Please help!

nycgirl
nycgirl Member Posts: 18
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everybody, I am a 33 year old mom and I found a lump in my breast two months ago (the first time I gave myself a self exam). I went to the GYN for another issue and I told her what I felt because I didn't really know what it was. She felt it and sent me to get an ultrasound, the tech asked where it was so she could feel it and know where to focus her search. She found it and showed it to the radiologist, he tells me he was calling my GYN that day telling her I needed a lumpectomy with biopsy because it was a catergory 4 suspicious abnormality. It was solid and had microlobulations. He made the tech take more pics even color because my breasts are large and he wanted to be sure. I had an appointment to see a gyncologic oncologist for a separate issue and she tells me she feels it and she also felt a lump(painless) in my underarm on the same side (which developed a week after my sono), and make sure the surgeon knew it so they could check it too. I get to the surgeon, btw she is a breast surgeon and she tells me she doesn't feel a lump and the lump under my arm is a ingrown hair and she doesn't trust the radiology clinic where my sono was done and that she wants me to wait a month to repeat the sono and to get a mammogram. My question is has anyone been through something like this and is it possible for a sono to show a suspicious solid mass and it not really be there? Should I wait or get a second opinion? I am scared now because I am now having pain and swelling in my breast and I have two new lumps that are connected under my arm. What scares me the most is I don't know how long the lump was there because it was the first time I examined myself. Thank you for being patient and reading my story. I hope everyone is doing well. God Bless!!!

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    Sweetie, please continue to demand treatment until your doctors can convince you not to worry. Yes, there are lumps that are not cancer, and won't it feel good to find out that yours is in that category. So continue to push and ask questions like, what do you expect to change in a month? Maybe, just by asking questions, your worries will lessen. Maybe by being pushy you will receive treatment that will come up with negative (good) results. But if you are living in a state of worry for a month, that is painful. Get a second opinion. Seek relief from your worries. If she doesn't trust the clinic, going back a month later will not change the clinic. She asked you to get a mammogram, that is one step you can take. Taking charge of your treatment will help you take charge of your worries. That is my opinion. I have not heard of Breast Cancer having such quickly escalating symptoms as sudden pain and swelling in your breast, so probably it is nothing....but get rid of the worries by aggresively seeking the necessary reassurance. When I was diagnosed they did a needle aspiration of my lump. Has anyone suggested that for you? I hope and pray that all will be well for you. Love, Joyce
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #3
    OMG ...I agree with my friend JoyceLouise~ do NOT be appeased until you know and are confident you are getting the health information you need! Breast lumps are certainly not all cancer, indeed~ but neither are they generally ingrown hair, either!! Make waves, holler, make yourself a pest until you know!!!!

    We hope to see you in here one more time! When you come back, we hope to know that you are giving us the good news that your glands are swollen, or you DO have an ingrown hair, or you are pre-menstrual...something other than Cancer!

    On the other hand, if you are indeed diagnosed with Cancer, you will find yourself in an amazing community of women surivors here~ from newly diagnosed to 20+ years! You will be nurtured, educated, and enveloped in this group. No matter what~ IF this is a battle, you will never be in it alone.

    Let us know....

    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #4
    I, too, agree with Joyce. Especially with your 'separate issue' involving a gyn/oncologist...cancer is not to be messed with, or put on hold. I had 2 different cancers, unrelated, living in my body at the same time...

    Get another opinion, soon. More so because of the pain and swelling now...

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #5
    Hello nycgirl.
    I am one of the 20+ people chenheart mentioned...and I can sooooo relate to your concerns. I was 38 when first diagnosed with NO family history or risk factors. Two doctors said, "Oh, it's nothing". Well it wasn't nothing and I am still here today because I didn't take their word for it. It HURT and I wanted it FIXED!
    You stick to your guns until you are COMPLETELY satisfied...and 20 + years from now you and I will still be checking up on each other. :-)
  • seof
    seof Member Posts: 819 Member
    #6
    It looks to me like you have 2/3 professionals telling you the same thing. Getting a Mammogram and going to another Dr. would be steps I would take. Research Docs. in your area...ask for references, years of experience, numbers of patients, reliability of the facility they are associated with, etc. I agree that you need to feel confident about the information you are getting. I would not wait.

    That's my 2 cents worth. seof
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #7
    Wait a month? Heck no! Get a second opinion and insist on more tests and don't be satisfied until you know exactly what those lumps and swelling are. Go! (and let us know how you are--we'll be thinking of you...)

    Eileen
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #8
    Hey there:
    I would definitely get a second opinion as soon as possible. By your screen name you seem to live in NYC, if you do call Sloan and get an appt with Monica Morrow, she is the head of the breast center at sloan her number is: 646 497-9064. Please keep us posted. Love, Lili
  • ninjamom
    ninjamom Member Posts: 142
    #9
    I'm one of the newly diagnosed....I agree with everyone, get a mammogram and a second opinion. We will keep you in our prayers.
  • mgm42
    mgm42 Member Posts: 491 Member
    #10
    You must be your own advocate! You need to sound the alarm loud and clear! I agree with the other women. Get that mammogram and the second opinion and more if necessary. Please hang in there. Trust yourself! Hugs, Marilynn
  • nycgirl
    nycgirl Member Posts: 18
    #11
    First, I want to say thank you for your replies. I did get my second opinion and the new surgeon felt the lump ( before I did) and said the reason it was hard to feel was because my breasts are large and the lump is under alot of tissue. She told me the exact same thing as the radiologist without me even telling her what he said. I am going to get a lumpectomy as soon as my pcp clears me for surgery. I am getting a mammogram tomorrow, so she can see what my breast looks like before the lump is removed. She told me that all the things the other surgeon told me did not make sense. I will keep you posted on my results and I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks again!! It feels GREAT to be able to talk to someone !!!!

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