after your core needle breast biopsy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What has the Tamoxifen experience been like for those that have taken it?

For me, Tamoxifen and later Lupron+Letrozole have been tolerable, but still kind of awful. I had to start taking them at age 42 and pre-menopausal, which makes a huge difference. The experience has largely been like being hammered with really awful perimenopause symptoms.

I think this is so individual. I was the same age and pre-menopausal. No issues for me. And I still get regular periods.

You get regular periods on lupron/letrozole? Or tamoxifen?

DP. It must be tamoxifen. If you are getting periods on lupron, then the lupron isn't working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After my biopsy, they found atypical hyperplasia which is a precursor / or high risk marker for cancer. Then I had an excisional biopsy (similar to a lumpectomy) to remove that area. I get yearly 3D mammograms now at a relatively young age. Hyperplasia is an exceedingly rare finding, most biopsies come back negative, but if you have it, it's stressful but a quick recovery.

Same with me

The biopsy hurt like hell because it was against the chest wall. The excision less so

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the biopsy info. It's very helpful to know that even for the people whose results were cancer, that they felt the treatment process was not overwhelming.

I've been a bit surprised about how much impact the core needle biopsy has had - lots of bruising and swelling. Of course, I'm only a couple days out, so I'm assuming that most of it will go away. But, it is making me wonder why there was no recommendation to just get a lumpectomy. The lump is near the surface of my skin and, at 1.5 cm, not that big. In some ways, I would have just preferred to remove it and be 100% sure rather than have some indeterminate response and need to follow. Is this never an option at this stage?

It must be very individual. My SIL also had it done recently and had a painful recovery as you describe. I had it done 2 months later and it was nothing. Iced it like they said and it barely hurt, didn’t swell, and healed quickly. Bruised like heck though. Perhaps depends where on the breast it’s done.

I think it depends on the blood vessels where they take the biopsy. I’ve had dcis twice. The first biopsy wasn’t that bad in terms of bleeding, but with the second they hit something and I bled a lot. Made a mess on the gown and drips on the floor. Not my favorite experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What has the Tamoxifen experience been like for those that have taken it?

For me, Tamoxifen and later Lupron+Letrozole have been tolerable, but still kind of awful. I had to start taking them at age 42 and pre-menopausal, which makes a huge difference. The experience has largely been like being hammered with really awful perimenopause symptoms.

I think this is so individual. I was the same age and pre-menopausal. No issues for me. And I still get regular periods.

You get regular periods on lupron/letrozole? Or tamoxifen?

Tamoxifen

[Anonymous]

Ugh. Waiting for results is hard enough, but then getting to the end of the waiting period and still not having any results....is not a good feeling.

Discharge papers said results in 3-5 business days, and today is the end of day 5. I haven't heard anything. I called and left a polite message - really hoping I will hear something tomorrow (Fri.) and not be left in limbo over the weekend.

Is this common - not getting the results within the stated timeline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. Waiting for results is hard enough, but then getting to the end of the waiting period and still not having any results....is not a good feeling.

Discharge papers said results in 3-5 business days, and today is the end of day 5. I haven't heard anything. I called and left a polite message - really hoping I will hear something tomorrow (Fri.) and not be left in limbo over the weekend.

Is this common - not getting the results within the stated timeline?

If this makes you feel any better, usually when there's bad news you hear ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had one a few years ago, and the diagnosis was LCIS. I had a lumpectomy and take tamoxifen daily and get alternating MRIs and mammograms every six months. It wasn’t fun or enjoyable, but it wasn’t really all that traumatic either. And the majority of biopsies do come back negative. I just didn’t happen to be one of them. Hope you get good news.

Not OP, but I'm curious what dosage of Tamoxifen you take? My very first mammogram, and I got the call back and later was sent for core biopsy, which turned out to be ALH. There's also a possibility of a phyllodes tumor as well, so I have to get an excision biopsy next.

I want to consider Tamoxifen -- I was surprised the high-risk clinic seemed more inclined to watch-and-wait given how good the data is supporting Tamoxifen as a prophylactic.

[Anonymous]

Nobody is going to prescribe Tamoxifen if the excisional biopsy reveals benign findings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is going to prescribe Tamoxifen if the excisional biopsy reveals benign findings.

I assume you're replying to the previous post, but the excision biopsy is for a possible phyllodes tumor in addition to ALH findings. Tamoxifen is widely regarded as standard of care for findings of ADL and ALH, unless other risk factors preclude it. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/risk-and-prevention/deciding-whether-to-use-medicine-to-reduce-breast-cancer-risk.html

Please read posts carefully or ensure you're knowledgeable before making negative statements like that to women who are seeking information on how to navigate a concerning diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anyone here take tamoxifen for ALH or ADH? If so what’s your experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here take tamoxifen for ALH or ADH? If so what’s your experience?

Same question. Anyone?