Concerned about painful lump in breast

I have had a hard painful breast lump in the left breast for about a month now.  Mammogram and ultrasound found nothing but very dense fibrous tissue.  I am 47, white and am peri-menopausal with irregular periods.  I had a sister that passed away at age 54 from advanced breast cancer to the bone.  First diagnosed with breast cancer at age 45.  Need I be concerned and get a second opinion from a surgeon?

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dear Music1,  Without being able to evaluate the testing, the interpretations and put it into context of physical examination it is impossible to determine further what recommendations would apply to your specific situation.  Discuss the results with your doctor who could put this into context for you.  If you are still concerned getting a second opinion is always an option.  

[velvet48]

Hi,

If this were me, i would get a second opinion and even a third if need be.  We can not always trust the findings of one doctor.  If you have breast cancer in your family (your sister) then i would get it checked out further.  I am so sorry you lost your wonderful sister to this disease.  Go for more testing to put your own mind at ease.

Good luck and hoping for good results for you.
Karen

[magouda]

dear music1 ; i lived all my life with painful lumps in my breasts [had several biopsies ; not cancer but fibroadenomas ] and i had a history of breast cancer in my family my mom's sister; then at age 51 had a mammogram and they found nothing in my last painful lump but some powdery calcification deep in right breast. guess what  ? the lump itself in the biopsy done with the calcification showed microscopic cancer DCIS.
so please get a biopsy done not second opinions...
they can not see the cancer cells with mammograms or ultrasound when microscopic... i had them also..
i hope it is not cancer but you have to be sure first...

[CockerLover]

Please arrange to have a biopsy done. NOW!  DEMAND IT!  The only way you will know for sure what is going on.  Neither mammogram nor sonogram is going to give you a definitive diagnosis or a relief that all is well.

A core needle biopsy guided with ultrasound is non-painful, no big deal except for some bruising afterwards.  Results are given within 48 hours and while hopefully they are negative and will put you at ease, if they are positive better to find out about it sooner than later.

I am still kicking myself around the block that I believed my doctors and my UNSEEN reports of mammograms from 1994 that all the microcalcifications were nothing and unless and until I felt substantial changes in my painful breast lumps, just keep coming for mammorgrams and breast exams by ob/gyn every year.  Which I did.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up on July 4 this year with a new large painful lump, went immediately to the ob/gyn (new doctor) for exam and ultrasound, was referred to breast surgeon for additional mamogram (mammogram) and sonogram assisted needle core biopsy--yup, 1.9 cm invastive ductal carcimona of left breast--they asked that I bring my old mamograph films from where I had them done every year since 95 or so--so, I pickd them up.  They were missing the reports of the radiologist, and I had to fight with them to obtain copies.  For the first time, in 2007, I received and read the reports about the extensive microcalcifications (starting on the 1995 mammagoram) that could not be identified becasue of dense breast tissue and fibrocystic breast disease, and that further studies were necessary.   No one ever informed me of the "further studies are necessary" part, so I just kept getting the mamograms done every year, and the doctors stated no change since last time so repeat mamo in one year.

So,now I have two tumors in my left breast in separate quadrants.  Second one was unable to have needlebiopsy assisted by sonogram or steriotactic because of its position, so I am going for am MRI monday, my surgeon has recommended total mastetomy because of known invasvive cancer in one quadrant and suspected invastive cancer in separate quadrant in same breast.

I am angry?  No--no time for that now, I have to complete more tests and get a game plan together.

But I absolutely feel anyone who has a mamogram (mammogram) should insist on receiving a report written by the radiologist reading it, if it is not totally clear, have it read by another radiologist who specializes is reading mamograms.  

If there are any questions, don't wait six months--have a needle biopsy/core biopsy done and know what is going on with your body.  Early detection is what this wholedarm mammogram stuff is about.

Just my $.02 worth of advice ladies--hope I have not offended anyone--not my intention.

I just want all of us to feel empowered to know exactly what is going on--it is our bodies--we are the "customers" and have a right too all of our reports and to have input into our further testing and treatment.

Bless you all, and thanks for letting me participate it your forum.