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[CindyC]

Hi everyone 

I've come to this wonderful Forum over the last few years and found oodles of help on my menopause journey.  From was I going crazy with my symptoms, (seemed to have every one in the book!) to pretty much telling my Doctor which HRT I'd like to go on lol.....which was Femoston Conti 1/5.

Honestly, I felt like a new person, well, back to a ‘normal' me.  It meant as a single person working full time I could actually cope with my job again.  For the past 4 1/2 yrs everything has been hunky dory, until a couple of weeks ago when I got a phone call after a routine mammogram for further investigation.

For some reason I feel I want to share my story.....just in case it helps someone else....and probably a bit of ‘get it off my chest' too! Lol

I'm 58 now, so this was my 5th one. 
First time - all good
Second - recall for ultrasound, dense breast tissue as never had kids.
Third - 6 mths after starting HRT, all good
Fourth - all good, but manual check by Doctor recommended, all good.
This one - recall for further investigation 

So yesterday spent the day in Royal Perth Hospital.  Whizzo mammogram showed a little, as in 5mm, bright white area deep and low in my right boob.  This was followed by ultra sound, checked again by another consultant, and I had to stay and have a core biopsy.  To say I was shitting myself is putting it mildly! I thought I would be out by lunchtime  Lol. Luckily I had two friends for support crew!

Core biopsy for me was..well..scarey, and today yep, I ‘feel' like I've been stabbed 7 times to get the 7 little samples!  Bearable...just uncomfortable when I move.

Have to return today for results.....and now I'm in kind of a daze!  Can't help myself from googling...and yep...mammogram images exact same as mine are cancerous.

Hard to think about ‘where to from here'......was it the HRT?....would it have happened anyway?  Will they take me off HRT?  Will all my old symptoms come back and I'll have to deal with that as well? 🤷‍♀️ And of course so many other things going through my mind right now!

[Katejo]

Hi everyone 

I've come to this wonderful Forum over the last few years and found oodles of help on my menopause journey.  From was I going crazy with my symptoms, (seemed to have every one in the book!) to pretty much telling my Doctor which HRT I'd like to go on lol.....which was Femoston Conti 1/5.

Honestly, I felt like a new person, well, back to a ‘normal' me.  It meant as a single person working full time I could actually cope with my job again.  For the past 4 1/2 yrs everything has been hunky dory, until a couple of weeks ago when I got a phone call after a routine mammogram for further investigation.

For some reason I feel I want to share my story.....just in case it helps someone else....and probably a bit of ‘get it off my chest' too! Lol

I'm 58 now, so this was my 5th one. 
First time - all good
Second - recall for ultrasound, dense breast tissue as never had kids.
Third - 6 mths after starting HRT, all good
Fourth - all good, but manual check by Doctor recommended, all good.
This one - recall for further investigation 

So yesterday spent the day in Royal Perth Hospital.  Whizzo mammogram showed a little, as in 5mm, bright white area deep and low in my right boob.  This was followed by ultra sound, checked again by another consultant, and I had to stay and have a core biopsy.  To say I was shitting myself is putting it mildly! I thought I would be out by lunchtime  Lol. Luckily I had two friends for support crew!

Core biopsy for me was..well..scarey, and today yep, I ‘feel' like I've been stabbed 7 times to get the 7 little samples!  Bearable...just uncomfortable when I move.

Have to return today for results.....and now I'm in kind of a daze!  Can't help myself from googling...and yep...mammogram images exact same as mine are cancerous.

Hard to think about ‘where to from here'......was it the HRT?....would it have happened anyway?  Will they take me off HRT?  Will all my old symptoms come back and I'll have to deal with that as well? 🤷‍♀️ And of course so many other things going through my mind right now!

  Good luck ! I was recalled from my very 1st  mammogram and was terrified. Fortunately it was a false alarm but I was stressed about the 2nd one last year because of that 1st experience.

[Bobidy]

Thinking of you, best wishes for your results.

I have permanent cysty breasts that are impossible for me to thoroughly check so that is my worst nightmare.

X

[katsclaws]

I hope you get good news today Cindy.
I had my results yesterday after a vacuum assisted biopsy 10 days ago. Thankfully it was benign.

[Jeepers]

Hi Cindy

Sending you positive vibes, I hope it all goes well today

Jeepers xx

[Jari]

Hi Cindy

Sorry to hear the stressful time you’re going through and thanks for sharing!!

When you started hrt 4 1/2 years ago, were you already post menopause at that stage?

I hope you’re ok, as this must be very scary for you, but it’s great you’ve been having checks and that they’ve found this, which is very small.

You’ve made me realise I need to book my mammo, which I’ve already delayed, so thanks for that.

All the very best and keep us updated how is goes today!! X

[Lanzalover]

So sorry to read this CindyC

Hope you get some positive news today.keep us updated.

Lanzalover x

[AgathaC]

Whatever happens today (and fingers crossed it's good news), you are proof of the benefits of being on a regular screening program.  By the end of today, you'll know what you are dealing with and you will have an action plan. Can you update us later? Sending you positive and calm thoughts xxx

[CLKD]

Let us know.  Whatever your result it is experience shared.  What did the Staff intimate?  You are being followed up.  If it is the 'worst case scenerio', maybe offer your records and results for a Thesis ......... the more research done on HRT and cancer the better informed we and the medical profession will be!

In the meantime -      = gentle, of course ;-)

[dahliagirl]

Can't help myself from googling...and yep...mammogram images exact same as mine are cancerous.

My second was like that, but they found nothing.

Hope your's is the same 

[CindyC]

How nice it is to see all your messages! And I do thank you all for your kind and supportive words, they do mean and help a lot!

Sooo....results for core biopsy at this stage are ‘indeterminate'!  On the one hand not obviously cancerous, but ‘something' there and either way it needs to come out.  Good news is that it's so small, 7mm, so will be very small area.  They will do further tests over the next couple of days to make final call on core biopsies.

Next week I have to see a breast surgeon, then probably following week overnight for an op to remove the area.  However...if the final tests show any sign of cancerous cells there will be more of an op that will include lymph node something or another and all will be tested.  And if cancerous, yes....may well be radiation/chemo, but consultant said let's not go down that rabbit hole until we get final results.  I was in a bit of shocked dazed state by this point so it sort of went over my head lol

Jari.....,.yes, I was post menopause when I started on Femoston Conti.  Hadn't had a period for about 16 mths if I remember rightly.

[Jari]

Hi Cindy, it sounds like you are in good hands and also very good that it is so small.

Quite a day for you. I'm sure you're ready to relax a bit and have a nice evening and digest all this.

In first post, you were asking whether all your symptoms would return coming off hrt.
As you started hrt 16 months already post menopause, then it's quite possible that now 4 1/2 years on, that all or at least some of your original symptoms have lessened or gone... maybe?!

Good to be taking it step by step and that they are acting swiftly.

Keep posting and updated with your news. Thinking of you! X

[CLKD]

I would ask the Surgeon to take lymph nodes at the same time!  The reason that I had two lots of surgical intervention was due to the fact that the lump was non-sinister until it was sliced in histology when I went back for further surgery.  No reason why nodes can't be taken at the same time.

[CindyC]

My lovely consultant Fiona rang me today with final results on the core biopsies.  Nothing sinister found! Yay!! 😀

However...lol....because this is a papillary lesion, which are rare, I still need to have op to make sure they get all area out, which will then also be tested.  Apparently core biopsy is not alway accurate with this type of lesion, and 20% chance diagnosis will be upgraded after biopsy area tested.

She did reassure me again that the area is ‘tiny'!

Not out of the woods yet! 😳

[Jari]

That's good news Cindy!!

When will you be having the op?

Take good care! X