Found by accident

[Contra21]

Hi all , I'm scared. I had my gallbladder taken out 6 weeks ago. From reading my reports they state " incidemtal note of bi lateral subcentimetre cystic lesions within the breast. Not completely assessed on this study. No one mentioned ot to me just in the report. So I mentioned ot to the dr again tonight. Should I be worried. Dr said no but rather come back in 3 months . I asked if it could turn into c he said yes. I'm scared, but google says benign.

[PJBinMI]

Was the doctor you talked with your surgeon? You could contact your gynecologist, or primary care doc and ask about that and request a ct or MRI, which could give better reesults so you wouldn't have to worry! Breast Cancer found early is usually curable! I hope you can find peace! (my mother lived in Sydney for about a year when she was about 14 when her whole family moved there while her dad worked on the Sydney Harbor Bridge as a senior engineer! My daughter went to Perth to student teach with ssome international program. They all loved Australia! Traveling there is one of the things I had hoped to do before I got so fatigued and developed limited mobility, sadly)

[Contra21 in reply to PJBinMI]

Can a cystic lesion be serious? Of I never had my gallbladder taken out I wouldn't have known I feel 0 lumps. I'm scared

[PJBinMI in reply to Contra21]

I did a google search and found good info on the Mayo Clinic site mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

Another site (women's health mag, article from 2017) said that breast cysts are so common that about half of women will have one or more during their life time. A cyst is just a fluid filled capsule.

[Contra21 in reply to PJBinMI]

You think I should get it looked into?

[Kerryd22 in reply to Contra21]

You should do as the doctor suggests. Cysts are extremely common. I personally know half a dozen women who thought they had breast cancer but in every case it was a benign cyst.

A watching brief is the best idea. And in the meantime let it go because there’s no point in worrying until you know what you’re worrying about.

[Contra21 in reply to Kerryd22]

I have health anxiety so hard to not do that. If I didn't have the scan I would never have known , hoe could they not tell me. Just scary

[Kerryd22 in reply to Contra21]

I know what you mean but it’s probably nothing to worry about just the same. I follow the Schrödinger’s Cat methodology. It’s a pop culture reference from The Big Bang Theory. If you lock a cat in a box is it dead or alive? You won’t know until you open the box so you can believe whatever you want to until you open the box. Or get a scan result. Or a mammogram. If you don’t want to wait three months why not get a mammogram? Most countries have a process for that even if you’re under the age to start the regular screening program. It won’t show anything different but it can trigger a needle biopsy which will confirm if it’s benign or not and it’s done in an office without requiring surgery. It’s the simplest and fastest way to put your mind at rest if you don’t like my cat in a box idea 😂

Doctors know how often a cyst occurs rather than a tumour but I do agree that it should have been discussed with you. Maybe the doctor felt that it was too soon to say what it is one way or another and waiting three months isn’t going to make a substantial difference to the outcome even if it’s not benign. It is something that most women would rather be aware of so your reaction is perfectly understandable.

ps Sorry, I just realised that in some cases the biopsy isn’t done at a Breast Screen centre. I went to a private clinic and had the mammogram and the biopsy done at the same visit under Medicare. I don’t know where you are and I don’t therefore know exactly what the procedure is. Hopefully you can get the work done easily somewhere as it’s a quick way to be certain of what you’re dealing with.

[Contra21 in reply to Kerryd22]

All I have done is booked a second opinion at a doctor. I'm in Australia and this way I can see. Whether am ultrasound or mammogram, but get this I had a call 4 weeks after surgery to get an ultrasound i said what for i had my surgery. She said its for your uterus. I said no one said anything to me. I went and small fibroid discovered. No communication.

[LDR1 in reply to Contra21]

Hi Contra21, I’m glad you’re getting a second opinion. It’s true that benign, fluid-filled cysts are very common and those are non-cancerous and will not turn into cancer. An ultrasound (not mammogram) is the best way for them to take a closer look and determine if the cysts are benign fluid-filled sacs (which appear dark on the ultrasound) or if they are solid growths in which case a biopsy can determine if they are cancerous or not.

I agree with the advice to not panic until you have a scientific determination of what this is. It could be absolutely nothing to worry about. However I also agree you should seek a 2nd opinion and further testing to determine what these are - because if they are cancerous, catching them early will make all the difference!! Take it from someone (me) who waited too long to investigate and is now paying the price.

[Contra21 in reply to LDR1]

It was found and never told. To me i read it in my doscharge report! They did an mri which found them. They can be worse than a cyst? Would the mri show if it was solid? You ok? Had cysts too?

[LDR1 in reply to Contra21]

If the finding was in an MRI then you should see a breast cancer surgeon for followup investigation to determine whether those are cancerous or not. The suggestion to wait 3 months is probably based on a plan that they’ll do another scan then and see if the cysts have grown - if yes they’d then do a biopsy. That’s a reasonable plan, but another doctor may be willing to investigate further now instead of waiting.

Like many women, I had a lot of benign, fluid-filled cysts earlier in my life (which were determined to be non-cancerous through ultrasounds) and because of that I didn’t worry when I felt a new lump. I waited til it grew to be very large before having it checked out and it turned out to be cancer. The cancer was much harder to treat because I waited so long.

[Contra21 in reply to LDR1]

Breast surgeon? I have only seen a gp. Now 2nd opinion.They a sub centimetre small , found accidentally. Can't feel. Nothing. How can I see a breast surgeon cant jusy book one in. , report says cystic breat lesion. Mri was done as I was in hospital for gallbladder surgery amd was found by accident.

[LDR1 in reply to Contra21]

Well, you have 2 choices. One is to wait 3 months like your GP said, redo the imaging and see if anything has changed. That is fine However if you want to investigate further starting now, you can ask your GP to refer you to a breast cancer specialist. That does not mean you have breast cancer, it just means you’re seeking specialist expertise to look into this further. In the USA, it’s usually the breast cancer surgeon who does the initial assessment & orders additional imaging and tests. Again this does not mean you will be receiving breast cancer surgery, it just means they have the expertise to evaluate you.

It doesn’t matter how it was found or whether you can feel it. Only further observation and/or tests will determine what it is.

This page is a support group for people who are already diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer so you may want to switch into another group eventually.

[Kerryd22 in reply to Contra21]

Good grief. You really are being kept in the dark although at least they followed up. So there’s that. I’m in Brisbane and I got a referral from my GP after an MRI for hip pain showed bone metastasis. I went to Greenslopes Private Hospital because they use Qld X-ray which is also a private supplier but I could get the biopsy done as soon as they located a breast tumour via the mammogram. I did have to pay up front though and then claim it back from Medicare but that’s not hard to do.

Hopefully you have an answer soon so you know whether you need to worry or not.

[Contra21 in reply to Kerryd22]

I'm just so confused. If I didn't read my discharge report I wouldn't have known. When they did my mri for my gallbladder ( why I was in hospital 30 days) the mri showed fibroid amd cystic lesions. Bit no one told me I jad to chase it up. Never had pain got fibroid news now pain at ovulation so bad never did before. I'm panicking about this

[13plus in reply to Contra21]

Do you already have cancer? It’s not clear from your post. I would get in touch with your GP, and explain that you can’t help stressing over this. See what they say then, and ask if there is a different type of test you could do instead of waiting. (Maybe if they realize how upset you are they will look sooner). It’s quite possible that it is already very clear to them that they are benign cysts, and the suggestion of 3 months is just to make sure and/or determine if they need any attention. My mum had several benign cysts removed from her breasts over the years but never got cancer and lived to almost 93! I got cancer at 40 but never had a cyst in my life - go figure!

Was the gall bladder removal emergency due to infection?? (I’m curious because my recent scan said mine was “slightly enlarged” and I have not met with my doc yet

[Contra21 in reply to 13plus]

No diagnosis just found when I was in hospital. Don't wait for the gallbladder. If you are having g pain go drs or get an ultrasound to see of you have gallstones

[Kerryd22 in reply to 13plus]

One of my regular scans showed a problem on my gallbladder. I’d had a night of extreme pain about 12 months before but a scan taken after it only showed constipation so nothing was done then. I didn’t have anything further problem and I was having scans quarterly at the time. A year later I had a scan and that weekend I had the worst night with nothing not even multiple opioids helping so I went to the GP on the Monday. He recommended something for reflux but I had just returned home when the oncologist rang to warn me I was in danger of sepsis and I should come to the hospital the following day or to the emergency department if I had any symptoms (which he listed). I had the gallbladder removed the following week although the surgeon was sceptical about whether it needed to be done. He changed his mind when the surgery commenced as the gall bladder was very enlarged and inflamed. As contra 21 says if you have gallbladder pain don’t ignore it.

My father had gallbladder pain that involved a single stone. It took 8 years for anyone to take it seriously as his reported pain wasn’t in the right spot for a gallbladder issue. The surgery did resolve the problem. The single stone was the size of a marble.

[13plus in reply to Kerryd22]

Wow, that's quite a story! Isn't it crazy how we can have all these scans and certain things just not show?! Hmm, well I have plenty to discuss with my oncologist this Tuesday! (I already had questions about my scans for other reasons). So I had one pain episode that lasted a night and a day, but I don't know that it was in the right spot for gallbladder? (Bit to the right, and down from my bellybutton). I actually was worried it was atypical location of appendix pain (as I found a good description online) but theynbrushed that idea off. And I've twice had pain for a few days on a similar vertical line but much closer to my groin, and that really felt like a muscle thing. Oi, always something keeping us on alert! Thank you for sharing your experience. It is very interesting because my mum eventually got diagnosed with gallbladder stones, after several months of random being sick, and I think pain but she had dementia so these things can be overlooked. The stones were SO large they had to do 2 operations over a few months. One to place a balloon thingie to try to open the duct, and then another to literally blast the stones apart as they were too large to pass. Poor mumma, she was 88 at the time so it was tough on her

[Kerryd22 in reply to 13plus]

Timing is everything! I can’t tell you where the pain was localised for me because it was everywhere 😳 It lasted for hours and then suddenly the pain subsided. Apparently it lit up the CT scan with multiple colours which was why the radiologist immediately instructed the oncology department to contact me. You’re describing periods of pain like I experienced but once it calms down all that can be seen is an enlarged gallbladder but even that subsided over the months between scans. If they doubt you then I’d recommend that the next time you have the pain you should immediately seek out a CT scan. Even if it means going to the emergency department in the middle of the night. Ongoing pain like yours is not normal.

Hopefully it plays up at the right moment and it shows in a scan!

[13plus in reply to Kerryd22]

For some reason I only just got notification of this reply to me. Well that's all pretty freaky and alarming. So I will be sure to not ignore it if it happens again! Thanks for sharing your experience

[Bettybuckets in reply to PJBinMI]

That is so cool that your dad worked on the harbor bridge it is a marvel!

[13plus in reply to Bettybuckets]

Well her grandfather but yes, my exact thought! So very cool!

[awesome4ever]

Hi Contra21. I will start by saying I have reviewed your profile and multiple posts on various boards and the most common theme throughout the posts that I did read is that you are suffering from extreme anxiety around your health in general. My first advice would be to ensure you are receiving treatment around this anxiety issues which seem to be ruling your life. There are so many medications that can help you and never feel scared to ask for help.

Next thing I will reference is the" incidental bi lateral subcentimetre cystic lesions within the breast" noted on your MRI. I am guessing you are a young person of childbearing age. Breast cysts are a benign (not cancer) condition and usually happen due to the normal hormonal fluctuations that take place in a woman's body during her menstrual cycle. That's why they're most common among women who are still of child-bearing age. Breast cysts don't require treatment unless a cyst is large(yours is not) and if they are painful or uncomfortable.

I totally agree with your doctor that this is non urgent but I am assuming this is the surgeon you are referring to. The appropriate way to proceed with this is to make an appointment with your family doctor and ask for a mammogram if he/she feels it is warranted...if for no other reason to help calm your mind.

Also I would caution about asking these questions on this board that is dedicated to Stage 4 breast cancer. Most answers I'm sure are looking at what you are saying from that type of lens and the responses may not be appropriate . So seek out a more appropriate message board, less anxiety producing in your case ... Healthunlocked has a general breast cancer board for just this thing......however keep in mind that you aren't even actually dealing with breast cancer.

I'm truly sorry for how you are feeling. Concentrate on healing from your gall bladder surgery and work on your anxiety. Due to advancements in radiology techniques cystic lesions of the breast are extremely common findings on mammography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging. Take care.

[Contra21 in reply to awesome4ever]

Dr booked me in for ultrasound and mammogram. Scared

[Jessie55]

Many people have cystic lesions. In young people its called mastitis I think. They are a watching brief sort of thing. Most often nothing happens. So I wouldn't panic at all. But do have regular mammograms