Fibrocystic breast biopsy - benign - they want to remove it
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I think what they are trying to tell you is that the only way to conclusively show the lump is not cancer is to remove it. If you are comfortable accepting the risk that it is cancerous, do not have the surgery.
exactly what I would have posted.
You should learn to speak up when you don't understand. I mean this is your breast/your life we're talking about here.
Ask questions so you can make an informed decision. And as suzy_q has said-----don't have the surgery but accept the consequences.
I'm more than a little disturbed that you won't ask questions when with your doctor,yet you will ask them here and rely on non medical persons to assist you.
Good luck though in whatever you decide.
It kinda insulted me that the radiologist did not talk to me in layman's terms, that she assumed I understood what she was saying. When I feel insulted or disrespected, I shut down, I did not have any confidence in the conversation....that she even had the ability to explain it in a way I could understand. Yes maybe I was being judgmental. She seemed kinda stubborn about it.
When I post on forums and other websites, it's to find out what other people did in a similar situation and/or get advice. Hearing from a variety of people around the country with various levels of experience is MUCH more valuable to me than one radiologist. And my mom is researching this too, she knows some nurses.
It kinda insulted me that the radiologist did not talk to me in layman's terms, that she assumed I understood what she was saying. When I feel insulted or disrespected, I shut down, I did not have any confidence in the conversation....that she even had the ability to explain it in a way I could understand. Yes maybe I was being judgmental. She seemed kinda stubborn about it.
When I post on forums and other websites, it's to find out what other people did in a similar situation and/or get advice. Hearing from a variety of people around the country with various levels of experience is MUCH more valuable to me than one radiologist. And my mom is researching this too, she knows some nurses.
You posted your initial concern in January of 2011. It's now almost April, 2013, over 2 years later. Your current post (the one I just quoted) implies that you're still not decided yet what to do about a lump that was found in your breast two years ago.
You should've either had it out, or decided not to have it out by now. AND you should've already had at least one mammogram since then, and probably even another ultrasound.
By now, that cyst is probably either gone all by itself, or has multiplied and grown, and might even pose a threat to your nerves and ducts even if it's benign.
Radiologists usually discuss their findings with doctors. Doctors usually discuss the interpretation of results with their patients. Did you go to your doctor after all this? Or did you just "shut down" and reject any medical advice for the last two years?
I can understand getting frustrated when someone talks to you in a way you don't understand. But it's not their responsibility to know what you can or cannot comprehend. It's your responsibility to tell them when you need further explanation.
In your OP you said the doctor mentioned sclerosis. You've had two years to do a google search on the word. Have you done that? It just means a hardening of tissue. You even added a question mark to the word, indicating you weren't sure that's what the doctor said. Perhaps he said "scleroderma" - which is an autoimmune disorder involving fibrous cysts and hardening of tissue.
In any case, no matter what it was, a lumpectomy or even needle biopsy would've been advised if an ultrasound returned an undefined mass. The point of removing it is to examine it up close and personal, to find out what, exactly, it is. If it turns out to be just a fibrous cyst, they can rule out cancer. If it turns out to be cancer, they can decide right then and there whether they're satisfied they got it all, or if they need to check any further.
If you're uncomfortable speaking to doctors about your level of understanding of medical terms, then you should bring someone with you who -is- comfortable with it, and sign off with the doctor's office giving your partner full authorization to discuss your medical situation with them.
You posted your initial concern in January of 2011. It's now almost April, 2013, over 2 years later. Your current post (the one I just quoted) implies that you're still not decided yet what to do about a lump that was found in your breast two years ago.
You should've either had it out, or decided not to have it out by now. AND you should've already had at least one mammogram since then, and probably even another ultrasound.
By now, that cyst is probably either gone all by itself, or has multiplied and grown, and might even pose a threat to your nerves and ducts even if it's benign.
Radiologists usually discuss their findings with doctors. Doctors usually discuss the interpretation of results with their patients. Did you go to your doctor after all this? Or did you just "shut down" and reject any medical advice for the last two years?
I can understand getting frustrated when someone talks to you in a way you don't understand. But it's not their responsibility to know what you can or cannot comprehend. It's your responsibility to tell them when you need further explanation.
In your OP you said the doctor mentioned sclerosis. You've had two years to do a google search on the word. Have you done that? It just means a hardening of tissue. You even added a question mark to the word, indicating you weren't sure that's what the doctor said. Perhaps he said "scleroderma" - which is an autoimmune disorder involving fibrous cysts and hardening of tissue.
In any case, no matter what it was, a lumpectomy or even needle biopsy would've been advised if an ultrasound returned an undefined mass. The point of removing it is to examine it up close and personal, to find out what, exactly, it is. If it turns out to be just a fibrous cyst, they can rule out cancer. If it turns out to be cancer, they can decide right then and there whether they're satisfied they got it all, or if they need to check any further.
If you're uncomfortable speaking to doctors about your level of understanding of medical terms, then you should bring someone with you who -is- comfortable with it, and sign off with the doctor's office giving your partner full authorization to discuss your medical situation with them.
It kinda insulted me that the radiologist did not talk to me in layman's terms, that she assumed I understood what she was saying. When I feel insulted or disrespected, I shut down, I did not have any confidence in the conversation....that she even had the ability to explain it in a way I could understand. Yes maybe I was being judgmental. She seemed kinda stubborn about it.
When I post on forums and other websites, it's to find out what other people did in a similar situation and/or get advice. Hearing from a variety of people around the country with various levels of experience is MUCH more valuable to me than one radiologist. And my mom is researching this too, she knows some nurses.
Good things to do. I had surgery to fix an ileostomy a couple of years ago. I explainded they couldn't do the simple version, was all prepared for the complicated one, basically redoing everything, gave them all my back information for records...
They didn't check. It has the same problem it did before, just a little less bad. But they won't touch me until I am sure I have all my answers and they have seen all my records. Just like the problems with side effects from meds I've had which are usually dismissed as unimportant to the doctor. Take command of your health by making sure you have all the information you need before you make a decision. The days when finding information was limited and you had to belong to the club are long over with the internet.
Doctors and medicial personal, having had much training and the preks of an official title, tend to forget that ultimately the *patient* is the one who gets to choose and deserves the respect to be fully and fairly informed.
I thought the point of the biopsy, which I had 2 yrs ago, was to tell what it was. It's not cancerous. Breast cancer does not run in my family. I DID decide not to have it removed, it grew one centimeter, no the radiologist has not talked to any doctor of mine about it. My question was simply why these benign cysts ever need to be removed....if it's not affecting anything or hurting me or cancerous.
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