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Breast Cancer Implanted Chips (Markers)
I think the clips have a lot to do with your pain. I myself an thinking the same after undergoing pain for three years - pain so great I never dared have a mammogram again after the cancer operation. I will be asking them outright the next time I go but I don't know if they will tell the truth, because if they were honest, they wouldn't have hidden such information from me in the first place.
Ladies, never get a lumpectomy. Get a double mastectomy and then you are over and done with it for the most part and you won't have to have toys implanted in your body! If I find out I did have such clips implanted, I will ask if I can have both breasts removed, because after three years of irritation the chips will have triggered more cancer anyway. They have certainly caused a lot of pain and of course all of this time doctors have ignored it. When you have that kind of pain there's no way you will put your breast under a mammogram so they just say, "well then, if you don't want further mutilation to find out, there's nothing we can do." They won't even bother documenting the pain caused by these chips.
This discussion is related to pain in my left breat.
Ladies, never get a lumpectomy. Get a double mastectomy and then you are over and done with it for the most part and you won't have to have toys implanted in your body! If I find out I did have such clips implanted, I will ask if I can have both breasts removed, because after three years of irritation the chips will have triggered more cancer anyway. They have certainly caused a lot of pain and of course all of this time doctors have ignored it. When you have that kind of pain there's no way you will put your breast under a mammogram so they just say, "well then, if you don't want further mutilation to find out, there's nothing we can do." They won't even bother documenting the pain caused by these chips.
This discussion is related to pain in my left breat.
You may want to have an MRI instead. It's painless. Maybe that is available to you in Canada.
As for the titanium clips, I have over LOTS AND LOTS of them in my chest. These are markers and as japdip said they cause no pain. They are there for the purpose of marking the spot where cancer was or where a cyst that was biopsied was so that upon the next imaging, it points directly to the suspicious area. I have had bilateral mastectomies with DIEP reconstruction and each tiny blood vessel was reattached with clips. You should speak with your Doctor about your ongoing pain but I assure you, it's not from the clips.
I'm not going to agree or disagree with you about lumpectomies though I admit I'm not a fan of them. But as my breast tissue has been removed I no longer have mammograms but I do have yearly MRI and PET scans about 6 months apart. I'm a survivor for 3 years and would never stop surveillance... it's the only line of defense I have even though it's not a perfect science.
Best wishes.
As for the titanium clips, I have over LOTS AND LOTS of them in my chest. These are markers and as japdip said they cause no pain. They are there for the purpose of marking the spot where cancer was or where a cyst that was biopsied was so that upon the next imaging, it points directly to the suspicious area. I have had bilateral mastectomies with DIEP reconstruction and each tiny blood vessel was reattached with clips. You should speak with your Doctor about your ongoing pain but I assure you, it's not from the clips.
I'm not going to agree or disagree with you about lumpectomies though I admit I'm not a fan of them. But as my breast tissue has been removed I no longer have mammograms but I do have yearly MRI and PET scans about 6 months apart. I'm a survivor for 3 years and would never stop surveillance... it's the only line of defense I have even though it's not a perfect science.
Best wishes.
The thing is that when the breast is already sore, instincts tell you to stay away from that sort of thing. If there is irritation in the breast it will just spread if crushed under a mammogram, so maybe in a year or two it will go away and I will go for a mammogram then. I live in Canada so it's not that easy to ask to see a different breast specialist or oncologist, especially when they can't do anything about it anyway unless I go for the mammogram. Usually in Canada people don't ask to see more than one oncologist as far as I'm aware. I haven't heard of that before here, probably because specialists are extremely scarce!. They would likely ignore me or my doctor might become angry if I asked unless I had the money to pay for it myself -- and I certainly couldn't afford that! Doctors are supposed to keep the costs down.
The thing is that when the breast is already sore, instincts tell you to stay away from that sort of thing. If there is irritation in the breast it will just spread if crushed under a mammogram, so maybe in a year or two it will go away and I will go for a mammogram then. I live in Canada so it's not that easy to ask to see a different breast specialist or oncologist, especially when they can't do anything about it anyway unless I go for the mammogram. Usually in Canada people don't ask to see more than one oncologist as far as I'm aware. I haven't heard of that before here, probably because specialists are extremely scarce. They would likely ignore me or my doctor might become angry if I asked unless I had the money to pay for it myself -- and I certainly couldn't afford that!
The chips you speak of are so small that they are inserted thru a needle .... I see no reason that they would be causing your pain. I am appalled at the thought that you haven't had a Mammogram since your surgery for breast cancer .... this is a very dangerous decision and there is NO possible way that the titanium chips could cause additional cancer. I would suggest that you see a different Breast Specialist or Oncologist if you are so unhappy with your present Physicians but you definitely should follow recommended testing following a diagnosis of Breast Cancer. Breast pain can be from a number of causes and is rarely associated with cancer. You might consult a Pain Clinic and Specialist for some relief from your problem but you should NEVER neglect routine testing after a cancer diagnosis. Regards ....
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