I was very confused and upset that the Breast Center thought I should repeat the biopsy. They did say they were waiving the fees for the first biopsy since it was done on the wrong area. I honestly had no desire to repeat the experience. I was still sore from the first one!
I finally agreed to go ahead and put the repeat biopsy on the schedule with the assurance that I would be allowed to cancel it if I decided against it. I went home and talked with my husband and neither of us thought it was necessary. I remember talking and praying with friends about it. I wanted to cancel it. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to cancel it.
Was I acting in fear? Shouldn’t I just trust God? Was there really a reason to go through with the second biopsy?
Praying in the face of difficult decisions is tough. I wanted a very clear answer. I can’t say that I ever felt a clear yes to go through with the repeat biopsy. But what I never felt was peace that I should walk away.
So I went for the biopsy again. I remember asking to talk to the radiologist before I went in for the procedure. I asked her to explain why I needed to do this again. Why was the first one not representative? I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I think she explained that the tiny little calcifications were often indicative of a pre-cancerous condition. I also remember her saying that she thought I should have the procedure and that if I were her sister or friend, that she would recommend I do it.
I didn’t like the procedure any more than the first time. I did at least know what to expect and I think that the nurses helped to position me more comfortably this time. I also knew what to expect for recovery.
A couple of days later I was alerted that my results were in. This time I was dismayed to see the word carcinoma included in the pathology report. I knew that didn’t sound benign.
The biopsy showed DCIS or ductal carcinoma in situ. This is the pre-cancerous condition that the radiologist explained might be there. Though whether it’s pre-cancerous or cancer kind of depends on who you talk to. My understanding is that it is cancer in the sense that the cells are dividing like cancer. But the in situ piece was what makes it not serious. It was considered Stage 0, because it was contained in the ducts and couldn’t have spread into the blood stream.
I found out that the typical treatment for DCIS is surgery followed by radiation. My next step was meeting with a breast surgeon.