Need support: Dr has ordered diagnostic mammogram

[AnxiousJamie]

I am trying to be rationale. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve has 2-3 times of spontaneous nipple discharge from my right nipple. It looks clearish. Everything I’ve read says spontaneous is bad. So I went to my dr today and he wanted me to have a diagnostic mammogram. I’ve had one before so I’m not worried about the test, but I am worried about the results. I don’t have any risk factors for breast cancer but I can’t help but worry. My mammogram is tomorrow morning. I can’t help but think the worst. Has anyone had this before and it turn out to be nothing? He’s checking my hormone levels and thyroid as well.

[.Poppy.]

Hi Jamie,

I've never had this before so I can't offer advice from that perspective, but I hope all goes well. I'm sure it's nothing but it's good your doc is so proactive in checking - I bet that will help your anxiety too because you won't have to wait weeks wondering!

Best of luck tomorrow! xx

[RadioGaGa]

Anxious Jamie

Understandably this is a very anxious time for you.

My mum had symptoms similar to what you describe a few years ago AND lumps in her breasts. She went to the doctor who got her mammogramed within the week.

You're thinking this story had a bad ending? Nope. After my mum was seen by the consultant, and underwent testing, she did NOT have breast cancer. It was benign 'grissle' as the consultant described it in her breast an, as for the the discharge, I can't remember what was causing that, but it was nothing.

Many women are referred to the hospital I work at all the time with symptoms like yours and over 95% of the time it's nothing.

It's excellent your mammogram is tomorrow morning, so at least you won't have a terrible anxious wait.

Please stay positive, the odds are very much so in your favour that this is nothing.

Keep us posted and all the best for tomorrow

Radiogaga

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you both for the responses. My first appt was not until next week. So I took my order and called around to some different imaging centers and chose the earliest time available. The waiting is agonizing and my mind tends to wander to worst case scenario the longer I wait.

[WiseMonkey]

Try asking for a 3D mammogram, more expensive but very accurate.

[jojo2316]

I have had spontaneous nipple discharge before. It was yellowish and seemed oily. In addition I had itching and an irritated feeling deep in my breast. Ultrasound and mammogram showed nothing, but an MRI showed an area that needed a biopsy. It turned out to be duct ectasia, which is inflammation and widening of the breast ducts. Totally benign- and quite common - so a lot of worry over nothing! Good luck and let us know how you get on!

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank y’all so much. I’m in the waiting room now. I did find out that this will be a 3D diagnostic mammogram. I’m so worried but hopeful.

[jojo2316]

Thank y’all so much. I’m in the waiting room now. I did find out that this will be a 3D diagnostic mammogram. I’m so worried but hopeful.

Good luck, and please let us know how you get on
:hugs:

[Carys]

All the best AnxiousJamie...I should think you are in 'being imaged' right now./..

[littlemissworry.x]

I hope all goes well

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you!! I had my mammo and they said they couldn’t see anything. But they want to do an ultrasound to take a closer look at the ducts. I’m so nervous. I feel good about the positive mammo but my anxiety is making me freak over them wanting more testing.

[jojo2316]

Thank you!! I had my mammo and they said they couldn’t see anything. But they want to do an ultrasound to take a closer look at the ducts. I’m so nervous. I feel good about the positive mammo but my anxiety is making me freak over them wanting more testing.

That is completely normal. They just need a reason for the symptoms. With me they kept going till they found the inflamed ducts - which, actually, should be visible on your ultrasound. Clear mammogram is GOOD news!

[AnxiousJamie]

Ok. The radiologist came in to talk to me and that scared me to death!! So basically I have “debris” in one of my ducts. He said “I am not alarmed” and “This isn’t uncommon”. He is going to compare my old records with the new ones before he finishes his report. He wants me to come back in 6 months. If it’s changed any, they will do a ductogram. He says that would look closer at the ducts to see what the debris is, maybe like a papilloma. I was freaking out and I said is this something bad and he said, “I’m not alarmed.” Then when he left the tech said if he thought it was something bad, that he would’ve done a biopsy. So I’m relieved and still scared at the same time. I want definitive answers and this unnnown debris is scaring me to death!

[AMomentofClarity]

Ok. The radiologist came in to talk to me and that scared me to death!! So basically I have “debris” in one of my ducts. He said “I am not alarmed” and “This isn’t uncommon”. He is going to compare my old records with the new ones before he finishes his report. He wants me to come back in 6 months. If it’s changed any, they will do a ductogram. He says that would look closer at the ducts to see what the debris is, maybe like a papilloma. I was freaking out and I said is this something bad and he said, “I’m not alarmed.” Then when he left the tech said if he thought it was something bad, that he would’ve done a biopsy. So I’m relieved and still scared at the same time. I want definitive answers and this unnnown debris is scaring me to death!

Sounds like it’s pretty common and in most cases it doesn’t matter what the “debris” is. No different than any other benign findings on scans....nodules, cysts, etc, etc.

Sure, you can worry yourself to death, and Google worst case scenarios. Or you can trust that an experienced radiologist knows what he’s looking at, and follow his 6 month advice.

[ktdid2000]

I have weird things in my boobs (fibrocystic changes, cysts that hang around forever, etc.). They monitor me every 6 months and that's basically it.

I asked my breast specialist about it last time I went and she said fibrocystic changes just makes it harder to see things on scans and that's the only reason for all the follow ups, not because there's anything specific to watch (I was worried about one cyst that got me there to begin with).

Watching is a totally valid method for evaluating benign-appearing things. You can always ask for a biopsy if you want answers right away but those carry their own risk and may be totally unnecessary. I've been following up with the specialist for 2.5 years and ALMOST requested a biopsy on my cyst last time I saw her but in her words "cancer doesn't act like this." It's looked the same for 2+ years. So I dropped it and followed her recommendation to just keep monitoring. I think she said after 3 years they can be conclusive about it being benign (probably actually a lot earlier than that but being cautious).

If it was suspicious they would biopsy it right away or follow up in a shorter interval like 3 months.

[AnxiousJamie]

I was doing ok but the further away from my appointment, the less assured I am. Of course I’ve been reading. It makes me sick that I did that. I’ve read a lot of scary stories that started out just like mine. I have got to push this out of my mind. I’m going to try to not google anything about this anymore and just keep remembering the dr said he wasn’t alarmed.

[jojo2316]

“I am not alarmed” should be your take home message. In my experience breast doctors have a VERY low threshold for alarm. There were no such reassurances when I was going through my breast drama (that turned out benign). With breast issues they are so SUPER Cautious- that I think you should take great comfort from this.

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you Jojo!!

[AnxiousJamie]

Today both nipples have begun to itch. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my mind. Itchy nipples are another symptom of breast cancer.

[WhereIsMyMind]

I know someone who has had nipple discharge for years and it's not cancer. It might be that they're itching now because your brain is worrying about it, and mimicking the symptoms that it can mimic - this happens a lot with anxiety.

[Carys]

Itchy nipples are another symptom of breast cancer.


The chances of nipple itching coming in both breasts, overnight, and it being bc in both breasts - is so so so (x100 lol)unlikely.

[jojo2316]

Today both nipples have begun to itch. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my mind. Itchy nipples are another symptom of breast cancer.

I’m sure this is hyper awareness. Remember: “I am not alarmed”

[AnxiousJamie]

I have been a wreck!! The itching was bilateral and stopped when I realized it was anxiety. However, since yesterday I’ve had a dull achy pain in my right nipple. This is where the problem is. It’s not super painful but it is there and it’s constant. How will I ever deal with this? I’m a mess!

[jojo2316]

I have been a wreck!! The itching was bilateral and stopped when I realized it was anxiety. However, since yesterday I’ve had a dull achy pain in my right nipple. This is where the problem is. It’s not super painful but it is there and it’s constant. How will I ever deal with this? I’m a mess!

Please don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s not easy. Again, this is more than likely hyper awareness. But if the symptom is “real” it is suggestive of some sort of inflammatory process (like I had). I’m pretty sure a malignant lesion (especially one as tiny as “debris in the duct”) would not cause any discomfort. Are you worried about the six month wait?

[AnxiousJamie]

Yes! I’m worried that they’ve missed something. I’m worried that in 6 months, it will be too late. I’m worried about all the stuff I’ve read about people having dialated ducts ending up having cancer. I’m worried about dying and leaving my precious 4 year old daughter without a mom. I feel so hopeless!

[jojo2316]

Yes! I’m worried that they’ve missed something. I’m worried that in 6 months, it will be too late. I’m worried about all the stuff I’ve read about people having dialated ducts ending up having cancer. I’m worried about dying and leaving my precious 4 year old daughter without a mom. I feel so hopeless!

OK. So the doctor would not have suggested a six month wait if it was not safe to do so. Even if it was a tiny (TINY) cancer (and it almost certainly isn’t), six months would still be safe. It would still be stage 1 or in-situ after that time. But if you feel emotionally you cannot deal with the wait then tell your dr. They could maybe do a ductogram immediately- to give you peace of mind? It’s not worth torturing yourself for six months

[ktdid2000]

It's my understanding that people are generally VERY conservative about anything suspicious on breast imaging. As in, "we have to really really know what this is right now before I send you away". I think if there were anything suspicious they would biopsy it right away or follow up in a shorter interval (3 months).

[StephA]

I had breast cancer. If they thought it was anything serious, you would have already had a biopsy and results this week! I know it’s hard, but take this as a good thing and sweep it under the rug.

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you so much. I feel unworthy of yalls kindness and compassion as a couple of you have been diagnosed. I’m so sorry about this worrying but it’s almost too much for me to bear. I’ve never been more scared. After seeing the BIRAD 3 score, that just set my anxiety off. And in addition to the nipple pain. I’m probably going to have to take a Xanax tonight to get by. Again thank you ladies so much for your replies. They are so comforting.

[ktdid2000]

I try to go to science when I get confused about these things:

"Efforts to improve the specificity and cost-effectiveness of screening mammography led to the development and widespread acceptance of short-term follow-up of probably benign findings. The purpose of the short-term follow-up algorithm is to reduce false-positive findings while retaining a high sensitivity for early stage breast cancer [1]. Probably benign (BI-RADS 3) has been formally established as a unique assessment category in the BI-RADS Atlas [2]. Designating a finding as probably benign in mammography is meant to indicate that the finding has a 2% or less chance of malignancy [3]. In practice, 0.9–7.9% of probably benign mammographic findings are upgraded to suspicious and proceed to biopsy [1, 4–6]."

What I'm gleaning from this is that the chance of malignancy is very low...and they recommend 6 month repeat of mammogram to validate. Of course, if all this freaks you out and will cause 6 months of misery you could seek out a biopsy, but the reason they recommend this course of action is to reduce the non-necessary biopsies (false alarms) while also catching necessary things in time. SO basically this course of action is low risk both directions so that's what they do.

I've been there....had a cyst that wasn't going away and it led to 2 years of misery and follow up and worry and poking and prodding. It's still there and hasn't changed, so the course of action was right (as much as I hate to admit it based on the grief it caused me!).

[jojo2316]

Thank you so much. I feel unworthy of yalls kindness and compassion as a couple of you have been diagnosed. I’m so sorry about this worrying but it’s almost too much for me to bear. I’ve never been more scared. After seeing the BIRAD 3 score, that just set my anxiety off. And in addition to the nipple pain. I’m probably going to have to take a Xanax tonight to get by. Again thank you ladies so much for your replies. They are so comforting.

My lesion was BI-RAD 4.... and it was still benign. BIRAD 3 is GOOD
Xx

[NervUs]

I had BIRAD 3 lump about 6 years ago. B/c of really strong family history, my doc wanted to biopsy it surgically, the radiologist thought that was overkill. So, guess who I went with? lol...and totally benign.

I developed another lump about a year later in a separate spot. This time, they recommended watching and waiting, and I did that. I was checked every 3-6 months, and that was benign too.

Your BIRAD 3 is a great sign it is not suspicious, and watching and waiting is a standard protocol for abnormalities that have a really low likelihood of cancer-- BIRAD 3 means that the lump has a 2% chance of being cancer, 98% chance of being benign.

I know it is very hard to trust all this, and it is a bummer for people like us to not just get the BIRAD 2. But.....breast cancer is a very well known cancer. They know a lot about it, they see a lot of it. Just that they are dealing with something that is far from rare should make you feel confident.

After the breast cancer, I actually had to go through testing for a suspected sarcoma and, I will tell you, that is a very different experience. No BIRAD system, b/c it is much much rarer. As scared as I was about BC, the sarcoma experience (which ended up not being flagged for a biopsy) was scarier b/c it was clear how systematic the breast cancer process is.

[AnxiousJamie]

Ok. I think I need to clarify that I have not been officially given the BIRAD 3 as I have not seen the final radio report. He wanted to compare my previous mammos. I was talking this over with my friend, who worked at a breast center before, and she told me it sounded like a category 3. So now I’m worried that it could be a category 4, since he really wasnt sure what the “debris” is. I keep going back to him saying “ I don’t see any thing alarming”. Do they biopsy all cat 4s? Would they wait 6 months on a cat 4? He never said the word suspicious. Now I’m really freaking out!!

Also are BIRADs different for ultrasound? According to the tech, my mammogram didn’t show anything. They followed up with U/S to try to determine where the discharge was coming from. Then they found the “debris in duct” that didn’t look “alarming” but did warrant a 6 month follow up. I’m so confused. I will be in hysterics if it’s a category 4!

[AMomentofClarity]

Ok. I think I need to clarify that I have not been officially given the BIRAD 3 as I have not seen the final radio report.

it sounded like a category 3. So now I’m worried that it could be a category 4.

I will be in hysterics if it’s a category 4!

In other words you went from “nothing concerning” (Doctors words) to Category 4. I have no idea what any of that means, but the catastrophic thinking is very evident.

[AnxiousJamie]

Oh I’m for sure catastrophic thinking! No question about it. I don’t want to do this. I want to be like my coworker. She had a lump and they watched it and she was fine the entire watch period. She was not worried after initially talking to her dr. I’m so worried because the report is still incomplete.

[NervUs]

Category 4 is an automatic biopsy....so, you are not that. They would have scheduled you at your appointment.

My BIRAD rating was from the ultrasound.

[AnxiousJamie]

I cannot thank you ladies enough for answering my questions.

[AnxiousJamie]

The nipple pain is making me crazy. I haven’t spoken to my dr yet about the pain because he hasn’t called with my official results. The pain is only on right side. It is mild and constant. It feels like the skin is kind of chapped but achy just on the nipple. Is this my anxiety or is this related to whatever is going on. The fact that it’s related has me feeling super anxious. Because the dr said if the discharge is worse or if there is pain to let him know. I haven’t had any discharge since before Christmas, as far as I know. Ughhh!!! This is killing!

[AnxiousJamie]

Ok ladies tomorrow is the day. It’s my 6 month follow up to take a look at the “debris in my duct.” Surprisingly after the first couple of weeks, I have been able to push this to the back of my mind and get on with my life. Unfortunately now it’s been moved right back to front and center and I’m so incredibly nervous about my appointment tomorrow. One of the reasons why I’ve been able to get through the last 6 months is that I’ve not had any more spontaneous discharge (that I know of). But I’m so afraid he’s going to tell me that there’s a change or that I need further testing. Or worse!!! I wonder if I’ll sleep a wink tonight. My appointment is at 2:15 central time.

[ErinKC]

Ok ladies tomorrow is the day. It’s my 6 month follow up to take a look at the “debris in my duct.” Surprisingly after the first couple of weeks, I have been able to push this to the back of my mind and get on with my life. Unfortunately now it’s been moved right back to front and center and I’m so incredibly nervous about my appointment tomorrow. One of the reasons why I’ve been able to get through the last 6 months is that I’ve not had any more spontaneous discharge (that I know of). But I’m so afraid he’s going to tell me that there’s a change or that I need further testing. Or worse!!! I wonder if I’ll sleep a wink tonight. My appointment is at 2:15 central time.

Waiting for appointments is SO anxiety producing. But, it sounds like you really have nothing to worry about. I had a super itchy nipple and discharge (not spontaneous, but nothing that I'd ever experienced) and my doctor said they only worry about discharge when it's bloody.

[Gee]

I would suggest the pain is probably anxiety, I think BC doesn’t usually cause much pain, but also from experience I’ve had loads of pains in my breasts the whole time I was stressing over breast cancer :)

[AnxiousJamie]

I am done. The area in question is still there but hasn’t changed. The dr was not concerned and said that it’s just something that I have. He told me I didn’t need to come back except for yearly mammos starting at 40. So I just wanted to follow up for anyone who is reading this now.

[NancyW]

Good news, I'm so happy for you!