Should I be concerned about my doctor?

[momdebi]

I am scheduled for a breast biopsy today this afternoon where the intention is to put two titanium clips when doin the biopsy.  I have been researching as much asI can and have come across alot of information about granuloma.  I plan to ask the doc when I go today if he has ever even heard of granuloma.  Presently they have identified 3 lesions two of these are what the doc referred to as "piggy-backed".  No lumps have been identified.  Am I right in suspecting granuloma?  Should I be concerned if the doc is not familiar with granuloma?

[ncmichigan]

I used to work in the operating room many years ago. When cancer was seriously suspected, the surgeon would do what's called a "frozen section biopsy".The tissue was sent to the pathologist, it was frozen with a cryo-stat machine, cut into thin slices, stained with dyes and examined under the microscope. This all just took a few minutes and a report of benign or malignant was sent to the surgeon right away. In cases of cancer, the surgeon would then remove the cancer in a more extensive surgery than just a routine biopsy. When it was cancer in a breast, a mastectomy was most often performed right then. It was awful for a woman to go into surgery and not know if she'd wake up with her breast gone or not.This doesn't happen these days---just a routine biopsy is done and the results and treatment recommendations and options discussed with the patient.
Unless her mastectomy was done at the same time as the biopsy as I've described, I don't know either why your Mom had this type of immediate results biopsy. You don't say what type of biopsy you had. Sometimes women just want the lesion out, so an excisional biopsy removing all the suspected tissue will be done. Actually, I've had three like that on five different lesions. My thinking was IF it was cancer, I'd have to have it removed ayway, so why not do it all at once instead of having two surgeries? However, the results weren't available for 4-7 days like yours. (Fortunately, two were benign and the third found LCIS, a non-invasive marker of high risk for invasive cancer.) So I know from personal experience that the wait is very hard, but try to stay positive until you get your results. We're strong women and can usually deal with "what is" better than the "what ifs".
Please let us know how you're doing if you wish by adding a note to this thread-we do care. We're hoping for benign results and we wish you all the best.
Sending you a hug from Michigan (     ),
nc

[zouzi]

Hi again,
Your questions are not silly at all..Quite the contrary,if you don't ask,no matter how foolish your questions might seem to you, you won't get any answers,and that would be "silly".
I really cannot comment about your mother being told immediately,after her biopsy procedure, that she had breast cancer,because this is NOT what usually happens.When a biopsy is performed,the amount of time it takes to get the results, depends on several factors,but in general, it could take 4 to 7 days to reach your doctor's office.
It's encouraging that you were told  "you will be alright",but of course the doctor cannot assure you completely or promise you anything, before the specimen is examined by a pathologist.
Waiting is the hardest part,but hang in there,try to keep as busy as you can so the waiting will seem much shorter.
Hoping that all will turn out for the best.
Take care...

[momdebi]

Thank you for responding to my question.  I always think my inquiries are silly that is why I love this site because I would be to embarresed to ask in a face to face format.  I had the biopsy done yesterday and when my mom (who had a masectomy a few years back) called me she said that she was told immediately after her biopsy that it was malignant and did not understatnd why I was told I have to wait a week for results.   Is it unusal not to know right away?  I was thnking that my mom who is not as vigilant as me had an advanced stage that could be identified right away and that I did seek help in a very early stage and that this is the reason for the wait.  Does this make sense?  I know that while they were in there they did remove a small cyst which was not identefied when they saw the images of the 3 lesions previously.  All the lesions were tagged with 2 titanium clips and the doc did say "I think you will be alright but that is not a promise"  he stated that is not a promise twice. They wll be sending out samples from each of the 3 legions as well as the tiny cyst they captured.  Of course I am hoping mom is right and they would have known right away if  there was cancer.  Is it the norm to be able to know right away?

[zouzi]

Hi,
I don't think you should worry about your doctor being familiar or not with Granuloma.For now,no one knows what these lesions represent.Only after   the biopsy is done and the tissue examined by a pathologist you and your doctor will be able to obtain a correct diagnosis.
If the biopsy results confirms that you have granuloma,you could ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist in this field who will determine the appropriate strategy for your breast problem.
All the best and hoping for benign findings.