mlktwins Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 So......how many of you had a mammogram that required a follow-up mammogram where the second test resulted in nothing? Trying to stay calm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 :grouphug: I did, at least once, maybe twice. Turned out to be nothing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I am going to tell you what the PA told me: The younger you are the more likely your breasts are dense. It makes it difficult to read the mammogram. You will almost certainly be called back and it will almost certainly mean nothing. If this is your first mammogram they often want you to come back for a very, very good baseline. Just accept that they will call you back and do not worry. She then went on to tell me that every single time she goes for one, she gets called back. When I had my first (in October) the clinic had changed procedure. Now, they don't let you leave until whoever reads the screen is satisfied that they have seen enough. So, I had to go back in there twice before whoever was satisfied. But, if they had not changed procedure that would have meant two more trips to the clinic. And it was NOTHING. He just wanted a better baseline. My mom has had breast cancer twice. They didn't just call and ask her to reschedule in two months. They caledl and asked her to come back TOMORROW. At least that was her experience. And she is fine. :grouphug: to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Do you have the option in your area to get a thermogram? Many physician now believe this to be more accurate. Thermography does not touch your body, it uses heat to find inflammation and masses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 I'm 44 and had my baseline at 35 with one each year since 40. Never any problems before. Supposedly I will get my resuts back at the next appt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 You are young. I know it is natural to worry, but it is likely to be nothing. Of course you will worry, but it is almost certainly nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 That was my experience too at my first mammogram. I asked on my local FB friends for a 'mammogram buddy' to go along with me to my first test, and then the next. It's a horrible thing to worry about whether you'll see your children grow up, while you're waiting for the results of a follow-up. I kept repeating to myself that a false positive is very, very common, and a much better scenario than a false negative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I just went through this. I had my first mammogram a few weeks ago, was called in for a follow-up and then sent for a sonogram. They think it is just a cyst but will bring me in for another mammogram in 6 months. I am to do monthly checks until then, which I do anyway. I think this is common. It's usually nothing to be worried about and just better to be on the safe side. :grouphug: and prayers that all will be well with you and you can get through these checks calmly. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 that would be me. I feel bad for my friend who has to have biopsy's after each mammogram because they found something suspicious. She is fine, too. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:I remember the firs time it happened to me. VERY scary.:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Until this last year, I always had to return for a follow-up. I was told that I have dense breast tissue. This year the hospital purchased a new machine that is much more sensitive. The tech did do a retake on one side because of the denseness, but I didn't have to do a return visit. Do the follow-up...but stay calm for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVA Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Yup. I had to return once.....nothing to see. They just wanted a better view. And yes, I worried. Now, if it happened again, I wouldn't be so concerned. Hang in there. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 It is more likely the younger you are. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 My mom says EVERY mammogram she has ever had has been "suspicious" but she has never had a real problem. She just gets referred for an ultrasound as a follow up, or follow up mammogram. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I hear this a lot with repeat mammograms. I am 44 and had a baseline done 2 years ago. Everything was fine. I am not doing ANY mammograms now until I am 50. I refuse to be put through that kind of trauma. You hear of so many false-positives, and then ultrasounds then biopsies, and the waiting is horrific. No thanks. I think this is why the new guidelines(not from everyone in the medical field agrees) is to wait until your 50. Thermograms are not avaialble in all areas. And if the American Cancer Society was so worried about breast cancer, you would think that thermograms would be easily accessible, to every woman, at no cost. After all, all this Susan G Komen fund raising that has gone on has raised millions of dollars. Yet, they still depend on old fashioned mammograms. <<<shaking head>>> While I am on a rant here...........if you did every.single. preventitive. test. you would be in testing for months. Colonoscopies Mammograms Pap smears Cholesterol Stress tests Glaucoma Full blood panel work up Physical Imagine the $$$$$$$ coming in from all this "preventitive" medicine. I am not saying it doesn't save lives. Because I have seen that it can. But in studies shown, preventitve medicine doesn't really prevent anything. People who have had mammograms and got the all clear, were diagnosed 2 months later with breast cancer and died within 5 years. Cholesterol??? BIG $$$$ in statin drugs and pharmaceutical companies. Blood work. Stick you on a pill or send you to a specialist. More $$$$$. Colonoscopies. A dear family friend had Ulcertive Colitis. She went in for her annual colonoscopy. The next year she decided to go in 3 months earlier because she was leaving to go on vacation. She had not only colon cancer but it had matastized into her liver. She was dead in three months. One guy had a perfect physical. He went home and died of a heart attack. When my parents were growing up, and grandparents they did not have all this preventitive medicine. My mother has never had a mammogram,(she is still living), neither has my MIL. None of my grandmothers did either. My grandparents died of old age. I don't even think they knew what their cholesterol WAS. Or had even heard of it. Sorry, got a little off topic. I just hate to see threads like this where women are freaking out over the wait to see what is going on after a call back. If they are going to do mammograms, I think women would be more apt to go if they could get an immediate answer right then and there. Rhather then get a cold letter in the mail, or a message on your machine. I hope everything turns out okay for you.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I"ve 31 and I've had to get mammo's every year for a few years. I got called back for abnormal suspicious findings and unusual and undetermined findings, and even had to have a biopsy...not cancer. Not even a growth. Just calcifications within the vessels. (FTR: I was in so young b/c of feeling a lump and a history of cancer in my family as well as myself.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneddmanybooks Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 So......how many of you had a mammogram that required a follow-up mammogram where the second test resulted in nothing? Trying to stay calm... Yes, this has happened to me. My office tries to get the person back in right away, but NOT because the person is in need of urgent medical care. It is because they understand that the more time between appointments, the more time the person will have to think and worry. Hugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Me! They even ordered a biopsy after my 2nd mammogram and ultrasound, and found nothing. The tissue in question is likely because of my breast reduction surgery. But still, they are being cautious because my sister had breast cancer. I had my last mammogram in June and now I have to go back next month too. I don't know if they expect me to do a mammogram every 6 months from now on, or just for the year following the initial problem or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I had myself dead and buried by the time I got back in for my follow up only to be told it looked like there was a fold in the skin that cast a shadow. I worried a whole week for that :glare:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I hear this a lot with repeat mammograms. I am 44 and had a baseline done 2 years ago. Everything was fine. I am not doing ANY mammograms now until I am 50. I refuse to be put through that kind of trauma. You hear of so many false-positives, and then ultrasounds then biopsies, and the waiting is horrific. No thanks. I think this is why the new guidelines(not from everyone in the medical field agrees) is to wait until your 50. I agree with you so far. Good science has shown that mammograms don't do a good enough job in detecting cancer in women under 50. That's not because women under 50 don't get cancer (they do, hello. It's not even all that rare). It's just that the dense breast tissue makes it difficult to find. Dense tissue is white and so is cancer. It's like finding a polar bear in a snow storm. Thermograms are not avaialble in all areas. And if the American Cancer Society was so worried about breast cancer, you would think that thermograms would be easily accessible, to every woman, at no cost. After all, all this Susan G Komen fund raising that has gone on has raised millions of dollars. Yet, they still depend on old fashioned mammograms. <<<shaking head>>> But here's where I disagree. Thermograms are plenty old-fashioned too. They've been around for over 50 years, longer than mammograms, actually. But they've never been proven to work. They have been around long enough and studied hard enough that if they did work, it would be proven by now. More info from a scientific perspective here. (Please excuse me for getting off-topic. Cancer quackery makes me angry. I'm still here 6 years after a stage 3 diagnosis because of excellent medical care, and through the grace of God.) To the OP: try hard not to freak. Most of the young women I've heard with cancer find it because of symptoms (lump), not because of a routine mammogram. Callbacks are incredibly common at our age. I hope more mammography places start getting all the views they need for a good baseline the first time around, to avoid freaking out people who don't need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thankfully I got smart and realized that I never got called back with a particular technican. She clamps those plates really tiiiight, but I haven't had a call back ever since I started making sure that she is on duty when I go. I ache for a day after she does her job, but then I'm done. And yes, a digital mammogram is better too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I've had two mammograms. I got called back both times. Both times it was nothing. They told me it is very common to get called back.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 But here's where I disagree. Thermograms are plenty old-fashioned too. They've been around for over 50 years, longer than mammograms, actually. But they've never been proven to work. They have been around long enough and studied hard enough that if they did work, it would be proven by now. More info from a scientific perspective here. (Please excuse me for getting off-topic. Cancer quackery makes me angry. I'm still here 6 years after a stage 3 diagnosis because of excellent medical care, and through the grace of God.) :grouphug: to you. I am glad you are okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbi in Texas Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I have been called back at least once and I think twice. Nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 My mom has had breast cancer twice. They didn't just call and ask her to reschedule in two months. They caledl and asked her to come back TOMORROW. At least that was her experience. And she is fine. :grouphug: to you. I am so glad she is doing well :001_smile:! I'm still here 6 years after a stage 3 diagnosis because of excellent medical care, and through the grace of God.) :grouphug: to you! I am so glad the cancer was discovered and treated in time. God is good! Thanks to everyone that responded. I'm calmer today. It is what it is and I'm not going to worry (too much) until I know I have something to worry about. Amazing how one phone call can give you a whole different perspective on things/life. I can tell you all the stress I've been feeling the last 3 months over planning my boys' 1st trip to Disney World (we leave in 2 weeks) is totally gone. We will see what we can see, do what we can do, and just have fun and enjoy being together away from the pressures of home, school, and work :D! I am going to savor every second of our trip. Thanks again! You all have eased my mind. Thanks for taking the time to post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I believe the statistics are that findings from the call backs turn out to be nothing 80% of the time. Then of the 20% where there is follow-up past the call back, there is 80% chance it's benign. If you can get yourself to try to not worry until you know there is something to worry about, you'll add positive days to your life either way. Dh taught me that. So much of what I worried about never happened; meanwhile, I had ruined days of my life with worry. There are TONS of benign things that can look odd on a mammogram or they may just not have gotten a clear enough shot. To avoid this scenario again, try to find a facility where there is a radiologist on duty who reads the mammograms as they are done. You sit in a waiting room and either leave with an "all clear" letter when it is reviewed, get called back from the waiting room for additional views via mammogram to clarify things, or get an ultrasound to clarify things. So unless there is something to biopsy, you leave knowing everything is okay. Even if there is something to biopsy, you'll leave having an idea of how likely it is to be cancer. Major teaching hospitals are likely to have this set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi all! I just wanted to thank you all for sharing your stories and for your support. I went back yesterday. Had another mammo and then an ultrasound immediately after. Good news is they disn't see anything! I am so relieved. I have to say, a scare like this gives one a different perspective on life!!!! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Glad it turned out alright. I was 31 when I had some changes so went in. Doc could feel what I was talking about. I had both the mammogram and ultrasound. Density issues. Go figure. Better safe than sorry, I think. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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