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Lobular Breast Cancer: Let's share and support each other
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 27 11:09am | Replies (370)Comment receiving replies
Were the false positives MRIs? I ask because I've only had mammograms and ultrasounds and reading that some others dealing with breast cancer are having MRIs made me wonder if I should lobby for an MRI instead.
Replies to "Were the false positives MRIs? I ask because I've only had mammograms and ultrasounds and reading..."
I have recently been diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma in my right breast and it has also been found in the closest lymph node near my right breast, verified by biopsy of breast and biopsy of lymph node. I have heterogeneous dense breasts. I am considered "high risk" because with dense breast getting clear pictures with a mammogram and identifying anything unusual is very difficult. For the last 5 years, I have had the 3d mammogram or tomosynthesis vs. a regular mammogram. I was on top of it, annual testing and additional testing when requested if something looked different from the 3d mammogram from the year before. I did everything right or everything my breast care specialists suggested/requested of me.
This screening was not enough to find my lobular cancer diagnosis before it traveled to my lymph nodes. There is so much more to be concerned about once the cancer travels outside of the breast.
In my opinion...I believe if I had annual MRI's the cancer would have been found earlier and potentially not spread to the lymph nodes. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE advocate for yourself when it comes to breast care. Go the extra mile to get the breast cancer screening you feel is right for you. FYI...Getting insurance to pay for the MRI can be an issue so make sure you have your DR's on board and that they are willing to help push your insurance to cover the cost.
YES, lobby for the MRI.
I hope my story helps you and many others to get the MRI.
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Yes, they were breast MRIs. The first was during my initial diagnosis. The breast MRI detected something suspicious in my healthy breast. After an ultrasound biopsy, the suspicious area proved benign.
The 2nd breast MRI came midway through my chemo treatment to see if there was improvement in my tumor size. Again the MRI saw suspicious activity in my healthy breast.
We immediately followed up with a mammogram and ultrasound but both couldn’t detect anything so I had a breast MRI biopsy which came back negative.
Breast MRIs are useful especially if one has dense breast tissue which I do not but they have a tendency to pick up everything which can be a problem.
I then decided to pass on having a yearly MRI. My breast surgeon and I agreed to having yearly 3D mammograms along with bloodwork and physical exams every six months.
It’s now been three years with no problems. ♥️