I had my yearly done 6 days ago as well as my first mamogram. Yesterday I received a call back from the imaging place wanting to do further tests including an ultraound on my right breast. As if that didn't scare me enough...today I received a voicemail from my Dr.'s office saying they want to talk to me about my lab results from my pap. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach them back to get more info. I am trying really hard not to worry. Has this happened to anyone else? When I got my mamogram done she said since I have dense breasts, they may likely call me back in. But then when they mentioned further testing on my right breast, that got me a bit worried.
UPDATE: Ok, so I finally talked to my Dr. and she said that I got both an abnormal result back plus a positive HPV. Since I got both back they want to go back in and have a better look and maybe do a biopsy. She said it was purely coincidence that I need to have rechecks on both my pap & mamo. Uh! Hope I don't have to wait too long to hear back!
Please try not to worry about the mammogram; I have heard
that it is very common to be called back and it happened
to me a few weeks ago. My letter stated that they were
concerned about my left breast. I went in for the repeat
mammo and they found it to be fine! I was so relieved.
good luck to you!!
You don't, by chance, have the Mirena IUD in, do you? This exact same thing happened to my best friend a few months ago. She ended up getting a biopsy on her breast and it came back fine and she had the HPV on her pap smear and she went in and had it scraped out and she is fine now. She has to get tested every 6 mos. for the next couple of years to make sure it stays gone but that's it. She is fine. Hope it is that way for you, too! Best of luck and try not to worry too much. Chances are you will be ok.
Do get back to the dr's as soon as possible but don't get your self worried until you have to. My sister was just recalled on her pap results they had to do a quick biopsy and she hasn't heard back on that yet (been a few days). But she said she has gotten recalled on abnormal paps before and it always turns out to be nothing. Relax for now, getting worked up wont make the problem go away it will only make it SEEM worse. I hope everything works out well for you :)
When I was 21 (now 28) I got recalled from my pap and they had to do a biopsy and found HPV (which they told me I would always have) and pre-cancerous cells (which they said would most likely go away on its own). My next pap, six months later, showed nothing and I (knock on wood) have not had an abnormal pap since. As far as the mammogram, I've never had one, but my mom has them every six months because hers always come back abnormal and then she has to get ultrasound and it always comes back as fluid filled cysts that they have to drain and (again, knock on wood) none of them have been cancerous. So I hope this gives you some peace of mind!
My mom had abnormal paps for YEARS. She finally agreed to let them do further more invasive testing and they found NOTHING. From then on, she's had all normal paps again..... So, it does NOT necessarily mean anything bad.
As for the mamo. I guess I don't really agree with those. In READERS' DIGEST a few months back they had a big article on all these tests. They said that paps were the only test actually proven to help in the cause for cancer. They said that mamograms show such small spots and put docs on the defense right away AND that MOST of those SMALL spots would go away on their own. Breast cancer is the most curable cancer out there and the radiation they use to do the mamograms is more dangerous than not finding such a small spot...... I don't know. I guess everything you read contradicts the previous thing but I wouldn't worry too bad about that either.
Good luck.
Please don't worry yourself silly over this. They probably want to do more testing on that breast because it is too dense to get a good image. The paps came back abnormal and they probably want to make sure that there is not any precancerous cells since HPV is a virus that could cause cancer. It just means that you will have to keep a close eye on it, not missing any paps. You may have to go in again in 6 mo or so for a recheck after they do this testing. It is all to do with keeping a eye on it.
Relax, remember that worrying doesn't do anything but make the situation more scary. Whatever it is, it is and worrying won't change that but stress could cause more problems for you. Also remember that HPV is very very common, I think it is like 1 in 3 women have it.
Hi T.,
When I had a mammogram done they found a few lumps or I should say cyst so, I also had an ultrasound done. It checks the cyst in a different way. I also had an MRI done also. My doctor told me that as I get older this happens, it is nothing to worry about I was told. The doctor told me to take vitamin E and try not to salt your food. I hope that is all you have, I guess this is common.
I've had both of these results. You don't say how old you are, but younger women tend to have denser breasts that make mammograms difficult to read. It's likely that's the only reason they want to do further tests. I have decided to get mammograms only every several years (not every year) unless I notice a change in my breasts, after reading about the latest findings concerning the high number of false positives and unnecessary treatments.
HPV is a virus that over half of our adult population carries. It comes in many forms and only a few forms can eventually lead to cancer in a small percentage of women. The test they will do next is called a Colposcopy - here is a resource:(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/colposcopy/MY00236 )
I've had one done, and nothing was found. My sister and my stepdaughter have had several, and biopsy, and removal of abnormal cells. They are both fine now. Please don't worry until you have more information. The vast majority of people with abnormal paps and HPV never see it develop into anything more serious. More information:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/default.htm
The high occurrance of HPV has led to the development of a vaccine to prevent this that is only effective when given to girls before they become sexually active. My daughter is getting this at the recommended age of 12! More information:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine-young-wome...
