wrong diagnosis

leabow
leabow Member Posts: 28
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
First I want to say how many beautiful young courageous women are on here. I probably should not even be on here because I am older and have lived to see my grandchildren. But here goes and hope my story will help. I found a 4mm nodule in left breast two years ago and took it to my doctor and to radiology. They did all the special tests and diagnosed me with a blocked duct and no cancer. Of course that is what you want to hear. A year later I went back for my annual visit with the radiologist and he agreed no cancer. My intuition keep telling me they were wrong. So I insisted that I see a surgeon. It was cancer and it had become early stage imvasive breast cancer. I am lucky it is low grade, no HER2/neu, and no lymph node involvement. It is fueled by hormones. Now I am waiting on the Oncotype Dx to see the percentage of recurrance to see if chem would be beneficial.
The whole point of me sharing this: If a little voice inside is telling you something is not right or you feel that you should have more done, insist that the lump is removed. A woman's intuition is usually right.

Comments

  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    #2
    You are so right!
    We do know our bodies and that little voice inside needs to be listened to. Sorry to hear that you have joined the BC sisterhood, but glad that you found us! Good luck to you!
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #3
    You are so right!
    I couldn't agree with you more leabow. A woman's intuition is remarkable, isn't it? I am so sorry though that you now have bc. I have always felt that if you have a lump in your breast that seems out of the ordinary, get a biopsy to check it out. They can do a needle aspiration even in the office to take some fluid from it to see if it might be cancer. Or, even do a core needle biopsy. It is worth it to catch bc early.

    I hope you don't have to do chemo, but, if you do, you have a group here to support you thru your treatment. Good luck to you!


    Lex♥
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #4
    We're pretty evenly divided
    We're pretty evenly divided between young and old and everything between on here -- all are welcome! Lots of these women have grandchildren, so you're in the right place.

    I'm so glad you insisted and caught this cancer. It is very good that you caught it "early" despite the bad diagnosis, and I hope your treatment goes smoothly.

    My kids' pediatrician always said he listens to the mother -- if the mom thinks something's wrong, it nearly always is. Women really are intuitive.

    By the way, my Oncotypedx percentage (not number, percentage) was 15% possiblity of recurrance within 10 years if I didn't get chemo. Not huge, but not nothing. I just finished 4 rounds of chemo this week. Anything I can do to eradicate the cancer for good, I'll do. Bi-lateral mastectomy, uterus and ovaries out, Tamoxifen followed by Arimidex -- I've done or am doing it all. That's just my take on things.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #5
    Christine Louise said:

    We're pretty evenly divided
    We're pretty evenly divided between young and old and everything between on here -- all are welcome! Lots of these women have grandchildren, so you're in the right place.

    I'm so glad you insisted and caught this cancer. It is very good that you caught it "early" despite the bad diagnosis, and I hope your treatment goes smoothly.

    My kids' pediatrician always said he listens to the mother -- if the mom thinks something's wrong, it nearly always is. Women really are intuitive.

    By the way, my Oncotypedx percentage (not number, percentage) was 15% possiblity of recurrance within 10 years if I didn't get chemo. Not huge, but not nothing. I just finished 4 rounds of chemo this week. Anything I can do to eradicate the cancer for good, I'll do. Bi-lateral mastectomy, uterus and ovaries out, Tamoxifen followed by Arimidex -- I've done or am doing it all. That's just my take on things.

    I was seeing docs (who did
    I was seeing docs (who did not feel the lump) I found myself. for a propholactic mastectomy on the right after having it on the left 16 years ago. It was bothering me so much I think I just knew.
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #6
    leabow.........
    First of all, welcome to the board.

    I too knew that something was not right. And I kept telling two of my Drs. that something was not right. They insisted there was nothing wrong, other than the "aging process". After 3 visits in 6 months, I finally shrugged & said ok. No worries.

    The next time I went, four months later, there were obvious outward changes to the breast and then I was basically treated like....why didn't you come in sooner? I almost said "I told you so"!

    Long story short, I was dx'd at stage III. Mastectomy, lymph nodes, chemo and rads. Also a year of Herceptin infusions.

    Yes, we DO know when something is not right. The hard part sometimes is in getting our health care providers to listen to us. I truly wish mine had, as it could have been caught earlier.

    CR
  • leabow
    leabow Member Posts: 28
    #7
    CR1954 said:

    leabow.........
    First of all, welcome to the board.

    I too knew that something was not right. And I kept telling two of my Drs. that something was not right. They insisted there was nothing wrong, other than the "aging process". After 3 visits in 6 months, I finally shrugged & said ok. No worries.

    The next time I went, four months later, there were obvious outward changes to the breast and then I was basically treated like....why didn't you come in sooner? I almost said "I told you so"!

    Long story short, I was dx'd at stage III. Mastectomy, lymph nodes, chemo and rads. Also a year of Herceptin infusions.

    Yes, we DO know when something is not right. The hard part sometimes is in getting our health care providers to listen to us. I truly wish mine had, as it could have been caught earlier.

    CR

    Thanks
    I was also treated like it was my fault because I had dense breasts. I quickly told them that I had found the nodule, took it to my internist and then to them.
    I am learning to live with the 'new person in my life called cancer' but I am having trouble getting over the anger I feel toward my internist and radiologists.
    I know I have to get beyond that and focus on my treatments and health.
    I wish there was a way to prevent this from happening to any other woman.
    I wish so much that you will have licked this.
    Leabow
  • cheryl1960
    cheryl1960 Member Posts: 2
    #8
    oncotype dx test
    i receive my oncotype dx test my percentage was 22%. this test helped me to decided to go ahead with chemo. started my first round may 24, 2010
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #9
    Hi leabow wanted to welcome
    Hi leabow wanted to welcome you to this wonderful group of supportive women. As stated we are women of all ages. You are not the only grandmother on this site. I'm 67 and I know for ceertain that some of the gals are in their 70's. BC is no respector of age. We also have gals in their 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's on this website. We are all pink sisters fighting the good fight against the beast.
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #10
    You are so right about
    You are so right about listening to that little voice. I heard it, but then heard what I wanted to hear from my surgeon and radiologist. Two years later, that spot that had been biopsied (that I could "feel" from inside, but was not palpable...lobular cancer can be like that) was a full grown Stage III beast requiring removal of lymph nodes, double mastectomy, chemo and rads. I was very angry for a long time, but eventually the anger wanes.You really need to vent that anger, or it can turn into a very dark depression. I am two years out now. Best wishes to you and prayers. xoxoxoxo Lynn
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #11
    cheryl1960 said:

    oncotype dx test
    i receive my oncotype dx test my percentage was 22%. this test helped me to decided to go ahead with chemo. started my first round may 24, 2010

    I hope you are doing well
    I hope you are doing well after your first chemo, Cheryl!
  • leabow
    leabow Member Posts: 28
    #12
    lynn1950 said:

    You are so right about
    You are so right about listening to that little voice. I heard it, but then heard what I wanted to hear from my surgeon and radiologist. Two years later, that spot that had been biopsied (that I could "feel" from inside, but was not palpable...lobular cancer can be like that) was a full grown Stage III beast requiring removal of lymph nodes, double mastectomy, chemo and rads. I was very angry for a long time, but eventually the anger wanes.You really need to vent that anger, or it can turn into a very dark depression. I am two years out now. Best wishes to you and prayers. xoxoxoxo Lynn

    Thank you for sharing with me.
    Hi Lynn,
    It helps so much to know that one understands, but it makes me so sad that other women have been given the wrong diognosis also. Should not happen, but I am working through it.
    Much much love and many prayers.
    Leabow
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #13
    Agree completely
    I believe that noone knows your body as well as you do. In 2005, after Katrina, I broke 3-4 ribs moving boxes. I was very concerned and knew that I had not done enough to warrant the ribs breaking. In 2008, as the rib pain persisted, I remember telling my physician that it felt like I had "an alien in my chest" trying to push out. I insisted something was very wrong. He told me that he really didn't see how it could be cancer as my CT, etc hadn't changed that much. In 2009, I presented to the ER with shortness of breath and severe rib pain. This time the bone scan came back: + bone mets. A biopsy confirmed what I already knew--that after a 22 year remission my breast cancer had spread to my ribs.
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #14
    natly15 said:

    Hi leabow wanted to welcome
    Hi leabow wanted to welcome you to this wonderful group of supportive women. As stated we are women of all ages. You are not the only grandmother on this site. I'm 67 and I know for ceertain that some of the gals are in their 70's. BC is no respector of age. We also have gals in their 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's on this website. We are all pink sisters fighting the good fight against the beast.

    Hi leabow and welcome to
    Hi leabow and welcome to this great group of supporters and survivors!

Discussion Boards