Mammogram

[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.

[malkin]

Never (yet) for a mamm, but last year I "flunked" my pap smear and had to go back for a more uncomfortable procedure with a fancier name. Everything was fine.

[Biciclista]

good grief, look at those statistics!

[OakLeaf]

That's why I encourage everyone to read, read, read and read more. And be selective about what you read (peer reviewed and NOT sponsored by drug or imaging companies).

Jones, sending good wishes that everything turns out fine and that you're able to find calm in all of this. If it is fine, I'd really encourage you (and everyone else here) to treat it as a wake-up call, and have at least a direction in mind, if not a firm decision, on each step of the way.

Decisions that will affect the quality of your life forever deserve to be made from a position of information, calm and strength - not fear - so IMO the best time to make those decisions is BEFORE you get a test, let alone a scary test result.

I know my decisions are unpopular, but they are NOT a judgment on anyone else's decisions, and I DON'T believe that everyone who is well-informed will necessarily make the same decisions I have. I just believe that everyone should be well-informed. Informed with research, not with advertising.

[Norse]

Yes here too. Called back and ultrasound showed fibrous tissue. My sister, who very large breasts, has been called back several times. Because of her size, she almost needs regular ultrasound screenings rather than mammos.

[nscrbug]

Yup, I was called back on my last mammo back in May. They did a diagnostic mammo and an ultrasound...found a cyst. Now I have to go back for an ultrasound every 6 months to monitor it.

[channlluv]

I've been called back, too, and it was because the tech who did the test the first time didn't get a good enough sample of breast tissue, or there was chest wall muscle in it or something. Hurt like h-e-double hocky sticks. I nearly fainted, but that's the only time that's happened. Every subsequent test I've had to take has been squishy-but-not-faint-inducing, and they've all been clear since.

I have a paternal half-aunt who died of breast cancer about 15 years ago, so I'm aware of the genetic potential, but not overly concerned. I'm facing so many other more pressing health issues.

Actually, I do need to schedule another mammogram. It's been a couple of years since I had one.

Jones, good luck to you. I love Oak's advice.

Roxy

[ScaldedCat]

I've never had a mammogram, women aren't routinely tested here under the age of fifty. I can imagine getting a call back could be a worry, especially if there was a family history.


I did get called back 3 times over a period of a few months for a cervical smear a few years ago, they failed to get a good sample to screen on 3 occasions and I was sent for a colposcopy to be on the safe side which was clear.
I've since had 2 successful normal smears in 2007 and 2010.