Well I'm Sorta Freaking Out Right Now......

E., this happens all the time. Please don't worry too much. This is why we have a baseline done at age 35. They like to compare subsequent mammograms so that they see what is normal for YOU. I like to have the same people do mine from year to year so that they have them to look at. That way they don't have to ask me.

So file the paperwork they need to get your mammograms sent to them. Call and ask questions after they receive them. If you need to, set up a follow-up appointment, meeting the doctor associated with the practice to talk about your films.

Good luck!
Dawn

This happens a lot, and be glad it does. "Something abnormal" doesn't necessarily mean cancer. It means that there's something in the picture they're not sure about, and they want to check it by your former pictures. This is a GOOD thing!

Back in 1995 (the year of the bombing in Oklahoma City), I had my regular mammogram, and a very sharp radiologist looked at a tiny place and said, "That doesn't quite look right." So I had more mammograms and some biopsies and they finally took out a *very* small bit of *very* early cancer. I had six weeks of radiation therapy (and saw the bombing news on the TV in that waiting room), and I've been fine since. Technology has improved so much since then that there would be less rigamarole now. Not that I care to test that.

It wasn't anything ominous. But the point is that you don't *want* to wait until something is ominous. You want them to say, "Let's double-check this spot right now and make sure it's nothing to worry about."

Now, when I get my regular mammograms, I often have to have retakes. I chew my fingernails off, but I'm thankful that these people are so good at their work.

Stay calm. :)

Women develop benign lumps all the time. I've had five of them removed over the years, the first when I was nineteen. The techniques used have vastly improved.

Typically, the doc or clinic requests all previous x-rays. Unless you forgot to bring them, you should have been told this prior to the visit.

One thing to consider is finding a more empathetic office. When my last lump was found, the x-ray tech found a doctor immediately. We set up a date for the procedure immediately. That night, my OB-GYN called to see that I was okay (it was his requisition form for the mammogram). Finding out information like this in a letter is unacceptable. You shouldn't have to go to a mommy forum to get all of your reassurance.

Contact the doc who gave you the requisition and ask about the normal procedure. If a follow up doc visit is not the standard procedure, perhaps you could request one anyway.

Best Wishes.

All it means is abnormal - calm down and wait - if it were an immediate threat to your life you would be called in.

If there is something obvious they will tell you. What they are looking at is something that could be structural or it could be a growth so they are asking for prior mammograms.

Look at it this way if it is anything it is something they have caught so early they can't even tell what they are looking at which makes it very treatable.

E.,

I'm a single Mom so i understand it can be scary. This has happened to me, and from what I learned upon talking to other women it is more common than i thought. In my case there was no problem after comparing the mammograms, i am happy they took the time to check.

Please don't freak out, worry solves absolutely nothing. Praying that all will turn out well, God bless.

Something abnormal does not necessarily mean something bad or life threatening.

I went through this last year (follow up next month). I have an abnormal mass in my left breast. I don't have fibro cystic breasts and I don't have breast cancer. It is just a benign mass that I discovered late last year.

I never had a mammogram before so they are doing a follow up to see if it has changed at all in the past few months.

Take a deep breath! Start writing down any questions you want to address with the doctor at your next visit, and if it makes you feel better - request a biopsy of the mass for peace-of-mind!

Its probably nothing! Keep us posted!

You may have something like calcifications that they saw and want to compare with your old one. If they see certain changes then they may have you do a biopsy if they look suspicious. I can understand your worry but you are most likely fine.