Breast Issue - Scared

Loat a lot of weight pre-op and after surgery. And had my 6 month follow up mammogram and ultrasound yesterday. my last one was Birads 3 which is why I had to go back in 6 months. That alone scared me but I thought, it's okay. Birads 3 means probably benign.

Well, yesterday, I went in. Three separate rounds of mammograms. Each time the tech would take lots of images, ouch, then send me to the waiting room, then call me in for more. The extra compressed ones. And then ones with magnification which were evene worse. Then a full 30 minutes of ultrasound. Then they send me to a private "room" to wait.

Scared to death.

The doc comes in and says, multiple areas of concern. Wants to discuss with his colleagues. Get a diagnostic MRI as there are many changes, calcifications, and the area still that was a concern 6 months ago...

Wondering if VSG and weight loss could have had an impact on breast issues. I have heard anecdotally that losing weight can raise estrogen levels... in any case, the doc will call me today with his recommendations but wanted to ask if anybody has any experience around this.

As a note, breasts are large, 38G. Slightly smaller than pre-op, when they were 40G.

I haven't had an experience like that, but I hope all turns out well.

I haven't had this experience either. The MRI will tell you so much more than the mammogram. Try not to go to freak out mode until you have done that. I know, easier said than done.

Do you know if it is a Birads5 or not? There are 6 (as you know) and the 6th is only reached by having a biopsy. 6 is cancer by biopsy.

((hugs)) and I can so relate, having been through this. It's completely AWESOME that they are jumping on top of this right now and that they went ahead and gave you the MRI.

Re: VSG/weight loss/hormones. Yes, hormones/androgens are released during weight loss. But if you actually had a malignancy 6 months ago, it would have progressed during the past 6 months, even in the absence of fat loss. The fat actually uses and converts androgens that are stored in the fat to estrogens. It's partly why one of the first line treatments for hormone positive breast cancer is an aromatase inhibitor (the drug blocks the conversion of androgen into estrogen/progesterone).

I've now been on Femara (aromatase inhibitor) for 6 years. I will be on it for 10 years total. But my oncologist and the research all say that ai's do not work well (or as well) on fluffy people. So if you ask me, your weight loss is a blessing. Truly a blessing, cuz it now makes you:

1. Healthier to fight this fight you are facing.
2. Will allow not only the ai to work better for you, but it will also help your chemo work with a more targeted action.
3. If you are truly following a very low carb and still following a very low calorie diet, it will have a cell protective action on your healthy cells while making the cancer cells more vulnerable.

If you have cancer, this next year will suck. So go buy your big girl panties. Cuz it will suck. Suck big green ones. But...there is life on the other side. And you may not believe it now, but you will make it through to the other side without dieing. Six years ago I had less than a 50% chance of living 5 years. Well how do you like me now, baby? Cuz I'm at 6 years, heading round the corner into 7 and my risk of recurrence has now dropped to about 25-30%. I'll take those odds! And through it all, my oncologist just keeps encouraging me to LOSE WEIGHT--DON'T REGAIN!!! He's very vocal about it. It's the singular most important thing he says.

Good luck and will be saying prayers for strength!!!!

Sorry, it's not lettin me edit today. lesigh. But ment to mention, mine was at a birads5. The doc came in and told me to get ready cuz he job was to find the cancer. And if he couldn't find it, he'd have to continue to loo****il he did. But then he told me, he wouldn't have any trouble cuz he was very good at his job.

I'm hoping yours is still birads 3.

Just want to reaffirm what the above poster said about the weight loss- my oncologist also said that the number one thing I could have done to reduce cancer issues is losing the weight.

I'm sorry, this sounds scary indeed.

Most of what I've read here is that weight loss hasn't caused breast cancer, but it has led to detection of breast cancer that wouldn't have been caught prior to the weight loss. So hopefully your weight loss just means that you've caught potential cancer earlier than you would have prior to weight loss!

Take a deep breath. I know it can be scary. I mean, I really know. So here is the thing- you have large ladies there so the density and size alone can trigger false positives. It might also be benign. It might be something else. Try not to "cross that bridge" before you get there. There are different outcomes that could arise, and you don't know what you don't know... so don't scare yourself over what you don't know. I have had several flavors of cancer with a slew of procedures and treatments including a double mastectomy. I know it can be difficult waiting. But don't make that difficult time even harder on yourself imagining the worst. Sending good karma your way sister.

I called the doc today. He checked my films and scans with a couple of colleagues, and went back thru my many years of previous mammograms. At the end, he said, my breasts are full of densities, oddities, calcifications. And that may be normal for me. And viewing them not against a year but many, he said he became less concerned, and thinks the MRI would not be a good option at this point as would not show anything different. In the end he said, he will just recommend another thorough diagnostic in 6 months. Weird because yesterday he was talking biopsies, concerning areas and need for MRI. I said, are you very comfortable that this is the best approach, the safe approach? And he said yes. So after all the very, very concerning discussion yesterday, he left it at Birads 3. And Birads 3 means probably all is ok.... I wish my boobs were more normal. I'm guessing that this 6 month intensive crazy checking is going to be a habit. Golly, the book should light up, I had so many X-rays yesterday! Maybe 20. All that radiation can't be good. But at least, from his professional perspective, waiting is what he recommends. When I next see my gynecologist I will ask her opinion too. But I am fortunate, as at least he didn't say "you have cancer." I was pretty freaked out sitting in the little private room waiting....

Glad to read that you had a positive outcome. Mri's are great and all, but there is also a higher rate of false postives. Just be sure to do your follow-ups and don't skip them!!