Shannon - best wishes for a smooth recovery! I almost passed up this thread, thinking "I check mine every month" but you have prompted me to call to schedule my mammogram - I haven't been in a year. I felt a lump in the tail of my right breast when I was in my mid-late 20's - we had moved, I didn't have a gyn, was going to PP for exams and BCP. Nurse there said it was probably from my underwire. A year or 2 later I found a practice with a midwife, she didn't notice it right away but one year (I think I was about 30-31) she did, I told her what PP had told me. She sent me for mammogram, then when nothing showed (too far to side - on ribs) she still sent me to surgeon. He removed a fibroid tumor and a fatty tumor that had grown one on top of another. It could have been much worse! But I have grown complacent about getting mammograms done every 12 months, and never thought about questioning radiologist. I have also b'fed 2 kids, but was in my mid-30's and early 40's then. I also have a family (both sides) history. Thanks for the nudge!

Shannon, thanks for responding again & sharing more about yourself and family. I feel you really understand both sides of the coin; being the one with the diagnosis and being the loved one of that person. You are a very compassionate person who can put yourself in others' shoes. Auntjen...thanks for the hugs and good wishes. I appreciated your support! Texanjana, thanks so very much for your empathy & for your prayers. There has been a new development. Day before yesterday when my sister went to get her chest x-ray for pre-admission/pre-surgery, they found "something" on her lung. Today she had a CT done. Just talked to Peggy and all they determined via the CT was that there is a "mass" on her lung. The details still remain sketchy. They want to do a "fine needle aspiration" & a PET scan next week. She needs to call Monday to schedule those tests as no one was around this afternoon to do that. They have cancelled the surgery for Tuesday. She's hanging in there! I think she's looking forward to having a quiet day at home tomorrow (no tests) to "chill out!" Then we'll all be over to bug her on Sunday! Hopefully by the end of next week we'll have a better idea of exactly what she has & how it should be treated. Again, thanks to each of you for your interest, support and prayers.

My wife had a mastectomy 10 yr ago and because of a potential threat, all 21 nodes were striped out. Back then, that was the standard practice. Her lump was fairly large: A lumpectomy was performed while she was on the operatng table and the quick analysis said the margin was not 'clean' so the surgeon proceded with the full procedure including all node removal. It truned out that all nodes were clean and the removal was unnecessary. We also found that if the surgeon had removed just a little more material around her lump, the margin would have been clean and that would have prevented a lifetime of problems. Less than 2 years later, the recommendation for her case type changed and the new procedure became: remove the first node and check it. If it is ok, stop. It was our experience that removal of all nodes create a drainage problem. Fluid tends to build up for at least 6 weeks until the body can find ways to absorb and reroute it. These nodes are part of the drainage system for the infection fighters. The body did eventually heal, but a comprise remains. My wife has a lifing restriction of 10 lbs on that arm for the rest of her life. A larger weigth will not do physical harm, but the exertion can overload the drainage system and the muscles may be weak. it can result in a minor injury that will take a long time to heal. So my advice is: Do not let your nodes be removed unless these are PROVEN invaded. Over 10 years ago, complete removal was done to insure that an invaded node was not missed. In too many cases (back then) when nodes were left, they gave trouble and once the cancer invaded the nodal system, it is very late. Better (and faster) detection plus more research has changed the picture. Be sure to discuss with your oncologist.

Morz8, the expanders are to stretch the skin gradually for the implants to go in. She starts school in 2 weeks. Her husband went in and helped her get her classroom ready. He has been a jewel during all of this. Gadgets, thank you so much for thinking of Kelly, too. She has been having problems with a hip area and Is doing radiation. She is a real trooper, too. The two gals have been so good for each other. Kelly is a school bus driving in Indianapolis. These are two amazing women!!!