dense, fiborous breast tissue - normal & abnormal mammograms

Please let me know the results. You are in my prayers.

How can we acheive MRIs as the standard of care for women with dense, fiborous breast tissue? It seems that it is the standard of care at Monclair Breast Center in NJ. I am sure their are many practices where MRIs are the standard of care for dense, fiborous breast tissue. Please let me know what other practices in the country do MRIs for dense, fiborous breast tissue.

It really depends on the doctor. Here in Portland, Oregon, my 3 main doctors - surgical oncologist, oncologist, and radiology oncologist will order them.

Hi there,

I went for the MRI and am seeing a breast surgeon this Wednesday.
If I am told there was nothing on the MRI, is that sufficient?
If I am told there was something, what kind of questions should I ask?

This was my message a few weeks ago:
I started having an inverted nipple 7 months ago. As time goes by, it seems to be inverting more and more. I also have occasional pain in the breast.
Went for 2 mamos and one ultrasound. They
havent found any tumors. I'm scheduled for an MRI in a few weeks.
I'm 41, no kids.

Thanks again,

Chelsea

Please let me know the results. You are in my prayers!

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

I went to see the breast surgeon today. The mammogram was suspicious. However, the ultrasound and MRI showed nothing.
He proposed a biopsy in a few weeks. It won't be a needle biopsy, since the tests dont show any mass. Therefore it's gonna be a "slice it open" biopsy. Bleurk!
I'm not sure how to react. In a way, I should be grateful that they want to investigate it further. In another way, I hate the thought of having my breast sliced open, maybe for nothing.
Any advice for me?

Thanks again,

Chelsea

I am so glad that they are checking it out further. I had that type of biopsy, and it wasn't bad.

It will probably be a "local" anesthetic. If it is, ask your dr for a prescription for Lidocain cream - "Elma or Emla cream. Put the cream on at least an hr prior to the biopsy. Your pain will be minimal doing this. If the anesthetic is you're knocked out, then don't worry about this.

Be thankful they are checking this out.

Carolyn

Hi guys

Im 25 and I have a small lump in my areola, if feel like a jelly bean ( is not really hard), anyways, went to the OB/GYN and they sent me for ultrasounds and mamograms, everythign came good.
I have no cancer history and I feel fine. They just told me I have dense breast because of my age.

The Dr sent me to a Breast Specialist to have the lump check, the nurse said she thinks is breast tissue what I'm feeling but they want to be sure so they sent me to the Breast Specialist.

Im nervous !

Hi, carolyn97222 Sometime I think that the persons reading the tests often have "Tunnel Vision". If they are looking for one thing, that is what they are focusing on. In this case, they can miss other things.
A while back, my Mother was having a chest X-ray. The X-ray Technician said after the first X-ray, that he needed to do a retake. So Mom went through it again. Soon after, the Tech. came back, and said that he needed to do ANOTHER one. Well, I had a "funny feeling". So I asked the Tech. if he knew that my Mom had had a lung lobe removed years ago. I was right - he had been trying to see a lung that wasn't there. Tunnel Vision!

Same thing happened to me - diagnostic digital (not screening) mammo came back "clean" 2 months before I was diagnosed with IDC stage II. Tumor was 1.97 cm. I had noticed a "dimple" in the skin. Like Carolyn, I hold the doctor responsible for not having ordered at least an ultrasound on me after reading my radiology report that clearly stated that my "heterogeneously dense breasts" make "evaluation difficult by mammography".

My wife had a 7 cm tumor that did not show up on a digital mammogram or an ultrasound. She had always been told that she had lumpy dense breasts that were hard to read. She is finished with her reconstruction and just has a little lymphodemia to deal with. I had always planned to sue the docter and the radiology labs for not ordering an MRI sooner when the lump was small. I was waiting until my wife's treatment was finished and it is now. Next week I will start calling lawyers. Women with dense fiborous breasts should be given MRIs on a routine basis. Some practices like the Monclair Breast Center do MRIs for women with dense fiborous breasts and find the tumors when they are small. They do not have a problem with false positives from the MRIs. My local radiology lab claims MRIs are not done routinely because of too many false positives. When enough women with dense fiborous breast tissue sue because they were not advised to get an MRI then it will become the standard of care.

Hi Carolyn,

I went for my results yesterday and woohoo, no cancer. Lucky me
I didnt really get a clear explanation of what caused it to invert, but, it definitely was nothing to worry about.
Thanks for your advice and support.

Chelsea

I would get a second opinion on this. Nipples don't invert for no reason at all.

Did they do an MRI? If not, demand one.

See on oncologist not a OB/GYN.

It's better to be safe than sorry!

Yes, I had had 2 mamos, an ultrasound and a MRI which showed no lumps, but since the nipple was inverted, he still did the core biopsy. The results from the biopsy showed no traces of cancer. You think I need a 2nd opinion for that?
Maybe you thought I meant no results from mamo.

Thanks, Chelsea

You know I think I would still get another opinion - different professionals can see different things in MRI's, mammo and ultrasounds.

It wouldn't hurt.

I am concerned about any inverted nipple, dimpling, etc.

hi im new to this forum but can anyone help me out here i went to have a test becauce of tiny under arm lumps on physical exam i was told its nothing to worry about but had a mammogram i was also to have a scan on breast well on ultrasound i was told that they couldnt see any thing but mammo showed smething which they said was breast tissue repeat mammo was clear they said but i am having bad pain in my right breast a stabbing pain and my right nipple and breast are very itchy they really dont want to know about this i feel they tell me that they cant see anything to indicate cancer but this pain is not getting any better and im extremly tired lately has anyone here any idea what this could be

Demand an MRI just to make sure it's not cancer. I had severe pain and nothing showed up on the mammogram or ultrasound. But the MRI showed the tumors - 4" and 1.5" ones that had been there for 15-20 years!

Keep us posted!

Carolyn

Have you went back for your 6 mo. checkup? Have you had an MRI - I definitely would ask for one.

What's your update from 4 months ago? Have you been able to find a dr. who will listen to you?

Were you able to find a dr. that would listen to you?

What did your MRI show?

What did the MRI show?

What did the breast specialist find?

I would get a second opinion on this. Nipples don't invert for no reason at all.

Did they do an MRI? If not, demand one.

See on oncologist not a OB/GYN.

It's better to be safe than sorry!

Wow I am 31 mom of two young boys. Last November I found a lump and had a mam. and ultrasound. They said nothing abnormal and told me to recheck in six months. So I went today and was told I have fiborous breast tissue.

I have alot of pain with this. I am so glad I stumbled across this I think I will call them back and demand an MRI.

I hope its nothing - but something just doesn't seem right. I hope all turns out for you and your daughter.

Good luck! You are in my prayers!

It's amazing to me that all of these stories sound exactly like what I'm going through. I'm 28 & I've had sore, uncomfortable breasts for 3 weeks. Found a lump last week. Went to the Dr. yesterday, she ordered a mammo/ultrasound. Got an ultrasound about an hour ago & they said that they wouldn't perform a mammo on me, because there was nothing there except a band of thick, dense tissue. This hard tissue wasn't there a month ago, and neither was the pain and discomfort. I don't understand what's going on, very confused. Glad I found this site.

Call them back and tell them you want an MRI. I am sure it saved my life!

Just wanted to update. After my last post on here I went to a breast specialist who told me that I have fibrocystic breast disease. She ordered me to take Vitamin E everyday, which I started that day. It has been two weeks & I already feel like a new person. My lumps are gone & so is the pain. It's hard to imagine that such a simple thing could help me out so much! Thanks to carolyn & all others for providing us with your very useful information. God bless

You are welcome! We are here to help each other with these issues. God bless you. Carolyn