Very natural to feel worried. you don't have enough information yet though to jump to the conclusion that this finding is bad news. It could be a benign growth like a fibroadenoma or even a papilloma which is also benign. So hang on until you have more information. we hope the outcome is good news. L

Hi Ann,
Matthew 6:34 "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.

Did you know there are 366 verses in the Bible concerning worry and fear; that is one for everyday and leap year.

Yes, I had to break out some Word for you,'cause that's just how I roll.

Don't worry!

If you're like me, telling you not to worry is of little help, so I completely understand your fears. Since I can't make those worries disappear, I can tell you to follow up with your doctor if you haven't received word on your test results in a timely manner. As a breast cancer survivor who's had more than my share of mammograms, MRIs, ultrasounds and x-rays, I know from experience test results are not always shared with patients in a timely manner. The waiting is the worst part, particularly if it's over a weekend and there's no one you can call about the results. That kind of stress triggers adrenaline and stresses your immune system, so try your best to get the upper hand on your worries.

Sit outside in the sun; eat an apple, go to a movie, anything to take the focus off of yourself. Have you considered meditation? I particularly like some of the meditation CDs you can order online. They help me de-stress by forcing me to take time away from worrying and, for lack of a better description, puts my "brain on hold."

As far as possible outcomes of your tests: Without hard evidence, don't play the "what if" game, needlessly worrying about things you have no knowledge about and no control over. Work hard at staying focused on the here and now, and don't get ahead of yourself. Believe me, I know this is easier said than done, but don't make the "what ifs' the focus of your day.

Brenda Coffee, BreastCancerSisterhood.com

Ann, you are a very courageous woman, and I admire how you seized the reins of your own health care and took part in your medical advocacy. I, too, knew I had breast cancer before the biopsy was done and went into planning mode, but only after a couple of days of shock and feeling sorry for myself.

Each person is different, and there's no right way to deal with a breast cancer diagnosis. Even though I felt sorry for myself and threw a pity party (and I throw good pity parties!), I still moved forward with seeking out the appropriate medical advice and going forward with my treatment plan.

Women who are shocked and frightened by their diagnosis can be just as courageous as women who are not in shock. There were times I curled into a ball with fear, but I still took good care of myself and reached out to avenues that could help me cope. Again, there's no right way to react to a diagnosis of breast cancer, but allowing oneself to be afraid and in shock can also help someone psychologically. In my case, I'm glad I had that brief period of time to feel afraid and depressed.

In terms of getting the bad news on the phone, I was OK with it. A more important issue is minimizing the amount of time a patient has to wait for the news. My surgeon, who did the biopsy, is the one who called. He did the biopsy two days before and told me then that he thought it was cancer, which confirmed my suspicions and perhaps softened the blow when he confirmed it on the phone.

For the prognosis, I went to my surgeon's office, which was the right thing. I personally preferred what I got: a diagnosis over the phone and a prognosis in person.

I am very fortunate, as I am very close with all my doctors (I have had to fire a few along the way, but I hired and kept the ones whom I felt connected with me). My PCP has been my rock, but in my case, the surgeon also was the appropriate person to break the news to me because during the biopsy, he told me how he hoped it wasn't cancer even though it didn't look good. I knew during those moments that he cared about me as a person.

During the phone call when he confirmed the diagnosis, he did ask me if I wanted to come in -- if I needed him. I declined, but I really appreciated the offer.

I think an issue that needs to be explored more is a patient's feelings after treatment has ended, if the treatment has ended. I am very lucky to have survived breast cancer thus far, but life after cancer has been difficult for me and many women psychologically. When fighting the disease, you go into survival mode, go through treatments, etc. But after all the treatments are done, it's hard for many women (not all) to go back to their lives as if nothing has happened and as if breast cancer was just a blip in the past.

My post-breast cancer life has been better and richer than I could have ever imagined. However, the post-cancer aftermath has also been challenging for me. Seeing doctors, fear of recurrence, etc. have their effect as well.

Norma, this wait-and-see thing doesn't sound good. I'm not suggesting that you have a life-threatening condition, but I strongly recommend you get a second opinion as soon as you can -- just to be on the safe side and reassure yourself.

You need to do what is very difficult: advocate for yourself and keep calling doctors until you get a satisfactory explanation of what is going on with you medically. Don't allow doctors to intimidate you into complying with their wishes for you to wait six months. Fire doctors who don't give you satisfactory answers and keep trying to find doctors who can figure out what it is they are seeing.

Just know that somewhere, there's a doctor who can shed light on this, and you need to do your best to find him or her.

Trust your gut instinct.Good luck with this and keep pursuing information. Don't stop.

Dr. Bernstein, I am the one that posted the original question. Not only have I not spoke with my doctor about the tests today, but I actually didn't even speak with the radiologist. He sent only the sonographer in to speak with me, and to let me know that what he saw on the mammo was not confirmed by anything on the sono. So if nothing else changed, then to come back in for mammo in 6 months. I will take your advice and make an appointment with my doctor to at least find out what she felt and I felt, and the cause of the discharge for the last year. The only thing I was told today on that was that they are not too concerned as long as the discharge is not bloody. One question I do have is...are there lymph nodes on the top part of the breast, down from the collar bone? Thank you for all your advice. Norma

I totally agree with Maurice, who gave you sound advice. The results need to be explained by your doctor.

I do want to add one thing. If you sense that your doctor is unsure of what's going on, or if the radiologist or sonographer seem to be unclear with what is going on, or if you are less-than-satisfied with the information disseminated to you, then I suggest you have the results faxed to another doctor so you can have your questions answered completely.

Norma,

Brenda is completely right in promoting self-advocacy. We do have to listen to that little voice and our gut instincts. Patients are more powerful than we can ever imagine, and oftentimes we do know more than our doctors when something is awry.

Like Brenda, I've successfully advocated for myself, and I insisted in pursuing the necessary avenues to get what I needed from my doctors.

I was told I was too young for breast cancer, and a mammogram was negative just about a month before I found a slight dimple in my right breast. I insisted on getting this checked out, told by my then-gynecologist that it was probably nothing, but he sent me to my hospital's breast center.

Turned out it was breast cancer and I saved my own life.

I saved my own life a second time when a routine followup MRI revealed something in the same breast that had had the cancer. Understandably I was scared, and I was lucky that it turned out to be scar tissue from previous surgeries.

But there was a nagging feeling in my gut that if I didn't get a double mastectomy with reconstruction, I would get breast cancer again, given my history and the fact that I had breasts so dense, they made it hard for medical professionals to see anything.

Some doctors told me they thought removing my breasts was unethical and they said they wouldn't do it. Other doctors told me that I should remove organs that weren't up for discussion -- or up for removal.

My oncologist and PCP agreed with me and felt my judgement was "medically sound." I hired the right mastectomy surgeon and plastic surgeons.

A few weeks later, my oncologist told me that a biopsy of the removed breasts showed I had pre-cancerous cells in my left breast, and had I not followed my instinct, I would've most likely had cancer in my other breast.

I also don't want to scare you; your condition may be benign. But no one will advocate for you the way you can. Do what you need to do -- whether it be firing doctors who don't give you good information to hiring the right doctors -- to get a definitive answer, one that you are satisfied with.