Z shaped puckering one month after mammo

[Limeslime]

Ahhh I now have an appointment to see my Consultant in 2 days.
Does anyone know what I can expect at this appointment, with it being a follow up?
Will I be scanned again? Should I push for more testing if not?

[Starburst8]

Hi Limeslime,

I reckon you go in and are upfront about your concern. Given the scans it is most likely OK, but I think you're doing the right thing. However, if the doctor thinks it's OK, then *trust* them. The doctor spends all day looking at boobs with lumps and things.
For what it's worth I've had two breast worries in the past, so can empathise.
#1 I developed an infection in my breast which became a lump. I was on holiday and I thought for sure it was bc. My boob went black and. Nipple inverted.. It was awful. This was pre kids so very unusual. I ended up having a biopsy and weeks of antibiotics. I was OK. It was an abscess.

#2 I had some milk leakage and a let down feeling in my boob. Went to GP who found a lump(!). Definitely thought that was it for me. 2 week pathway, they found another lump and had 3 biopsies... All benign. This was during the pandemic too.

Basically boobs do weird things... Only sometimes it's the worst case scenario.

Hope it goes OK.

[Limeslime]

Thank you Starburst for your kind words.
I’m kinda in shock right now, because I’ve had a biopsy taken. I’m so frightened. I really hoped to be reassured and sent on my way but that’s not what happened.
The consultant said he can feel the muscle pulling on my skin when I tense it, and tgat it’s very obvious. He said he doesn’t think it’s anything, but wanted to do a FNA purely for precaution. He said he’ll write to me with results in a couple of weeks.
I feel so silly because I came to this appointment behind my husbands back. I literally told nobody because I thought it was just my HA, and now I have nobody to give me a cuddle 😭

[Starburst8]

OK I totally get your worry. I told no one as well... But they do an FNA just to be on the safe side... If he was genuinely very concerned he would have done a core biopsy. I'm not saying its nothing, but these people know their stuff... And stabbing someone doing a FNA is erring on the side of caution. Did you get a rescan? For what it's worth, they FNA my lump without scanning first. They then scanned and FNA two other areas. Have everything crossed for you... It ain't anything until they tell you it is.

I say this whilst waiting anxiously for my latest ca125... Anxiety is an arse.

[Limeslime]

Thanks starburst. No, I didn’t get a rescan, basically what happened is..

The consultant was able to see the dimple clearly, and when examining me lying down, he asked me to put my hands on my hips and tense my chest muscles. When I did this, he immediately remarked that he could feel the skin being pulled in by the chest muscle, and that it’s “really quite evident”, and he’s sure that’s the cause of the dimple. But he advised doing a FNA as a “precaution”.
so he did the FNA free-hand….no ultrasound guidance or anything.
I asked him if he thinks this is anything to worry about, and he said “No, I think the skin is just attached to the chest muscle”. I asked if that was normal, and he said it can be.
Have you ever heard of this? I thought that if the skin was “attached” and being pulled in by something, that’s reeeaasally bad. But the consultant seemed very reassuring that this is a precautionary biopsy, that he saw nothing concerning and that it’s highly unlikely this will come back as anything bad, especially because my mammo was clear 6 weeks ago.
Im very confused.


My husband is at a funeral today. He has no idea about any of this…he doesn’t even know I’d been worried about my boob in any way.
He’s gone out for drinks now with his dad.
I can’t help but feel annoyed that he isn’t here with me, but I know it’s not his fault, he doesn’t know. I can’t decide whether to tell him either, cos it’s his birthday next weekend and I don’t wanna put a dampener on things. We’re going away to Spain for a few nights next week and chances are, I won’t have received my results yet. Ruined.

[Limeslime]

I know waiting for biopsy results is never gonna be plain sailing, but I’m going abroad this weekend and I am so afraid of getting bad news before we go.
I had a breast FNA biopsy of a puckered dimple on Friday just gone (today is Tuesday). The dr said he would write to me with results if they’re clear. So I’m terrified that the phone is gonna ring, because I know that if I am given an appointment to attend clinic to get my results, that will mean bad news.
I just so wanna be able to enjoy our holiday, and my mind just keeps going back to the idea that I’m gonna get a phonecall in the next few days booking an appointment to collect my results when I get back from holiday, and I’ll have to go on holiday with that fear hanging over me.
Even if it’s good news, I won’t know until we get back, because the dr told me he’d write to me in a couple of weeks.
Help! Anyone else been through anything like this? I’m tempted to just switch my phone off for the next week and just deal with it when I get back, but I know the curiosity will eat away at me.
Anyone any tips on coping through this?

Hope this makes sense? I know I’m waffling abit…there is a whirlwind happening inside my head!

[NoraB]

Even if it’s good news, I won’t know until we get back, because the dr told me he’d write to me in a couple of weeks.
Help! Anyone else been through anything like this?

The odds are that it will be good news, but you have to do something with this fear, right? So why don't you choose to have the best holiday, ever, INSPITE of waiting on these test results?

This is a choice as much as the other. Really put the effort into having a good time and focus on doing so. If you are anywhere near the sea, go stand in front of it and allow yourself that moment to send your worries out into the ocean where they will be carried away. Watch as the waves roll in out, like life rolls in and out, and understand that you are get to be a part of all this. There are many things that we can't control, but we do have choice over our response to any given situation - even if the initial one is of fear..

I also advocate getting pissed.

[pulisa]

A friend is in a similar situation and she made the decision to switch her phone off and leave it at home as she was going on holiday with others and didn't want her anxiety to affect their enjoyment. She also knew that she would be on alert the whole time for that call.

She's due back tomorrow and she's done really well. She has access to her friends' mobiles but just can't be contacted herself.

This is just a suggestion but of course Nora's advice is spot-on. I hope you do manage to have a really good time on holiday and enjoy being away from the daily chores and routine!

[Limeslime]

Thank you so much ladies! That is some awesome advice and I so appreciate you taking the time to share it!
I’ve spent the past week flitting between feeling ok-ish, and absolute panic. It’s hard to keep the dragon at bay, and I really hope o have the power to control it on holiday.
Unfortunately I cannot leave my phone at home, as I have children so I need to be contactable. However, switching to airplane mode might be an option and then I can still be contacted by WiFi. Hmmm.
I just wish this was over. I keep looking at this huge, deep, tethered breast dimple and feeling sure it cannot be benign, and I know that even if the biopsy says it is, I won’t be able to accept that. I’m so confused.

[pulisa]

I'm sorry that you'll only believe the biopsy is accurate if it shows a malignancy. That makes things very difficult for you as you've already self-diagnosed mentally when nothing is known yet.