Mammogram Question

Believe51 · 11-14-2007, 12:13 PM

I have had a mammogram in June of this year and although I am only 42 I wonder what I need to do now Mom has been diagnosed?? She has DCIS but until the rest of the reports comes back we do not know if it is invasive or not. When should I have another mammogram?? How Often?? Should I get bloodwork done?? What do I need to do to watch myself??

Although I deep down know the answers to some of the questions posted I would like to hear your comments about this. I am not scared, just a tad concerned about my health and the stress I am under. Don't want to forget about me!! Tehehe!!>>Love Ya>Believe51

chrisy · 11-14-2007, 01:29 PM

Marie,
I'm sure you must feel like somehow you've become a BC magnet. But this is just fear, not fact. True, your mom's diagnosis does place you in a higher risk category but that just means you need to be more vigilant than the ordinary person. And since you are extraordinary, that should come naturally to you.

Other factors to consider is if there is MORE breast cancer in your family (blood relatives that is).

You should get regular mammos - annually now because of the higher risk - and discuss this with your doctor. You're already ahead of the game because you quite naturally have a higher sense of alertness about this.

You're right - take care of yourself, too! You've got a heck of a lot to deal with - but we'll keep our fingers crossed that your mom's just dealing with DCIS and can get that resolved easily. She sounds delightful - I read her post on the other forum. You two must be quite a pair!

Love
Crhis

Colleen007 · 11-14-2007, 02:46 PM

Hi Marie,

I have a twin sister who is also concerned about how often she should be screened. She just had a mammogram and her doctor is now sending her for a breast MRI since we are young and have dense breasts. Some information came out in May saying that this was a good idea for younger women, so it is something that insurance is more likely to cover.

You should at least be getting mammograms once a year since you are over 40, but should probably also see if you can get those supplemented with the MRIs.

Joanne S · 11-15-2007, 08:28 AM

Believe, Continue getting your mamms every year and be sure to perform monthly self-breast exams.

Note: DCIS (Ductal cancinoma in SITU) is considered pre-cancerous and not invasive.

Click: http://breastcancer-answers.com/brea..._precancer.asp
As more American women are screened for breast cancer with mammograms, doctors are seeing more of a condition called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Sometimes called a pre-cancer and sometimes Stage 0 breast cancer, DCIS is a non-invasive lesion that is confined within the lining of the milk ducts of the breast that is more benign than a cancerous tumor in that it does not have the ability to invade other parts of the body

My best wishes to you, your hubby and mom,

Joanne S · 11-15-2007, 08:29 AM

Believe, Continue getting your mamms every year and be sure to perform monthly self-breast exams.

Note: DCIS (Ductal cancinoma in SITU) is considered pre-cancerous and not invasive.

Click: http://breastcancer-answers.com/brea..._precancer.asp
As more American women are screened for breast cancer with mammograms, doctors are seeing more of a condition called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Sometimes called a pre-cancer and sometimes Stage 0 breast cancer, DCIS is a non-invasive lesion that is confined within the lining of the milk ducts of the breast that is more benign than a cancerous tumor in that it does not have the ability to invade other parts of the body

My best wishes to you, your hubby and mom,

mts · 11-15-2007, 10:14 AM

Believe,
Mammos did not work for me (don't work for about 30% of women). Nor did the ultrasound. I have dense breasts and only the breast MRI was able to reveal my DCIS. I could feel the tumor, which is how we knew something was there. One does not have to have large breast to be dense either... If you have already had a mammo, look at the report and it will tell you if you have dense breasts! There will even (usually) be a disclaimer at the bottom that mammos don't work for a % of the population). Before mammos, I did not know this. You do.
My onc still recomends that I do get all three modalities (mammo, US and MRI) anyway since mammos pick-up microcalcifications and the MRI does not. Yes, it costs more, but peace of mind is priceless.
My onc also told me that despite bc did not run in my family - it was a good idea that my daughter begin screening 10 years before my age of diagnosis (I was 43). I am especially concerned for her because my mom, father-in-law, mom-in-law and now me, have had some kind of cancer... At this point, I will be OK, but I really fear for my little girl...

By the way, I happened to buy a cancer policy 1 week before diagnosis (I guess you can say I was "lucky"), which really saved a ton on co-pays and allowed me to air travel (with a companion), paid hotels, paid ME for chemo treatments, mileage etc to see other onc's and actually was the incentive for me to get the breast MRI. Whodathunk a cancer policy could save a life ?!
You may want to look into that... not to say that you will get bc, but boyohboy- that was a good thing !
Anyway, you are doing the right thing in getting informed. That is POWER!

Stay well!

maria