to show me -- oh my goodness, it's like a party in there! Since each tumor and lymph node got 4 clips, we counted about 30 clips total. But of course, I can't feel them at all.

With all that "hardware" in there, I asked my surgeon if the mammography technician should be looking for his wedding ring or wristwatch, too. He looked at me very seriously and said, "No, but if she finds the Junior Mints, those are mine."

:-) Traci

30 clips Traci? Wow. The
30 clips Traci? Wow. The one that they placed in me is gone. I have to LOL at your junior mints comment. I love that episode of Seinfeld. It was just on the other day. LOL

Clips still in...
...to mark the site for future mammos.

abrub said:

Thank you. Question for my
Thank you. Question for my surgeon on Monday: did she leave clips after removing the tissue?

Dr said marker is gone
She left nothing in there. No more markers.

Lynn Smith said:

This is one thing
This is one thing I have wondered and never asked my doctor since my dx 3 1/2 years ago.I think about it and want to ask but always something else.I think it would be there just to know where it all originated.I have a benign(fibroid)tumor now and I'm sure the chip is in that one.It was found 1 year ago and being watched.

Lynn Smith

I never thought about this

I never thought about this until I saw this post.  The chip was taken out with my lumpectomy surgery.