Friday, July 29, 2016

All that testing I had done. The results...

Hi all. I wanted to hold off on sharing any great details until I had some sort of hard core idea what was going on, and that I hadn't talked to my kiddo about any of it yet either. You know kids, they are always online and didn't want him finding out that way, I wanted to talk to him. So now that I have talked to him and have a few more details I'll share.

It seems I'll be going in for surgery. Let me start at the beginning.

It all goes back to the mammogram. There was a spot found. So there was an ultrasound and a biopsy (as biopsies aren't to stress over because many woman go back for them, they are still NO fun). Nothing showed up cancerous or abnormal at this point, which I have little faith in biopsies as they don't tell the story of the whole presence. They did diagnose it as a Radial Scar.

What is a radial scar? Good question. I'm still not 100% sure and it seems the doctors aren't either. There is no lump. They don't know what causes these in woman. But they believe this is/could be a precursor to cancer. It's in a star shape with ends that reach out, but no hard center like with cancer.

So the doctors at the imaging place suggested it be removed. I wasn't thrilled with that as they didn't sound 100% sure what it was. So I went to a specialist, a breast cancer surgeon. She talked with me, easing my irritation at the other doctors that jump to surgery, and said not all radial scars need to be removed. There was one more test to be done, an MRI with contrast. If it glowed in the contrast as the cells were acting differently, then that was when they suggest removal otherwise you are clear (probably keep an eye on it over years though).

So I got into the noisy, knocking machine and rested for forty minutes. The doctor called with my results the next business day. It seems that the tissue of the radial scar is acting abnormally. It glowed differently in the contrast, which means it needs to be removed. So now I'm scheduling surgery.

Is it cancerous? I don't know. Back to the biopsy, there was no abnormal cells or cancer cells found. They will test it when they remove it and let me know for sure. She seems to think it'll be benign, but won't know until it's out and tested.

Could it become cancer if I don't remove it? Who knows. It seems the cells are acting abnormal and those are the ones that can turn cancerous over time. So maybe? As an added note, there is history of breast cancer in the family, so maybe this was the starts of it. I really don't know.

The catch is there is no lump with this disobedient tissue. So I'll need to have a radiation seed inserted while having a mammogram. This way she can find the area to remove with the use of a Geiger counter. She'll remove that seed, the marker from biopsy, and the radial scar in surgery. It sounds to be a quick surgery done through outpatient. So I'll be home the same day and back to normal activity the next day, though no strenuous exercise for 10-14 days.

Why am I posting this? I have been vague about the tests and things going on with me so I wanted to clarify. You all have become good friends and I appreciate your patience with me of the last year or so with all going on in the family. There are those of you who ask about my kiddo and how things are going. Thank you, because it means a lot to hear from people who care.

Also, I don't know if this will help another going through the same thing. I struggled to find facts about radial scars. I know online you can find anything in any direction you are looking for. But for me, it didn't seem there was any hard fact about radial scars and relation to cancer, it all varies on who's doing the testing and drawing of conclusions. And it seems to still be a bit new as I couldn't find much online about it that felt clear in what was said.

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this with us. Sorry that you have to go through this at all but you have a plan. I hope it all goes well and it's all a matter of taking care of this and moving on with your life. The "C" word is scary, but this sounds like even if it's a "precursor" you caught it pretty early and the earlier the better. *hugs*

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    1. Thank you Janicu. I'm hoping it's nothing more that as they suspect, a precursor. I'll find out when they test it. But it's seeming good at this time. :)

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  2. Sending positive vibes and prayers.

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  3. All the best for you. Good for you to pursue and find out all you can. Thoughts and prayers for you.

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    1. Luanne, thank you. I just didn't want to dive in unknowing and trusting blindly. But sounds like I'll be diving in anyway. *sigh* Thank you!

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  4. *hugs* I hope everything goes well, it's a scary time when stuff like this comes up and I'm sorry you and your family are going through it. I'll be sending positive thoughts your way!

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    1. Thank you LilyElement. I'm working on not thinking about the worst end of things as it probably won't be that bad, but it's still a worry. Thank you!

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  5. As I understand it (and take this as to how much you are paying for this comment... ;)) that it only might indicate that other abnormalities could be present and cancer is one of those abnormalities. So glad you got a second opinion and found a good doc. It sounds like this one knows what she is talking about and also if you have specific questions ask her or her nurse (who can get to the doc easier outside of appt) and I have a feeling you'll get a straight answer.

    ((HUGS)) and I'm so glad that you are getting surgery from someone who seems to be up on her stuff.

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    1. Thank you Melissa (B&T). These radial scars could be abnormal or not. The MRI showed that mine is, so out it comes. I'm hoping there is no indication of cancer when they test it, at this stage I'm thinking it's good not to be cancer. But you never know. Thank you!

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  6. Better to be safe. Hugs! I can only imagine

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    1. Yeah, that's it Blodeuedd. I might not like it, but I'll do what needs to be done.

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  7. What a difficult situation to find yourself in. So sorry - but for what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing. Take care.

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    1. Thank you sjhigbee. It's one of those unknowns until it's tested, so hoping for the probability to be in my favor this time. ;)

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  8. Wow...you have really been going through a lot with this. I'm glad you were finally able to get some (somewhat) concrete answers. I have never heard of radial scars so I'm glad you shared that with us. I need to schedule my physical and mammogram soon. It has been a couple of years.

    I'm sending positive thoughts your way. Hang in there. Keep us posted on the outcome. <3

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    1. Michelle Miller, they just keep sending you for more tests. If they would have done the MRI first, they would have had the concrete findings earlier. It's frustrating that insurances put woman through all this bullshit to get to the last thing. But it's found and we'll deal with it.

      I do hope yours turns out clear! Thank you!

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  9. I really hope everything will be ok. *hugs*

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  10. Yikes! I'm sorry for all of the uncertainty about this but I'm glad you are being proactive and not waiting. Best of luck!

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    1. Thanks Bea. It's one of those things that I think was found early enough but still could be a worry. I hate that. lol. Thank you!

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  11. Good luck, and I thank you for posting. I have never heard of this kind of lump..and we woman need to share this type of information.

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