Dense breasts?

[thekarens]

This article just happened to be in a newsletter I receive today:

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/07/...nt-afraid.html

Hope it provides some comfort!

Thanks Emily! That was a very reassuring article. I agree that the mandatory verbiage is more scary than helpful the first time you get it.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks Emily! That was a very reassuring article. I agree that the mandatory verbiage is more scary than helpful the first time you get it.

I don't recall ever getting the "mandatory verbage", so was surprised to read this part -- I think they must have instituted this after I stopped having such dense breasts!

[thekarens]

Thanks Emily! That was a very reassuring article. I agree that the mandatory verbiage is more scary than helpful the first time you get it.

I don't recall ever getting the "mandatory verbage", so was surprised to read this part -- I think they must have instituted this after I stopped having such dense breasts!

Interesting. I wonder when they instituted that. This is the first year it's been on my letter, so I don't know if that's because the law is new or if it's a new condition for me.

[ny biker]

It was mentioned in a mammogram report that I received a few years ago, and the wording seemed like something they were required to include. I don't remember if it's been in my reports since then, since my doctor told me it was nothing to be concerned about.

[Helene2013]

An old thread but still valid...so why open another one. hihi

As I said earlier, I did finally go for that mammogram. After 50YO we can go on the voluntary government program which is free and can test you every 2 years until you're 60. So I skipped the 1st letter reminder...just too lazy to go and when I thought about it, the labs were closed.

So I did go last week (turning 52 soon). I told them that I had gone just under 5YO prior to my breast reduction and that I had been told my breasts were too dense to see properly. At least one darker spot in the right one - which we ended up finding it was just fluids pockets - nothing wrong - through ultrasound and that my left one was the same. So they noted it down for this test.

I told her we should go straight to ultrasound as anyway, it ends up there. We'd save time and money. But I guess they don't see things the way I do. haha

So of course I got a call today as the radiologist wants me now to take the 2nd mammography (a close up of the left breast this time) and do an ultrasound! I'm not stressed at all. Maybe I should...but nope.

But I called them up in the car on the way home to see if they could give me an appointment for nights/weekends as I did not want to miss more work than I did already with all those tests (a super annual - that I do only every 4-5 years - plus my knees infiltrations). She looked and no ultrasounds are done on nights/weekends. Told her to get me something on Friday earliest/latest as my husband could drive me into work after as he's off on Fridays which makes things easier... no test either. So we could not agree on my schedule so I told her to forget it. Not gonna go and that's it. And I have to pay $130 for that ultrasound and I can't even get it when I want (nights/weekends)? No way Charlie! She said she'd just note this in the file and if I change my mind, I need to call within a week.

While talking to hubby who's driving, I have a flash. May be I can call another clinic I know and see if they do it on days/times I'd like. If so, I could ask the 1st clinic to switch my file there. But watch this... because it is a gov't program, they won't be allowed. But that 2nd clinic was closed. So I'll try them in the morning to see if breast ultrasounds are done.

My worst case scenario, I'll ask my doc for a referal for an ultrasound on left breast. That's it. Or restart the whole process again.

Not enough to stress women, you have to waste time from work to get it done. They can only do those ultrasound Mon-Thu and daytime, etc.

So I'm not gonna go to that ultrasound and will need to find a place I can get it done either in my work area or a schedule that would suit me better.

I'm not worried about it, but I do want to take it seriously and get the left breast checked out properly. You never know and you can't put your head in the sand. It's probably nothing but I need to make sure and have no regrets.

[Crankin]

This is only me speaking, but sometimes you just have to miss work. It's inconvenient, but I would want to know definitively. It sounds like you sort of know what the outcome will be, but I would be worried beyond belief with anxiety until I knew.
In the end, your employer is not more important than your health. Perhaps this is just my Jewish mother voice speaking out...

[Helene2013]

It takes me a whole lot more than this to stress me. hihi

The thing is that I already missed a lot of work due to all the appointments, tests, etc I had to go through. My employer is very ok. It's me who hates it. Missing an hour is not bad...missing half a day for a 15 minute appointment...not going to happen! Even if I have sick and flex days for that. I want to keep them for something really bad.

I'm so not worried about it, because of what I had been told and seen when had my ultrasound before (quite a few pockets of fluids and very densed breast).

BUT! If you read my 2 last paragraphs, I said I would be going. Just need to figure a way out of my schedule. It's not the only radio clinic around but the only one that is working with the government on this program. There are other private ones around, that cover the breast xrays for free when you have a doctor's request, and you still have to pay for the ultrasound. So same thing for me in the end and I may get my appointment, on my conditions.

So yes I intend on going back, but I am not stressed at all about delaying it to when I find the time off-work.

[thekarens]

This is only me speaking, but sometimes you just have to miss work. It's inconvenient, but I would want to know definitively. It sounds like you sort of know what the outcome will be, but I would be worried beyond belief with anxiety until I knew.
In the end, your employer is not more important than your health. Perhaps this is just my Jewish mother voice speaking out...

This.... With mine, not only did I have to miss work, I had to pay $350 for my mammo and ultra sound together and then I had to pay $854 for the biopsy. It was worth the time and money for the knowledge and peace of mind.

Between the keratitis in my corneas, rosacea, skin cancer, breast lump and tooth infection I've been seeing a boat load of docs and missing a lot of work. I apologized to my boss and told her I'd be happy to provide notes from the docs, but she said, "your health is way more important than any job. I have no problem with your attendance." It's nice to have a boss that feels that way because I'm still dealing with all those issues and will be for a bit.