What treatment should I expect when mass found in breast?

Posted by churlgurl @churlgurl, May 18 4:40am

A mass was found in my breast almost three weeks ago. Never heard from my physician or his staff for a week. Still no response when I sent message. Finally someone from office called to schedule ultrasound. This person did not seem to know what she was doing. Ultrasound finally done two weeks after mass found. No response after result. Found out my doctor has been out of office. Going on 3 weeks now and I have talked to no one, no explanation of anything. Result recommends biopsy and asking me to schedule biopsy now…again no one has talked to me about anything. Don’t know what biopsy entails, don’t understand all the delays. Feeling alone and unimportant. Am I not entitled to any information? I guess healthcare really is do it yourself. Doctor back office but still MIA, no contact.

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Sorry to hear about this level of confusion and chaos. If you can get an appointment with the doctor in the next few days it might be worth doing that to clarify what the game plan might be. Of course you can always find a new doctor, but that might be complicated as a first move before you have full information.

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@auntieoakley

This is a heartbreaking and crazy inducing situation, I am sorry this is your life right now.
Please call your doctors office and have a place in mind to get your biopsy, or ask to be sent to a breast surgeon for an excision biopsy where they remove the lump and biopsy it. If this does not get you the desired result, call your local cancer center and ask for the name of a good place to go then call them yourself and explain your situation.
I find that genuinely asking for help will usually get some results. If it does not, that probably isn’t a doctors office you want if it does turn out to be cancer.
Do you live in an area with a large medical center or teaching hospital? Is there a breast cancer support group in your area where you can talk to others and get good recommendations?

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I closest major medical system is 2 1/2 hours away. I live alone so not a lot of support. I think the advice here to just getthe biopsy done at breast center here and go from there. I did more research into this breast center and that their facility is run than some of their other departments. I allreciate the info on birads level. That helps and that is what I have been missing, information. Thank you all for the information and support. Very much appreciated.

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@churlgurl

I closest major medical system is 2 1/2 hours away. I live alone so not a lot of support. I think the advice here to just getthe biopsy done at breast center here and go from there. I did more research into this breast center and that their facility is run than some of their other departments. I allreciate the info on birads level. That helps and that is what I have been missing, information. Thank you all for the information and support. Very much appreciated.

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@churlgurl whatever gets you the biopsy fastest. Maybe a volunteer with a cancer organization could drive you if 2 /12 hours is too much. Or maybe you have a local option.

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I agree that inconvenient as it sounds, a 2-hour drive is worth it to finally get some reliable care and good information. Go to a teaching hospital or breast center. Most of those places now have something called a nurse navigator - that's a nurse assigned to you who gives you her cel phone # and will answer your calls immediately (or get right back to you), and book all appointments with ALL specialists for you, staying out in front of your care so it stays on a timely course. My nurse navigator has angel wings - she even answered my call to her cel phone in the middle of a fire drill!
They do a LOT to answer questions, keep you on schedule, make sure your diagnostics and procedures get scheduled in a timely manner...........and generally reducing the worry factor. I would move on from your PCP asap. There re a whole lot of elements and specialties involved in good breast care......and in a good hospital system, they coordinate with each other in a spectacular way. Don't be afraid to take charge of your health - you're too important!

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@engelwags

I agree that inconvenient as it sounds, a 2-hour drive is worth it to finally get some reliable care and good information. Go to a teaching hospital or breast center. Most of those places now have something called a nurse navigator - that's a nurse assigned to you who gives you her cel phone # and will answer your calls immediately (or get right back to you), and book all appointments with ALL specialists for you, staying out in front of your care so it stays on a timely course. My nurse navigator has angel wings - she even answered my call to her cel phone in the middle of a fire drill!
They do a LOT to answer questions, keep you on schedule, make sure your diagnostics and procedures get scheduled in a timely manner...........and generally reducing the worry factor. I would move on from your PCP asap. There re a whole lot of elements and specialties involved in good breast care......and in a good hospital system, they coordinate with each other in a spectacular way. Don't be afraid to take charge of your health - you're too important!

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Turns out I have to go 2 hours away. Just more hiccups in this process. I decided to just go ahaead and do the biopsy right here to get it done quickly. So started early this morning. Called breast center here to schedule MRI guided biopsy….this is where my doctor office sent order. The young lady informs me she spoke with the nurse at my doctors office last week and told her they could not do MRI guided biopsy here and that I would have to go north to Christiana. I was never told that. So now I have called them and they are having someone call me back. Wheels are turning awfully slow!

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I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. Waiting is often the hardest part of this whole process! I encourage you to be (politely) assertive and review the steps you've already taken when you talk to the scheduling people. Sometimes they'll be empathetic and try to get you in sooner.
It's not their fault - they book so many appointments it just becomes kind of mechanical for them. But seriously - for the long haul consider getting your treatment at a larger hospital or cancer center. They really do make things easier for you - it's almost like they have their own process and pace, different from other medical specialties. They get that waiting is hard, and they really try to calm your fears. Good luck.......hope it all starts getting easier for you!

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@engelwags

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. Waiting is often the hardest part of this whole process! I encourage you to be (politely) assertive and review the steps you've already taken when you talk to the scheduling people. Sometimes they'll be empathetic and try to get you in sooner.
It's not their fault - they book so many appointments it just becomes kind of mechanical for them. But seriously - for the long haul consider getting your treatment at a larger hospital or cancer center. They really do make things easier for you - it's almost like they have their own process and pace, different from other medical specialties. They get that waiting is hard, and they really try to calm your fears. Good luck.......hope it all starts getting easier for you!

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Agree. I have never seen anything like this. Moved here from an area that actually provided good health care near large city. Every woman I know that has had a mass found in their breast knew if cancerous very quickly. On Thursday it will be three weeks since notified of mass and all that has been accomplished is ultrasound.

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@churlgurl

Turns out I have to go 2 hours away. Just more hiccups in this process. I decided to just go ahaead and do the biopsy right here to get it done quickly. So started early this morning. Called breast center here to schedule MRI guided biopsy….this is where my doctor office sent order. The young lady informs me she spoke with the nurse at my doctors office last week and told her they could not do MRI guided biopsy here and that I would have to go north to Christiana. I was never told that. So now I have called them and they are having someone call me back. Wheels are turning awfully slow!

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This kind of stuff is infuriating. I hope these people get their acts together. If you don’t hear anything from them today, call again. Squeaky wheel.

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@mimzy

This kind of stuff is infuriating. I hope these people get their acts together. If you don’t hear anything from them today, call again. Squeaky wheel.

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Also write down names and extensions. Makes them more accountable. Be cordial and polite, but assertive.

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@mimzy

Also write down names and extensions. Makes them more accountable. Be cordial and polite, but assertive.

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I drove 1-1/2 hours to Mayo and it was well worth it. I was assigned a team of doctors which were great. I was involved in a clinical trial prior to surgery that shrunk the tumor 70%. Mayo coordinated my appointments so I didn't have to drive there more than needed. I would do it again.

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