MRI

I had a breast MRI last week. My surgeon alternates mammogram and MRI every 6 mos. So the 45 minutes I'm laying in the machine with the thing whirring and no background music I'm laying there thinking "I'm going to get a negative report, do I go ahead and do a mastectomy or do I do the biopsy, MRIs are infamous for lots of false positives, ... 45 minutes of this.

So my surgeon's nurse called and left a message saying she needed to discuss my MRI with me (ok so I freaked out because their policy is they don't call, you have to call and make an appointment to discuss your test results). So I got up the nerve to call her back, got her voicemail. So I'm outside playing with the kids going nuts. Finally my hubby comes out with the cordless phone. I put it on speaker so he can hear: there is a mass behind my left nipple (my right breat was removed and I never had reconstruction); they want to do a MRI biopsy. So I said: "is it true that MRI's have lots of false negatives and I shouldn't be freaking out yet", she said yes. Then she transferred me over to scheduling; I get my biopsy Tuesday. So lots of positive thoughts; just another false alarm....

For those of you who don't know; MRIs have less radiation than mammogram or ultrasound; but due to their high cost and the fact that they are so sensitive they give a lot of false positives (leading to a lot of painful unnecessary biospys) that they are only used on very high risk patients.

So hubby and I are hugging a lot more than usual (we hug a lot anyway) and trying to be positive. I need to follow my advice and bury myself in funny books and movies!

hugs

jessi

6/9/06 - biopsy positive for cancer
6/23/06 - DIAGNOSIS: stage IV (T4d N2 M1) invasive ductile carcinoma NOS with bone and liver mets; 17 cm mass (primary tumors), inflammatory breast cancer(IBC); HER2/neu+, HR-
6/26/06-12/11/06 - Chemo FEC/Taxol w/Herceptin & Aredia
12/20/06 - right modified radical mastectomy, 7 of 13 removed nodes showed evidence of prior disease
12/21/06 - No Evidence of Disease (stage IV/NED); complete remission
2/6/07-3/22/07-Radiation 28+5 boost, 6040cGy.
CURRENT: Still NED, taking Herceptin and Zometa without end. Heart and kidney function remains normal.

I'll be praying for you and your family and I hope your biopsy goes well. I'll drive the pink van and bring aboard all those who want to join me in sending positive & healing energies your way.

I agree about hugs and laughter. I feel being positive and full of spirit is a huge part of beating the horrible "canser".

May I suggest you rent the movie "Dumb and Dumber" or "Liar Liar" ... I love these movies ... they make me laugh so hard.

Hugs,

~Beth~

thankfully we are staying very busy and haven't had time to freak out; and since I have such a big family I had to repeat so many times "this is probably a false negative and we can't freak out yet" that I'm starting to believe it!

Although last night my two year old was jumping all over me and kept slamming into my boob (I also have PMS) and it really started hurting; I had a temporary freak out than realized that is the appropriate response! I haven't been able to feel anything in there!

hugs

jessi

6/9/06 - biopsy positive for cancer
6/23/06 - DIAGNOSIS: stage IV (T4d N2 M1) invasive ductile carcinoma NOS with bone and liver mets; 17 cm mass (primary tumors), inflammatory breast cancer(IBC); HER2/neu+, HR-
6/26/06-12/11/06 - Chemo FEC/Taxol w/Herceptin & Aredia
12/20/06 - right modified radical mastectomy, 7 of 13 removed nodes showed evidence of prior disease
12/21/06 - No Evidence of Disease (stage IV/NED); complete remission
2/6/07-3/22/07-Radiation 28+5 boost, 6040cGy.
CURRENT: Still NED, taking Herceptin and Zometa without end. Heart and kidney function remains normal.

I was told I'd be in the MRI; they'd locate the mass, take a "needle biopsy" (in and out real quick with a needle) and that be it.

Not to scare anyone, but his is what really happened!

So I go into the MRI (ofcourse you have to get the IV for the die)

they take a bunch of pictures; if they don't see the mass I get out of the biopsy. Nope; they saw the mass so they pull me out of the MRI, clean and poke me for the "local" twice (mind you the have to get it back into under my nipple), and insert a "marker". Stick me back in the machine, take some more pictures pull me back out, give me some more "local" then they say your going to hear some noise while we take the sample. Well it sounded like a fricking dentist drill! So once they were done augering my boob they stuck me back into the MRI to take more pictures. So then they pull me out (by the way that "tissue tracer" is made of titanium and will always be in my boob) and apply pressure for 10 minutes to stop the bleeding (they said this was about 45 minutes; I have no idea how long it was).

Take me back to the nurses station applied ice and steri-strips. So I think I'm done; no now they want to do a mammogram, so they had to do 2 mammogram images before I finally got to leave! I got there at 12:45 (1/2 hour prior to appt. for check-in procedures) and left at 3:15; I was totally drained afterwards.

I am now in bed, watching TV, playing on the computer; and I ate two fudgcicles and 2 huge penutbutter cookies! Hubby is getting pizza for dinner tonight and offered to get me more cookies and fudgcicles.

Discharge instructions are no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise (ha ha, I'm a mom) and can resume normal work activities as long as doesn't violate the two! So I'm glad I made arrangements for people to come over the next two days; I'm taking it easy!

They said they'll call 3-5 days with the results!

Thank you everyone for all the hugs, love, support, and prayers!

xoxoxoxox

jessi

6/9/06 - biopsy positive for cancer
6/23/06 - DIAGNOSIS: stage IV (T4d N2 M1) invasive ductile carcinoma NOS with bone and liver mets; 17 cm mass (primary tumors), inflammatory breast cancer(IBC); HER2/neu+, HR-
6/26/06-12/11/06 - Chemo FEC/Taxol w/Herceptin & Aredia
12/20/06 - right modified radical mastectomy, 7 of 13 removed nodes showed evidence of prior disease
12/21/06 - No Evidence of Disease (stage IV/NED); complete remission
2/6/07-3/22/07-Radiation 28+5 boost, 6040cGy.
CURRENT: Still NED, taking Herceptin and Zometa without end. Heart and kidney function remains normal.

I can relate to your "biopsy" dilemna but mine was with the liver biopsy I had. I was told it will be a simple out-patient procedure, you'll only need to be observed for 2 hours in recovery. Yeah right I had complications, makes sense since the liver is highly vascular and the slighest mistake would mean I would be bleeding internally. Can you already guess? Yes, the radiologist/surgeon must have hit a blood vessel because all I heard was she's a bleeder. Anyone care to imagine how hard it is to remain calm and cool under circumstances like that? Answer, very hard. I had an anxiety attack, I'm naturally cold-natured and of course being in the hopsital they keep it like igloo country in the operating rooms, lol!! I was dripping sweat down my forehead and my sides of my stomach. When I mentioned this to them as well as that I was having a horrible headache which felt like my brain was going to expload out of the skull almost instantaneously my heart rate starting acting erractic. They quickly stopped the bleeding and finished the procedure and then had to also stop some bleeding from the external needle incision. I was in major pain and they put a bandage so tightly around my stomach region to keep the external incision from bleeding that I thought I was going to pass out. My poor son literally got sick watching me undergo so much pain that he threw up. I then told my ex-husband please get him out of here, I don't want him to see me like this. After that surgery, he tells me no more hospitals, surgeries and that he hates cancer.

I'll keep my positive thoughts going out to you for negative results.

Hugs,

~Beth~

I took the gauze off today; the incesion looks fine. However the opposite side of my breast is RED (IBC symptom also infection symptom). So I marked it with a pen so I can track if it grows or receeds. I figure they alread have my biopsy sample; so might as well wait until I get that back and see the doc. Besides between the MRI and mammogram my boob was squished ALOT!

The enjoyable thing is I've lost 20 pounds this year; so my sports bra (suppose to wear for support/compression) actually fits; I don't have boob squishing out all around it; it's actually comfortable! Good thing since they want me to wear it all day and sleep in it the next couple of days. When I went through my biopsy for IBC my boob was so swollen I couldn't wear a sports bra; we had to use sports tape and tape up my boob!

My boob was hurting this morning; I didn't have any tylenol in the house; so I went ahead and took a vicodin (they said that was fine) and my back is feeling better now too! I'm playing doctor/dolls with my daughter! I'm not allowed to take advil (blood thinner) which I have a lot of, oh well.

Hugs

Jessi

6/9/06 - biopsy positive for cancer
6/23/06 - DIAGNOSIS: stage IV (T4d N2 M1) invasive ductile carcinoma NOS with bone and liver mets; 17 cm mass (primary tumors), inflammatory breast cancer(IBC); HER2/neu+, HR-
6/26/06-12/11/06 - Chemo FEC/Taxol w/Herceptin & Aredia
12/20/06 - right modified radical mastectomy, 7 of 13 removed nodes showed evidence of prior disease
12/21/06 - No Evidence of Disease (stage IV/NED); complete remission
2/6/07-3/22/07-Radiation 28+5 boost, 6040cGy.
CURRENT: Still NED, taking Herceptin and Zometa without end. Heart and kidney function remains normal.

Have a great 4th of July weekend with your family.

I'm sitting at the airport with my wonderful son getting ready to head to Pensacola FL for some much needed rest, relaxation & of course lots of fun for the next 9 days. Yeah!!

Keep your spirits up and I'll be on the sidelines cheering for great results.

Hugs,

~Beth~

Ofcourse I have to get another MRI in 6 mos; but who cares I'm still cancer free!

woo hoo, party on dudes!

Everyone have a great holiday weekend; I know I will

xoxoxoxox

jessi

Post edited by: jessicaharris9, at: 07/03/2008 11:26

6/9/06 - biopsy positive for cancer
6/23/06 - DIAGNOSIS: stage IV (T4d N2 M1) invasive ductile carcinoma NOS with bone and liver mets; 17 cm mass (primary tumors), inflammatory breast cancer(IBC); HER2/neu+, HR-
6/26/06-12/11/06 - Chemo FEC/Taxol w/Herceptin & Aredia
12/20/06 - right modified radical mastectomy, 7 of 13 removed nodes showed evidence of prior disease
12/21/06 - No Evidence of Disease (stage IV/NED); complete remission
2/6/07-3/22/07-Radiation 28+5 boost, 6040cGy.
CURRENT: Still NED, taking Herceptin and Zometa without end. Heart and kidney function remains normal.