In my case there were 3 tiny grains of calcifications and the biopsy revealed stage 0 DCIS which is a Ductal Carcinoma in situ. This means it is a cancer that hasn't left the area of origin and has not spread any where.
I just had a lumpectomy yesterday and am doing well. The lymph nodes were clear and now I just have to take preventative measure so it doesn't come back.

If this is what you are looking at, it is very small if it is anything and can be fairly easily taken care of! I feel very lucky because mammograms can find things this early these days!
I hope this helps and didn't scare you. It could be nothing too.
-Cherie

That was what I had too, and I also had a lumpectomy but I had to have radiation too for 6 weeks. I had exactly the same thing that Cherie did ~ I wonder why they made me have radiation?? Hmm. I had the same 3 areas, Stage 0, DCIS, etc. Weird. I guess it's just the difference in doctors.

Mine was 2 1/2 years ago, and I too am doing fine. Lymph nodes were fine, because like Cherie said this type doesn't spread. We're fortunate. Best of luck and God bless. Hugs, Lee

Hey, Leeall,
I'm pretty sure I will be getting radiation too. Did you ever take tamoxifen? I may have to do that.

Precious, I hope all is well!

-Cherie

Cherie ~ I REFUSED to take it. I asked my doctor if tamoxifen would keep me bald the whole 5 years and she would NOT answer me straIght up. I kept trying to pin her down, and she wouldn't give me a yes or no ansnwer. So if I couldn't get a straight up answer about that, I sure wasn't going to ask her about all the other side effects of tamoxifen. She wouldn't give me any answers to them either. I just decided not to take it, and take my chances. Besides, by taking the tamoxifen i wasn't increasing my odds enough to warrant going bald,getting sick, having bone pain when i'm a pain patient anyway, plus all the other side effects.

it just wasn't worth it to me. Hopefully i won't regret it. Hugs, Lee

I can't say I blame you about the side effects! You have enough pain. The principal at my school takes it and says it's rough! She hasn't lost her hair but did have a hysterectomy because of side effects.

All my biopsies were awful & painful. I realize the radiologist Dr. just couldn't so it right! I have scars from March! I guess you have to be confident and rile out what ever you can! I have triple negative breast cancer. Chemo for me was beyond brutal. I don't know if I'll ever get my feeling back.. I live in unbearable pain and I can't afford the meds. We're jobless here in a bad situation! Soon I'll start radiation! Losing my 3' foot long Angel/Barbie hair was so hard. Looking like walking dead too! No one recognizes me anymore... Anyway. you have to do what's right for you! Best of luck in it all going Well for you!

Thanks to all of you. I go to a surgeon on 9/15 for him to look at films.
I have been going thru my mammo file and in 1996, I had clusters of microcalcifications so they did biopsy and was ok but was told to keep watch. Four years ago, I changed dr. and mammogram place also changed. I remember they asked me if I had any problems before and not until last week did I tell them I had problems in late 90's. So that has been 14 years so knowing what you all know about calcifications, can things change in that length of time. I have had mammo every year tho but seems like this last one after I told her I had problem before, she started pulling on the left one to get more in the picture. So if anything is wrong, guess it is my own fault.
My report from late 90's showed clusters of microcalcifications.
Does that sound bad? I had core biopsy then.
Thanks
Brenda

If it had been biopsied already and nothing was found, they would rule it out from what I understand. If there is nothing new, I would think they are just being cautious. I hope all turns out well. It is scary no matter what when you are facing a diagnosis. I won't tell you not to worry because it's scary. That doesn't mean there is anything there. It's good that you have the appointment. at least there will be peace of mind if nothing else.

Hang in there. Keep us posted!
Cherie

Thanks Cherie,
I guess I am just thinking that was 14 years ago. I should get the report in mail Monday and i can compare to 1996 study. All my problems since then have been my back. So I don't know if things can change guess they can. I will let you know.

It is still GOOD that it's just calcifications, Brenda. That is GOOD. At the WORST you'd just have to have a lumpectomy, and that surgery is NOTHING to go thru. Plus if you have to have radiation, that's not really any big thing, unless you are big breasted, and then you can get burned. Small breasted women don't get burned - they just get pink.

But they treat the big breasted women just like regular burn patients, so they keep the pain down. Using 100% aloe is recommended for both small and large breasted women too. Just giving a heads up in case anyone is having radiation done. Get some 100% aloe now at the drug store. It's cheap. Hugs, Lee

Brenda, I have had at least 3 retakes on calcifications but never any biopsies on them, now you have me wondering. The only thing they Did Biopsy was my suspicious Mass which turned out to be breast cancer.
Cherie thanks for the message will PM you shortly. Leeall, that is horrible of your doctor to give you the run around. I am not experiencing any hair loss with Tamoxifen. Some mild bone pain, I think the Side Effects are hyped up. They should just say on the bottle: Take With Caution, this medicine will kill you."

Respectful, you're funny! LOL. I guess I was so afraid of Tamoxifen not only due to the hair loss (for 5 years LOL) but due to the bone pain. I'm a chronic pain patient and any MORE pain would put me under the bridge. lol The pain right now isn't being controlled and I could just see them pooh-poohing the increased pain from the drug. No thanks. There are times I can barely walk as it is!

I figure something's bound to 'get' me in this world, but it's not gonna be Tamoxifen! LOL Hugs, Lee

Hi everyone-I was diagnosed with bc in 1995-it was in my breast but didn't spread to the lymph nodes. I did have to have a radical mastectomy, because my tumor went into my chest wall. Strange thing was that I felt a lump where I had had a cyst for a while. I had a mammo, and although I could feel the lump, it didn't show up on the mammo or untrasound until they did a more specific type of utrasound, and then a biopsy.

I'm writing this not about my cancer but about the other treatments. I had to have chemo for 8 months-it wasn't great, but not as bad as I thought it would. I lost my hair, but it came back. I couldn't have radiation because my scar went over my heart. I did use tamoxifen for 5 years, and then Femara which I've been taking since 2003 and will probably stopping it at the end of the year-they know it helps for 5 years, but aren't sure about longer. With both of these meds, I had no bad side effects. The ones I had were bearable. I gained some weight, and had hot flashes, which my onc. gave me a low dose of Effexor to counteract. These drugs block the uptake of estrogen, which your body makes. Breast cancer tumors, at least mine which were ER+, feed on estrogen. So the Tamoxifen and Femara help to keep the estrogen from going to the tumors. I actually am nervous about stopping the meds, because the estrogen can be absorbed by any cancer cells that may be hiding. So I recommend to all my friends who have had to go through this terrible ordeal, that if their doctor recommends they take the Tamoxifen or Femara, to at least try it. And it does nothing to your hair-my hair had started coming in when I started the tamox. and it grew back with no problem-actually, I had straight black hair, and it grew back black but wavy-I actually like it!
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Keep well, and God Bless. Kathy

Hi Kathy ~ I didn't understand why my doc was so pushy about my taking it because I'd had a TOTAL ~ and I mean TOTAL hysterectomy some years prior to the lumpectomy and radiation. So why did she want me to take the tamoxifen? I know that even tho I don't have any female organs, the body still produces a LITTLE estrogen, but certainly not enough to warrant getting all hyped up over taking this drug. My chances are NOT increased that much by taking it as opposed to how little estrogen my body is making.

So I feel when a woman has a TOTAL hysterectomy, the drug just isn't that important. I sure would like to see some SERIOUS studies on this. But everything I've seen is just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo and isn't a closely watched study. Oh well.

I got to see the surgeon today so he could not tell what it was when the films were up so have to have biopsy. I dread that.
Brenda