Dense Breasts

jacqueline1102 · 08-13-2012, 04:49 PM

Hello Jill,

It seems like we were in the same situation. I hope the link that I posted helps spread the word. There is actually a bill at the federal level which is taking on this issue. I hope others click on the link and support the bill.

Take care,

Jackie

taiga · 08-14-2012, 10:40 AM

I was in the same situation. I got all 10 of my reports - all were "extremely dense breast tissue". I had 2 mammograms while in treatment for ovarian cancer - you'd think someone would have at least thought maybe an ultrasound would be warranted, but no, got my "all clear" letter. All clear because you can't see anything they are sooooo dense! I had a mammogram in October 2011, felt a rather large lump a month later. My breasts are so dense it didn't show on the diagnostic mammogram and they really had to look for it with the ultrasound, and it was 1"! I'm in MO and they just passed legislation to include verbage on your "all clear" letter that you have dense breast tissue and to discuss it with your physician. I have told many, many people about the website areyoudense.org - a valuable piece of information that needs to be shared with all women getting mammograms.

Becky · 08-14-2012, 03:36 PM

Me too and I was ticked off my GP didn't tell me. I would have gotten an MRI or ultrasound. I changed GP's after chemo (wanted a doc to see me right away if I got sinusitis or something while on chemo). But - "gosh darn it" I was mad at the dense breast report year after year. Sometimes they said the tissue was so dense they couldn't see anything - go figure.

After my oopherectomy and Arimidex, my breasts are now "see through" - whew!

michka · 08-19-2012, 01:12 AM

I also had mammograms every year since I was 40 due to family history.
I was always told that my mammograms were very easy to read because my breast were NOT dense. I did not know at the time that mammos are not always reliable and that the best was mammo+echo+MRI. I would have done that. For years I heard Drs saying that mammos were reliable and they only had a 1 ou 2% problems. Now, at last they admit 15%. It is not a question of reading competency. Some tumors just don't show on one or another type of machine. The real breakthrough would be an improvement in one of the technologies (hopefully in MRI because no radiation).
So yes dose dense breasts need MRIs but don't leave out the other ladies.Give them the choice.