Delicate Arch

Hey HeartArt and PathFinder, another survivor here.

Lucky you to be found on a mammogram. Sometimes when you are pre-menopausal as I was (39 Years old) it isn't found till later. But I'm now past my 15 year mark. Woo hoo. And that was with three tumors and four lymph nodes chock full of cancer. So, really, you are likely to be OK, but even if it is cancer, it does not mean a death sentence.

Really, deep breath. It's going to be OK. We're all here for the long haul if you have to have treatment, but most likely you will go back to planning summer vacation. Or, if you are paying tuition, a trip to the local swimming pool!

HImom

For many of us, talking and sharing is very therapeutic & helps make the unknown more manageable. The treatments for any possible cancer are getting better all the time. There are many lumps & bumps that many of us have. The womenn in my family has fibrocystic breasts and we have all had biopsies and all of them were benign. Especially when we are younger, there are many benign lumps & bumps. Good luck & think good thoughts. We've all been through the lumps & bumps and survived.

MyLB

Karen C--thanks for the message. You remembered! I am blissfully at the point these not-so-many months later that I really don't think about it <hardly> at all.

Life does go on. Ain't it grand?

downtoearth

another survivor here as well. I was 34 and 35 respectively. I have had 4 more biopsies since and am looking at a 5th. It could be scar tissue, I'm having an MRI on thurs as they can't tell if it is scar tissue conclusively. I would be a liar if I said I am not nervous, but being down this path many times I know how to deal. For me the mental part is far worse than the physical. Stereotactic Breast biosies are awkward but not painful. Try to focus on the positive. I find getting busy helps. Also talking about it. I don't involve my kids until after. I do ask for what I need. If I can't sleep I ask for some medication. But 15 years later I am alive and kicking, and plan to continue. So be good to yourself, do what you need to, but most of all don't panic. The odds are in your favor . God Bless.

HeartArt

PathFinder: Glad this thread is helping you and am sending good thoughts your way. It is certainly understandable to be scared, I know I am, but am ready to take on whatever testing/procedure/biopsy is next. My next appointment is on Thursday. I am also trying very hard not to worry because 1) it has no power to change anything 2) it robs me of the joy of this day.

Best wishes to you!

Pathfinder317

Thanks, HeartArt. I wish I was more able to focus on the positives & less on the negatives. Something I need to work on. I watched my Mom suffer for so long & always get bad news (she was a diabetic). I miss her so much & wish I had her to talk to now especially. I appreciate your support & wish you well on Thursday. I too will be waiting to hear how you are doing. Best of luck!

downtoearth

You are not your mom. Everyone has their own journey. It is normal to be frightened. The time not knowing is the worst. BTW because you are anxious does not mean you have cancer, it is your natural response to a threat. Just get out do things, advocate for yourself. Be good to yourself. Praying for good news !

martharap

In between the time when my doctor discovered a nodule on my thyroid (1/21) and my final diagnosis (1/30--after ultrasound and needle biopsy) I tried to learn as much as I could about thyroid cancer, even though the doctor told me that 90% of these nodules are benign. It gave me something to do--since I couldn't stop thinking about the "what ifs"--and I was prepared (whilst hysterical) when the doctor called to tell me I should come into her office. By then I had a general idea of the different types of thyroid cancer and the various treatments. I don't know if I could have started my research after hearing the news. But I think that thyroid cancer is a lot more straightforward (types and treatments) than breast cancer, so it was relatively easy for me to find information. And, I was learning what I could while still distanced from the possibility that I might actually have cancer, so I wasn't emotional about it.

The waiting (for tests and results) is definitely the hardest thing to do. I'll be thinking of you.

downtoearth

I couldn't read,made me more anxious, I think doing what seems right for you is the most important. Bring someone to your appt. write down your questions. Today I had a manicure pedicure some self care!
Delicate ARCH: Wahoo we had it around the same time. Congrats. I am so grateful to see My D graduate.

Endicott

I have had three biopsies now, two of them surgical. Some advice: if you are afraid of a biopsy, ask the doctor for a prescription for xanax. My doctor gave me four Xanax pills total, so I could try it a few days before and make sure it worked properly. It didn't impair judgment or anything, but it made me feel calm and unafraid. However, I do think Xanax is rather horrible because the day I stopped it I felt quite depressed. So I don't think I would want to take this drug on a regular basis. But to get through a biopsy, I would definitely do it again.

Second, if you feel deeply sad and afraid, don't hesitate to just let those feelings out. It's a very deep thing to fear your own death, but it's also an opportunity to think about your life. For me, it reaffirmed my deepest values, and made me realize that loving my family is my highest priority. That fear can lead you to somewhere very interesting that will be helpful. So don't be afraid to cry, mope, or anything. It's important emotional work.

teriwtt

Just curious... can anyone here describe the stereotactic biopsy? Specifically, if you're on the table with your breast hanging through, is your breast in the same compression as it is when they do the mammogram? Or do they use the same plates, but just not squish it as flat?

Karen Colleges

Hi Teri-- yep, you are on a table, that gets raised in the air. Yes, breast is under compression, so they can see the microcalcifications, or whatever they are looking at.

The machine they use takes small core samples. I will look for the website that shows a good explanation when I get back from dropping kids at school. And explain more if no one else chimes in.

zipyourlips

My stereotactic core biopsies were, as you describe, lying on my belly, with breast positioned using plates similar to mammogram plates to compress the breast, but not as severley as in a mammogram. Once imaging located the target area, the needle was inserted a single time (with a trigger mechanism) and took a series of samples around that one location, making a snapping sound each time. They described the samples as being like several little pieces of spaghetti.

I subsequently (another day!) had a stereotactic core biopsy using ultrasound. In that procedure I was lying on my back without any type of compression. The area was located using a hand-held device and my recollection is that the needle was inserted by hand without any mechanical guidance, and samples were taken just as before.

Neither procedure was painful, and I didn't need any pain meds. The ultrasound-guided procedure took much longer than the mammogram-guided one because they spent a lot of time discussing how to locate the right spot and how to guide the needle to its destination. For both procedures, the set-up takes much longer than the procedure. Then you spend some time afterward lying there with pressure on the entry spot to keep from bleeding. They inserted a tiny clip during each procedure to locate the spot later on, and right after the procedures they took mammogram films to confirm the correct location. These films were done with less compression than usual. I hope I'm remembering this all correctly! Good luck.

Karen Colleges

One thing to add to Zip, when they took the core samples (and they took quite a few to get all of the microcalcifications), they ended up with the little strings laid out on a dish. They took a film of that (they will show you, if you want), and another mammogram of me to make sure they got all of it.

In fact, when I did go in for the lumpectomy, there was nothing left, all the cancer had been removed during the biopsy.

One funny note, they looked at two areas, so the little puncture holes looked like a snake bite...

astrophysicsmom

HeartArt, good luck at your dr. appt Thursday. We'll all be thinking of you.....let us know how it goes.