Mammogram

[tulip]

I was called back about five years ago, when I was 38. It definitely had that potential to freak me out, but I decided to remain calm and not worry about it until more was known. I had ultrasound, and it was determined that I have fibrocystic disease (kinda lumpy breast tissue), which I already knew. My mother has it, too.

Since then, I have had yearly mammos with no further callbacks.

Fortunately, breast cancer does not run in my family, so I am not considered high risk. Well, my grandmother's mother had it, but that's considered too far back to be much of a risk, and I don't have any of the other common risk factors (never smoked, never been obese, never taken hormones, never had problem periods, not menopausal).

[mudmucker]

I think it's fairly common. I've been called back 3 times over the last 9 years, twice with ultrasound. I had one surgical biopsy. I don't freak out although my maternal grandmother died from breast cancer. I always say "why borrow trouble " by worrying stressfully in the interim about inconclusive data. Worrying isn't going to change a result. You get a result, then ultimately must move forward regardless of the outcome.

[emily_in_nc]

I have never been called back but am happy to learn that it is common, just in case it ever happens to me. I'm assuming that it is most often a false positive. My maternal grandmother had breast cancer very late in life, so I do worry about this disease to some extent.

[ivorygorgon]

I have been called back. Once, a month ago, I had to have an ultrasound. Yes, it is scary, but I guess I would rather know I have cancer and get it treated than leave it untreated.

My ultrasound showed 3 benign cysts. Nothing to worry about

[colorisnt]

I am sure you are scared right now, but the good news (as those above have said), it's really common.

I have never had a mammogram yet or been called back, but my mother got a call back and had to go and have an ultrasound. We have a history of it in our family, so they were being super cautious. It was just a fibrous tissue and she is fine.

We were all really scared. This comes on the heels of my Dad being told he may have prostate cancer. Thankfully, it was a pre-cancerous sort of situation and they caught it early. So, it does happen, but as this problem in stats I just did this week in class shows, about 94% of people screened who have to be re-screened are okay (if this is still accurate I don't know, but I doubt it changes THAT much).

[marni]

as someone who has been called back multiple times, I went through that anxiety the first time but then figured out it was pretty common.

I have no history of breast cancer in my family at least as far back as my great grandmothers, but if you have been following my thread venting about a lost month, you will see that is not necessarily a guarantee of anything.

Take a deep breath, ride your bike, stay optomistic and feel thankful that they are calling you back and doing due diligence.

[pfunk12]

I was called back after my first mammogram. I ended up having surgery because they were concerned about some abnormalities that they saw. It turned out that they were just calcium deposits. But like Muirenn said, they had nothing to compare it to because it was my first mammogram.