Anxiety While Waiting for Ultrasound Results

[stressbelle]

I had an ultrasound last night for a pea-sized lump on my underarm. I think it went OK. One tech said that he thought it might be a lipoma. Another one said not to lose sleep if I was worried about cancer because it had benign characteristics (can't remember exactly how she phrased it). But they didn't tell me definitively what it was and I was supposed to have the results uploaded into my online account some time today. It's midday here and I haven't heard at all: no new results in my online file, no call or email. Should I be worried about this? Of course my imagination is going crazy assuming that maybe the radiologist saw something the techs did not and that it's taking a long time because there's a serious issue. Would they say something reassuring or tell me not to worry if there was a chance that something serious is happening? I'm so ready to put this behind me. It's been occupying my mind non-stop for several weeks now.

[EmmerLooeez]

I'm sorry that you're having such a hard time waiting for results. At least you know that they will be there today! If not, could you chase them up?
I'm waiting for some results myself and know how worrying it is.

I don't think that they would tell you not to worry if they thought there was nothing to worry about. It sounds like everything will be fine. I hope that they come through soon. Sending love xx

[stressbelle]

I'm sorry that you're having such a hard time waiting for results. At least you know that they will be there today! If not, could you chase them up?
I'm waiting for some results myself and know how worrying it is.

I don't think that they would tell you not to worry if they thought there was nothing to worry about. It sounds like everything will be fine. I hope that they come through soon. Sending love xx

Thank you! I hope you hear soon and can get some peace of mind.

I did call the medical records office at my doctor's and she said that he's not in on Wednesdays, but they did get the results and she'll make a note to have him call tomorrow re: the results. She sounded pretty casual and upbeat.

I am trying to remind myself that they probably wouldn't have been so reassuring -- ultrasound techs can get away with not saying anything so I'm not sure why they'd go out of their way to say not to worry? But it's easy to let my mind run away with things.

[EmmerLooeez]

I had an ultrasound last year and that woman was giving nothing away!!! I could see her measuring something which looked ginormous to me but was only a 1cm fibroid! They wouldn't say not to worry if they thought there was something to worry about. It's hard to put our trust in people sometimes isn't it. Hopefully they call you early on and let you know that everything is okay xx

[stressbelle]

I had an ultrasound last year and that woman was giving nothing away!!! I could see her measuring something which looked ginormous to me but was only a 1cm fibroid! They wouldn't say not to worry if they thought there was something to worry about. It's hard to put our trust in people sometimes isn't it. Hopefully they call you early on and let you know that everything is okay xx

It's funny how some techs say a lot and some are totally tight-lipped! Thank you for your reassurance. It really is hard to trust, especially when I don't have definitive answers. At least now I know that the scan has already been sent to the doctor and isn't stuck with the radiologist. Hope we both hear back soon!

[lofwyr]

I have never had a tech utter a peep, and honestly there is good reason for it. I was watching the echo of my heart and the aneurysm just above it. I could see them measure, and I saw her measure 5.5cm, well, 5cm is the golden rule of surgical correction.

I tried to poke at them a bit for information, but professionally they were very tight lipped. I assumed when I went to the appt with my surgeon an hour later I would be hearing it was time for surgery. Nope. No change from the last time, everything looked great, well, not worse. It was perfectly stable.

A tech can be reassuring, but honestly they SHOULD be tight lipped. The radiologists who read it have devoted their life to reading these accurately, and while a skilled tech absolutely sees good and bad things pass by them, I was given a lesson in how the data they collect paints a picture it takes a professional medical specialist to interpret in a way that will guide your care if required.

[stressbelle]

I have never had a tech utter a peep, and honestly there is good reason for it. I was watching the echo of my heart and the aneurysm just above it. I could see them measure, and I saw her measure 5.5cm, well, 5cm is the golden rule of surgical correction.

I tried to poke at them a bit for information, but professionally they were very tight lipped. I assumed when I went to the appt with my surgeon an hour later I would be hearing it was time for surgery. Nope. No change from the last time, everything looked great, well, not worse. It was perfectly stable.

A tech can be reassuring, but honestly they SHOULD be tight lipped. The radiologists who read it have devoted their life to reading these accurately, and while a skilled tech absolutely sees good and bad things pass by them, I was given a lesson in how the data they collect paints a picture it takes a professional medical specialist to interpret in a way that will guide your care if required.

That must have been a relief to hear that it was good news despite what you saw. I have heard so many conflicting things about what an ultrasound tech can or should say. Some people insist they shouldn't say anything, good or bad, and other people say they're able to interpret results and it's OK for them to offer some feedback. That does make it really tricky to know what to think during an ultrasound of course. I know the radiologist/doctor might have a different interpretation which is why waiting on the results right now is so panic-inducing, but I hope that it's all OK. I really thought I'd get some more insight today and it's so tough to have to wait another day.

[Scass]

It’s awful isn’t it?
My experience wasn’t good really. The tech just said he was referring me to a gynaecologist and that I had a small cyst on my ovary. He wouldn’t tell me anything else, and his assistant gave me a very sympathetic smile which made it worse.

It all ended up ok in the end, they are doing a difficult job, but I still am a bit shaken by it.

I think you got a good response really, but it’s our nature to question everything.


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[stressbelle]

Oh a sympathetic smile! That would have made me go crazy trying to interpret it too. Maybe the assistant meant for it to be encouraging but it just came across as worrying. I guess it's a tough job with worried people trying to read into everything you do. I'm glad that it ended up being OK for you and I'm sorry you had to deal with that stress and anxiety.

I just saw they uploaded the report into my file and it looks like it's a benign/non-aggressive bump, a lipoma or fibroma. Seems to be pretty tiny and not have any scary characteristics. So I guess I'll try to be relieved by that.

[Scass]

That’s great news, keep posting if it helps & be sure to update when you’ve heard back x


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[gailveronica]

Crossing fingers for good news! My ultrasound tech told me she'd been doing it for 20 years, and when I asked if she normally saw lumps behind the knee she said "not really," but as soon as she saw it, she said "oh, this isn't even a cyst, it's just a lipoma" and went on to tell me why it was nothing to worry about. Then said "don't fret when you find lumps, usually they're lipomas! I see them every day." The radiologist confirmed and even though it took me a bit of convincing, I finally trust enough to believe them lol

[stressbelle]

Crossing fingers for good news! My ultrasound tech told me she'd been doing it for 20 years, and when I asked if she normally saw lumps behind the knee she said "not really," but as soon as she saw it, she said "oh, this isn't even a cyst, it's just a lipoma" and went on to tell me why it was nothing to worry about. Then said "don't fret when you find lumps, usually they're lipomas! I see them every day." The radiologist confirmed and even though it took me a bit of convincing, I finally trust enough to believe them lol

That makes me feel a lot better! Hoping I can remember this if I ever find a lump again. I'm glad you were able to find reassurance.

I did get a call about it and the nurse said it was just a lipoma/fibroma that could be removed for cosmetic reasons, but my insurance might not pay for it. It doesn't really concern me besides the fear that it was something scarier so I'll probably just leave it alone and ignore it.

[gailveronica]

Hooray! What good news :) Lipomas are super common, and the ultrasound will be able to tell if there are any red flags to send you for an MRI - if no red flags, you are set to go! Trust me, I looked them all up and if even one thing looked out of place, they'd have sent you for further imaging. Keep an eye on it, if it grows get it checked again, but you got the clean bill of health :)

[stressbelle]

Thank you! It really is a relief to know it doesn't have any scary characteristics. If my insurance covers it I might have it removed just so I don't monitor it obsessively but I'd really like to just live with it and let go of the fear.