Had Mammogram, Called Back for Ultrasound- Freaking Out

Oh sweetie I know you are worried. Most of us would be too. I would not worry yet. Since you have been told you have dense breasts, I would chalk this up to that. A friend of mine had the same thing happen. They even wanted her to do a biopsy, which she did. All clear and dense breasts.

Deep breath and get the ultrasound. Work the problem, don't let the problem work you. One step at a time.

False positives are very common.
A woman I work with gets called back all the time - and she freaks out every time - and so far every call back has told her she's fine.
I almost think the anxiety produced by these things is not worth what they put women through.

K.,

Breathe. You aren't going to change anything with freaking out.I'm sorry a friend died from breast cancer. She's not related to you, so stop freaking out. I know. It's hard. But you are NOT doing yourself or your family any service by freaking out. BREATHE.

You already know you have dense tissue. It's possible for the tissue to grow back.

I've had 4 mammograms. Each time I get to back for an ultrasound. It's nothing but dense breast tissue. We joke I have "stupid boobs" - they are so dense...ha-ha.

BREATHE. Take a deep breath in and let it out SLOWLY. Repeat. Calm down.

I don't have a story but I can completely understand you freaking out. I don't know if I would have been able to compose a post as well as you did!!

I've never been called back. I have found a lump that had an ultrasound which turned out to be nothing and went away.

I also have dense tissue. I paid an extra $170 last year to have a more detailed 3D mammogram which made me feel more comfortable.

I will say an extra prayer for you tonight as I know you will have a hard time sleeping considering all the what if's.

Keep us posted!!! We care about you!

When I had a mammogram a few years ago they told me it was very common to be called back for an ultrasound, because there are often hard to read areas they want to get a better look at, didn't they tell you that?
My philosophy is: don't worry until there's something to worry about. It's like paying interest on a debt you may never incur.

It's getting to be routine for me to get a second look each time. I'm always a bit anxious and appreciate getting it over with soon. Sometimes I look at the radiologist as he's explaining the intricacies of why they had me come a second time and why the spot really isn't a concern and just want to stop him and say "Just say I'm fine. Period. Quickly, before I can't hold my breath any longer!" So here's my wish to you that your radiologist gets to explain that you are just fine. All my best.

I had to have a lump ultrasound - after a mammogram couldn't quite capture it. It was in my armpit. Turned out to be fine.

I also had a really pronounced lump in my breast. Turned out to be clogged milk duct - this was long after finished nursing.

Hope that helps :)

This has happened to me. Every time, it is because I have fluid filled cyst. My doctor said I am no more likely than anyone else to get breast cancer but I am at a much higher risk to have unnecessary biopsies.

The odds are in your favor that you are fine.

Two years ago I had a call back after a mammogram asking me to come back in. They redid the mammogram AND did an ultrasound. I was really nervous (especially since I had also just had a colonoscopy and some polyps removed). It ended up fine--dense breast tissue and at a time in my cycle when my breast tissue thickens. This last year I changed the time in my cycle when I had my mammogram and they were able to get a clearer picture. A friend of mine does research in breast cancer detection. She told me that many places automatically call you back in if you have dense breast tissue. They want to be double sure.

Please don't worry. Being called back for an ultrasound is common. It happens to me. The new US is able to see more than the old did but not enough to know if what it sees is serious. You know your beasts have dense and fibrocystic tissue. You know it therefore requires more attention. You have a reason to need an US. Each time I have a mammogram I'm called back. Each time they saw something, didn't know what was. They find nothing wrong with an us. I think I was in my 50s when I started getting additional tests. Our tissues changet as we age.

I'm glad they do extra testing. Better safe than sorry. Freaking out does no good even if something needs fixing as with your last test. Each time you're anxious, repeat to yourself, "i'm healthy" or some other positive statement, as often as you need to calm yourself.

Praying that all goes well. My sister and mother are frequently called back due to dense tissue and the need for closer analysis as a precaution. Keep us posted on your results.

Edited to add: Wild Woman, LOL. May have to steal that. Stupid (dense) boobs, ha! =)

I've been called back for a re-screening, and it does set off all the worry alarms for me. In my case, it was all fine. Sometimes there is a shadow due to the way you were positioned and they just want to be absolutely sure. Breathe, watch a movie or your favorite tv series, do something fun with your kid, read a book, listen to favorite (HAPPY) music... whatever can put you in a different space. And good luck with it!

This used to happen to me all the time so I understand your anxiety. Same deal - fibrocystic breasts. I couldn't even do self-exams - well, I could, but it was pointless because I had so many lumps I didn't know which were routine and which were a matter of possible concern. Every mammogram - EVERY ONE - had some problem. Either they stopped me in the dressing area and said, "Come back for a better image" or they called me at home to come on back for some more "I'm sure it's nothing" moments. I've had a number of biopsies and one excision biopsy (surgery).

Just to balance it out, this often happened with my Pap smears too: "insufficient cells".

I did some things for breast health and eventually got rid of my lumps, and now every mammogram has been fine. But I well remember the many years when it wasn't.

Here's the thing - the new diagnostic machines pick up EVERYTHING. And the radiologists work with an abundance of caution. Maybe they don't want to get sued in this litigious society, maybe they just care about women. Either way, there are going to be more things that show up, and more things that require call-backs. Try not to focus on the few horror stories. Far more women are beating breast cancer than dying from it. Just look at the Relay for Life or Avon 3-day Walk photos, and you'll be inspired by the survivors. And I can't imagine where they could find enough space to hold a walk for all the women who got call-backs for a new image - there's no place large enough to hold all of us.

I'm hoping your situation will resolve quickly - and I'm sure it will!

There is nothing you can do either way but wait for the results. Put your faith in the fact that all is well. Since you have dense breasts there is always the possibility that they could not see through the tissue.

My doctor has me do an mammogram a year and compares it to the past image. We talk about any changes that might be.

I am a breast cancer survivor of 19 years. My cancer was caught in the very early stages by me because I always check my breasts but this time there was a different feeling in an area and I made an appointment with the doctor. A biopsy was done prior to the surgery to determine the type of cells I had and then surgery was done to remove the spot. He did a different procedure so that there are no visible scars on my breast. (Another story for another day.)

Just take deep breaths and relax. Get your US done, get your results, and then go from there.

I will keep you in my thoughts for a positive outcome. Keep us updated.

the other S.

I've been called back after a mammo and it was fine.

This kind of thing happens to me constantly. For a while they wanted me to come back every 6 months for another mammogram/ultrasound and I finally put my foot down and said once a year is enough. I've had callbacks, a biopsy, an ultrasound tech question what she's seen on the screen because she didn't have my past records. This has been going on since I was 35 and now I'm 50. I know they're being extra cautious because I have dense tissue and my maternal grandmother died of breast cancer back in the '50s. I just don't want to get too cavalier about it either because one of these times it may be something. Best of luck and if it's any comfort, virtually all of my friends have been called in for a biopsy at one time or another, with negative results each time.

I get called back every single time because I have dense tissue and they have a hard time seeing what's what. Once they even "saw something", turned out to be a lymph node at the edge of the image. So for me, it has always been nothing.

I wish I could just schedule the mammogram and ultrasound at the same time in the first place, since I always have to go back. But apparently insurance won't pay for it that way. They will only pay for the ultrasound as a follow up to an inconclusive mammogram. But to me, being called back is routine, and nothing to worry about.

One of my my friends was called back to go for a second mammogram because they found a spot they were concerned about.

Turns out it was a clogged milk duct. She was in her 50's at the time of this call back and her children in their late 20's and the machine picked it up for some reason after all this time.

My mother also had dense breast tissue. She was called back once or twice for a cyst that had to be drained.

Hope you got good rest, and remember this is probably just precautionary.
Keep us updated :-).

They'll probably do an ultrasound, find that it's nothing and send you home. Try not to worry. That's what my friends who were called back had happen.

Hugs and our thoughts are with you.

I've been called back 2x, once I had extraction of fluid which was causing a cyst which is what the lump and shadow was on ultrasound. Nothing wrong.
The other time, they did a repeat mammogram and everything looked fine.
There are a lot of things that can cause a call back, the vast majority are shadows or if you are near your period, fluid retention can cause cysts, etc. I wouldn't sweat it too much. Try to get the US schedule ASAP to lessen the waiting. Ask if they have a cancellation to get in sooner.

I had this happen to me. I have a teensie weensie teensie weensie dot probably the size of a pin head somewhere in my breast. Well, my mother had breast cancer years ago and so I was panic stricken. I had the ultra sound done. Needle biopsies. Ouch. All fine. I had uterine cancer after that full blown hysterectomy etc. now I'm fine from that since 2009. But was once again worried sick.Then had another mammagram in there or two or who knows and they keep checking the same darn pin dot. It hurts also when I have had to have needle biopsies. UGH. they keep seeing the same thing. Why would it change? I don't know. Oh please don't worry. It's a precaution.