Mammogram today wish me luck

[Flavia100]

Although I am already on Ibrance, Faslodex and Xgeva, I’m getting a mammogram today to make sure everything else is OK. And yes it freaks me out just thinking about it. Wish me luck ladies. I tell myself what are the odds I could have another new cancer?

[jersey-jazz]

Never did a mammogram alert anyone to cancer in my body. I have dense breasts and obviously MBC but they continued to put me through that terribly painful and unnecessary process. Finally, six months ago, I absolutely refused and then they were alright with that. Go figure! It is my opinion that when you have MBC, it is too late for the mammograms. I endured too many of these unnecesssary torturous procedures before I opened my mouth.

[Flavia100 in reply to jersey-jazz]

Well that’s how I feel about it too. I’m 75 and if they did find a new cancer I don’t even know if I would have treatment except maybe surgery. This may be my last one

[jersey-jazz in reply to Flavia100]

Please let us know what the mammogram results are. I have so little faith in them. I suspect that mammograms were devised by some sadistic man.

[TNVol in reply to jersey-jazz]

I said long ago that if procedure for screening of the male genitalia were same as mammogram, another test would have been invented immediately! 😜

[jersey-jazz in reply to TNVol]

Hear! Hear!

[Teddielottie in reply to Flavia100]

I hope it went ok today Flavia ... I have my mammogram booked in late April , on my left none bc side ( I had a right mastectomy 2017 and it was the routine mammogram that found I had bc , despite having had dense breasts ) , but I have been putting it off for a couple of months , until I’ve had both my Covid vaccines ( my second Covid vaccine is actually tomorrow evening !) . I don’t like them either, but I’m following my onc’ s recommendation , whom I trust a lot . Take care and I wish you good results x

[Flavia100 in reply to Teddielottie]

Thank you so much for your good wishes. My mammogram went well. I knew the results before I left which I am most thankful for. I don’t think I’m going to get any more mammograms though. It just leaves me exhausted so it’s my excuse to kick back and watch Netflix tonight

[mariootsi]

Thinking of you for good mamo results!

[AvidBooklover]

Curious...do you get PET/CT scans? Once I got those, they said no more mammograms were needed!

[Flavia100 in reply to AvidBooklover]

Cat scans at regular intervals

[Hidden]

With all the other testing we go through a mammogram seems very unnecessary! At stage 4 would they even do anything other than offer meds? I’m very confused with your doctors logic!

[Flavia100]

I agree but I had three doctors tell me I should do it...Oncologist, radiologist and breast surgeon. Personally I think it’s strange to but they said that there’s always the chance of a new cancer. Good Lord would that be awful

[PJBinMI]

I've been living with MBC for 17 years and mammograms have never found cancer!! My gynecologist insists that I still have them done every year as she prescribes a compounded testosterone cream for me to help prevent vaginal atrophy and dryness. Since I started treatment with anti-estrogen meds, mammograms don't hurt any more. Weird. I have lobular bc and it often doesn't show up on mammograms. I figure mammograms aren't worth refusing....I am waiting for something bigger and more important (to me!). I can understand others not wanting them anymore. When ever I do have a diagnostic test of any kind, my prayer is always that it will find anything that needs to be known. I quit worrying about it a long time ago....don't want to ruin any time I have left with that kind of anxiety.

[Dogmomtocockers in reply to PJBinMI]

Could you tell where your MBC is and what treatments you have had. Just curious. So wonderful that you are doing so well.

[Flavia100 in reply to Dogmomtocockers]

I had very minimal spinal mets. Treatment has been Verzenio That I had to discontinue because of lung inflammation. Then I switched to IBrance with Fadlodex and Xgeva.

[Dogmomtocockers in reply to Flavia100]

So happy things are goi g well for you. Thanks for responding

[Mypathforward]

I am very curious about your having a mammogram after a MBC diagnosis. I received a reminder and brought it up to my oncologist. He asked why would I get a mammogram? He said, you are being treated for Metastatic breast cancer, nothing would change. I felt a tad foolish at first but after thinking about his response, it makes sense. What would a further breast cancer diagnosis change? We still have Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. I am so surprised at our doctor's difference of opinion. Wishing you all the best.

Patti

[Hazelgreen]

Hi Flavia, Although a mammogram alerted me to having early breast cancer in 2006, I haven't had one since I completed adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in 2011. My name seemed to have fallen off the list for recall, and I didn't think about it.

In any case, when I was diagnosed again in 2019, breast cancer had moved to my bones and other organs. Tamoxifen seems to again be holding it at bay. My oncologist has never mentioned a mammogram to me. I assume that the many CT scans, PET and MRIs I've had would indicate any disease in my breasts if it recurred there.

Cheers,

Cindy

[Barbteeth]

Hi thereI had someone ring me the other day asking why I’d not had a mammogram in the last few years so I said I didn’t want one...she asked why so I told her I’m terminal and there’s no point

Barb xx

[kearnan in reply to Barbteeth]

I'm going into my fourth year now since diagnosis and reading so much about women now living 10 or more years with MBC with these new drugs. Meanwhile in the past four years, I had three friends that were considered healthy pass away suddenly. I feel physically worse, more tired, etc. but I thought stage iv was that I was not going to live for more than two years and here I am going into my fourth year. None of my friends considered me terminal anymore and I do not especially after losing my "healthy" friends.

As a matter of fact, I am on the lowest dosage of verzenio (could not handle the higher doses) so I am on 50 mg. twice a day. My onco does not know this but for the past year, I have only been taking it once a day in the morning. And obviously, I am not advising others to do that but no major spreading and it's been a year with me only taking one per day.

My pain doctor has me on four gabapentin for tumor pain I was having but she said NEVER to stop suddenly taking it, I could have a seizure. She started me at two and kept want me to up me although I said I didn't want the dosage upped bc I only felt the tumor pain a few days a month and for short periods.

She insisted that the dose I was on was too low. So she writes it for four a day and I just stayed on it (again for the past year) on just two a day. And so far CT scans are fine and the tumor pain comes and goes. I do not like when they insist on upping a dosage when I do not feel I need it so since the pain doctor insisted, I said fine and then did what I wanted which was to stay on the two pills of gabapentin.

[kearnan]

Curious. Why would they do another mammogram. I had to go off treatment for about 4 months (due to Ibrance, an infection, a surgery that cut holes in my leg.) So they made me got for an ultrasound and then all of a sudden a mammogram the same day so I knew something was up. Then told they found another tumor behind my original tumor in my right breast. Then had to have a biopsy but luckily (who knew you could have two different kinds of breast cancer in the same breast?) Luckily, it was the same kind of breast cancer I had so not a biggie. Have been on Verzenio. I hated Ibrance but I was new to it and she gave me 125 mg. and I had no idea I could ask for a lower dose.

[seiler]

I swear by Ibrance. It made my 13 tumors disappear until it no longer was effective. My oncologist didn't panic she just put me on the next drug and assured me that there are more choices ahead, should I need them. The initial mammogram that I had 29 years ago didn't show the gigantic (grapefruit sized) tumor either. But I understood why: density of my breast and no lump because the tumor grew so quickly. However, it's still the best we currently have and they don't hurt me at all when I used to get them. Besides, it lasts only a minute or two, and I could tolerate that. Since MBC, I have not been asked to get a mammogram, only PETs and one other test of which I don't remember the name. I prefer not to.

[Itisfinished]

My opinion is that mammograms could possibly cause breast cancer if you ask me. I had so many and squeezing your breast can change the very tissue and DNA in your breast. And all that radiation is not good either. The least amount of radiation the better. I wouldnt do it. Just my opinion.

[Shelby4now]

I was still getting ct and pet scans when they asked for another mmammogram test. They found cancer in my other breast Removed it ......15 treatments of radiation and that was it. Totally different type of bc.. This was her 2 neg the first one was her 2 positive. Oncologist says that's it no more mammograms . Take care shelby

[Flavia100 in reply to Shelby4now]

That's how it was explained to me.