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Cancer cells floating in the chest wall area
Breast Cancer | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for a thorough and quick response! I had a clear MRI before the surgery so I didn’t think much about it, especially when the lump felt like a bone. I’ll need to request an MRI but for sure it will be denied. The thing is I had a lumpectomy with radiation 2 years ago. I was on surveillance MRI/mammo alternated every 6 months. They were clear, but I decided to have mastectomy because of my gene mutation brca. I wonder how the surgeon could have missed such a big lump in your case? Didn’t they check the removed breast tissues to make sure no cancer cells exist? My case will be very hard pressed for MRI even though my oncologist is very supportive. I have Kaiser insurance. I’ll try anyway. Thank you again for the information! I hope you’re doing fine and will never have to deal with cancer again. Hugs.
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Thanl you for your sympathetic reply. If you have a lump that feels like a bone a CT scan and/or an ultrasound can also be used. Ultrasounds are much much cheaper. I had an ultrasound which confirmed a suspicious lesion which led to the biopsy confirming a recurrence. The radiologist then confirmed it with a post mastectomy ct scan which also showed the lesion. No one ever explained to me why this happened. I don’t know if the surgeon messed up or if I had a student operate on me that day. I could feel the bone-like lump on my chest wall before I had finished healing from the surgery. I thought that having a mastectomy instead of the lumpectomy (which was offered) would save me from future surgery to correct margins. FYI, it is very difficult for even the most experienced of doctors to feel a tumor with their fingers until it is at least 1 cm in size (that’s 1 million cancer cells!) so imaging is really helpful (even an ultrasound). I have now had the other breast removed to pre- empt cancer on the other side. Apparently a prophylactic mastectomy reduces the cancer chances to 5 percent versus higher than one in seven if it wasn’t removed. I also now have a double reconstruction. Who would have guessed that Angela Jolie had it right after all?Good luck with everything and hugs to you too!