Mammograms & bi rads

[Dreckshage]

I am scared to death, I am 52 and had fibroadenomas removed when I was 17 and 20 years old.  I have totally messed up and not had a mammogram since 2004, which was totally normal.  I went for my mammogram this week and they tell me that I had calcification in the right breast that is more than I had in 2004 in my right breast.  My report from 2004 does not mention calcification.  My mom works for my doctor and I just saw my report.  It is rated a bi-rad 4.  I looked it up and I am scared to death at all the different percentage rates that mean it could be cancer.  There arent' any lumps, does anyone know what this mean. I see a surgeon later next week!  Help before I have a nervous breakdown. My maternal grandma had Ductal cancer when she was in her late 70's and my paternal cousin had the same at 40.

[Dreckshage]

Thank you for your kind words!  I have been having other health issues, stomach mainly and I am such a worrier that now I have myself convinced that this is definetly cancer and it has spread.  I am literally making myself a nervous wreck.  I can't seem to concentrate and the more I read, the more freaked out I get!!

[Cheerpul]

You are doing the right things.  Do not beat yourself up about missing mammograms.  It's in the past.  Now you need to look ahead.  A Bi-Rads score of 4 means that there's something that needs to be checked out through a biopsy.  Do not put yourself through more stress by letting the "what-ifs" make you panic.  

Focus on each step of testing and the facts that you find out with each result.  The picture of what is going on will become much clearer after the biopsy.  Then you and your doctors can focus on determining a treatment plan and moving forward with it.

Calcifications can indicate that precancerous or cancerous cells are present, but can also be benign.  Because they can indicate something serious, they are carefully checked out.  Soon you will know what is going on in there and be relieved or to take appropriate measures.  If it is something serious, it is good that you have not found a tumor.  This would indicate that whatever caused the calcification has been caught early.  

The shock of an abnormal mammogram result and the stress of waiting for subsequent testing is really hard.  We will help you however we can.  Please feel free to continue comments on this thread or send a message.  I am thinking of you.

[japdip]

A BIRADS 4 score indicates the need for some type of biopsy. Calcifications would not be evident by a lump ... they are tiny dots of calcium that show up as pinpoint white spots on film. A fair number of biopsies done for microcalcifications return a benign result but there is no way of knowing until the biopsy is done and the specimen examined under the microscope. Regards ....