my mom just had her first mammogram please help?

Question

okay i am 17 and just had my baby a week ago...after i got out of the hosp. my mom told me she just got her first mammogram...and they seen spots on each breasts...my mom said there were 5 or 6 on each breasts on the x rays and that most were perfect circles and a few of them werent perfectly round...she is only 40...and she has been getting her breasts examined by the dr...just 2 weeks ago and hasnt had any lumps....i know that these spots could be benign cysts but they could be cancer also...someone please help me...i love my mom sooo much and i cant stop worrying about her...i keep thinking what if its cancer...and she has had it for a long time and what if its spread to a lot of her body...already...someone please help me and give me ur opinion i know nothing hardly about this and my mom doesnt either...we are both worried to death and cant get any sleep cause we are up crying all nite...she wont get the results for a week or 2...so please give us ur opinions in the mean time...TY

Answer 1

Please try and calm down for your own baby. So many people have false alarms with mammograms and have to go back again. It could be fibrocystic disease or other things as well which arent a huge deal, You may be over hormonized right now which explains the crying. You do not have the right to wallow in this 'what if' since you have a new baby to care for and that requires good sleep. Please realize that it does no good to worry now . Later you can worry if you have to but right now, get a nap while your baby does and realize that you and your mom have love together in a good relationship and that is what counts, Congratulations on your new baby!

Answer 2

Calcifications are tiny mineral deposits within the breast tissue, which look like small white spots on the films. They may or may not be caused by cancer. There are 2 types of calcifications:

Macrocalcifications are coarse (larger) calcium deposits that are most likely changes in the breasts caused by aging of the breast arteries, old injuries, or inflammation. These deposits are related to non-cancerous conditions and do not require a biopsy. Macrocalcifications are found in about half the women over 50, and in 1 of 10 women under 50.

Microcalcifications are tiny specks of calcium in the breast. They may appear alone or in clusters. Microcalcifications seen on a mammogram are more concerning, but still usually do not always mean that cancer is present. The shape and layout of microcalcifications help the radiologist judge how likely it is that cancer is present. In most instances, the presence of microcalcifications does not mean a biopsy is needed. In other cases, the microcalcifications look more suspicious and a biopsy is needed.


I copied this for you before I told you this next story so you two could get some sleep. My mom went in for her yearly mammogram and if they thought they saw something and took her right away downstairs for an ultrasound and then back up for more pictures. Then told her everything was okay. My point being is that logically speaking if anyone saw anything of great concern a doctor would have phoned your mother already and would have been given over to a cancer doctor or an appointment made for a biospsy. So I think you two can relax and enjoy that baby. Now I am not a doctor I have just happened to have been through a lot with my illness and know a thing or two on how doctors operate. They do not let their patients wait if there is a problem. They would call them to get them help that was needed asap. I hope this calms the nerves a bit.

Answer 3

I'm sorry that you're going through this after having your baby .. We went through the exact same thing a couple of years ago with my mom. Thank God it was not cancer.

what is the result that you are waiting for? did your mom get a biopsy done? one to two weeks is too long to sit and do nothing but worry .. if a doctor told you these results, i recommend that you get a second mammogram and a second opinion from another doctor (preferably an oncologist -- not just a general practitioner or a family physician) to verify the results of the first mammogram.

learn more about what it means to have a cyst or cancer ... for sure, not sleeping and worrying cant be good for your mom's health at this point.

it's good if your mom has regular check-ups.. hopefully they catch anything there is to catch early.

God bless ..

Answer 4

Who saw what on her breasts? The technologist? Who showed her the mammograms in the first place?

If a radiologist (a doctor who reads mammograms) did not talk to her about her xrays, but someone else did (who is not a doctor), then that person did something VERY wrong. ONLY a doctor trained in reading mammograms is qualified to read mammograms. If your mother was shown the films and had these things pointed out to her, then a formal complaint needs to be filed with the facility that did it. It is flat out wrong.

The reason it's wrong is exactly what is occurring. No one has given you a correct reading of the mammogram, and now you're worried sick. It is very doubtful from your description that this represents cancer. I suspect that these are normal mammograms, or represent normal changes in 40 year old breasts.

Wait for the formal report to come back. In the meantime, file a complaint with the place that did the films if in fact she was shown the films and had some advice given to her about them from a non-radiologist. That just shouldn't happen - a technologist CANNOT read xrays with a great deal of accuracy and they can cause a lot of heartache and misery by offering worthless opinions.

Answer 5

I'm sorry you are so worried. Please don't worry! Go to the website for the American Cancer Society at cancer.org. They have loads of information for you -like the fact that the majority of lumps detected are not cancer. And that those that are cancer are dealt with successfully. Breast cancer is not the death sentence it once was. I had a friend who had breast cancer in 1970. She lost first one breast, then the other. She was 40 at the time. She lived until last year, healthy, happy, and a lot of fun with no worries. She was 76 and died of heart disease -not cancer.

It's wonderful you and your mom love each other so much. Make the most of your time together, whether she needs treatment for cancer, or remains healthy for years to come.

Answer 6

I'm not from any kind of medical background, but I'm sure you'll get more info in time. I did feel that you would probably check soon for any answers. I had my first mammogram about 3 months ago. When I received my report, it said that they had basically found something in my left breast. Other than a note at the bottom to call my doc, that was about all it said.My gyn and my family doc both said that they felt this was just some dense breast tissue-and not to worry. My gyn said to return in 6 months for a 2nd mammogram. I am not 40, but my doc said that it would be a good idea to do a baseline mammogram at a younger age. This would give them something to compare other results when I am older. My health insurance did not cover this expense. I have no history of breast cancer in my family and I have never felt any lumps. I will definately go back for my follow-up mammogram, but I'm not worried. Breast cancer is much more treatable when caught early. I'm not saying that your mom does or does not have cancer. There's no way for anyone to know that yet. You didn't mention if their was any family history or not. I want to answer you as helpfully and honestly as possible. The way you feel about your mom & the devastating effects of cancer don't need to be validated. I am not downplaying your situation. Here's what I think. I think that the chances of these spots being benign is probably pretty high. You didn't mention if they had done a biopsy or not. The benign cysts that you mentioned are very very very common. I have known and worked with women who had these. I also believe that they sometimes biopsy these. All the women I knew had these benign cysts or deposits in clusters like your mom. I'm not a doc. Did her doc give any opinion? My Mama always told me that if you look down the road & see 10 "worries" coming towards you, you can be sure that 9 of them are going to fall in the ditch before they get to you. You already know that worrying won't help or change anything. What you may not realize is that as a very new mother, and a very young mother, your body and mind are probably not ready to cope with all of these "what ifs?" The hormones released and the emotions felt with the birth of a child are very powerful. This, along with the fact that you are already physically tired from labor and delivery put you at risk for a tidal wave of emotion. You really start to see your own mom in a different way when you have your first child. Many new moms feel extremely close and thankful for their own mothers. It's normal to feel scared too. I felt like, "Are they really going to let me take this baby home? They don't even know if I'm ready yet ." I wanted my own mama. She knew how to do this. What a relief I felt to have this walking book of baby wisdom. I tell you, she got on my nerves, but I felt a lot better with her help. Of course I had some first time mother worries, but I also felt like if I messed this up royally that I had someone there to catch me. She was a comfort to me. Trust me, now is not the time to play out a full blown tearjerking scene in your mind. All of this worrying and imaging every horrible outcome at its very worst needs to stop for both of you. You are attacking your own selves emotionally. As a brand new mom & grandmother you're both already flooded with plenty of strong new emotions. Your mom has not been given a death sentence. Don't let your emotional vulnerability take the place of fact. You just don't know yet. When you or your mom have even a fleeting sad thought or feeling about this, don't entertain it. Ask yourself if the things you are worrying about are facts already. Are they helping you in any way? They're not helping you if they only cause more hurt and anxiety. Don't even answer the door for thoughts like this. There's nothing helpful in sad, negative thoughts. You and your mom have answered the door and essentually told all of these horrible thoughts to come on in. When you do this, they want to stick around and grow some more. Get more facts for sure. That may possibly help you feel better, but not if your emotions are running the show. Emotion is a wonderful thing. Too many people aren't emotional enough, but emotion was never meant to be the main one in charge. Just because any thought or feeling goes through your mind, doesn't mean that it is true. You'll make it through this. Heck, you just gave birth. You're stronger than you realize. Now get your mom and spend some time smooching on that new baby. You have your very own miracle. Wouldn't you both rather spend the next week or two bonding with this precious little life, than crying till your eyes swell shut and you can't breath out your nose. All you get from that is maybe looking really bad, a headache, and walking around with those little hiccups all the time...Stop
Hope this helps a little and that everything comes back fine. Mine and others' thoughts will be with you. You never have to feel that you are alone in any situation.