By Kimberly Keys 
My journey with monitoring benign breast lumps began in July of 2020 when my OB-GYN found a lump. I was sent home with an ultrasound referral. I called immediately after I got home and asked for the soonest appointment at any location. I had a young son, and was absolutely terrified.
They got me in at the end of the week. My husband was on vacation that week, and what should have been an enjoyable family time was plagued with worry. At the ultrasound appointment, they saw two small lumps. I was told these were “likely benign” and was given a BIRADS-3 categorization. I was told to return in six months for another ultrasound. I would need six-month checkups for two years, and if nothing changed in those two years, I would be done with the checks.
Initially, I was so relieved, until I read the paperwork more closely, which said there was less than a 2 percent chance of malignancy. I told myself they wouldn’t wait six months unless they were confident it would be okay.
The next two appointments—the six- and twelve-month appointments—were pretty similar. I’d be so nervous that I was shaking during my ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was reassuring and actually told me the lumps were still the same, but she just had to talk to the radiologist (who always confirmed they were okay).
At my 18-month appointment, something changed. I was told I needed to wait for the results. They came through my patient portal over the weekend. One of the lumps was still stable. The second had grown in size and was labeled BIRADS-4 – Suspicious – Biopsy Recommended.
I showed my husband and sobbed my eyes out. I tried to hide my fear from my 3-year-old son. At night, I would sit in his room and cry quietly, watching him sleep, and worry about what was ahead.
I got a call Monday morning from a breast health navigator that I had to meet with a breast surgeon and schedule a biopsy. I didn’t understand what was happening. I was told I needed to have an appointment with the breast surgeon, even if the results were benign, to get established as a patient.
Time dragged on as I waited for those appointments. The biopsy itself wasn’t painful; I just felt the initial pinch of the Lidocaine.
The wait for the results was excruciating.
I had my biopsy on a Monday, and was told I would get a call that Friday. I couldn’t pick up my 3-year-old (lifting restrictions while the biopsy spot healed), and felt so scared. I wondered if this was the beginning of a long journey.
When the call came on Friday, and the nurse shared the result was a benign fibroadenoma, I laughed and cried. I asked if I needed any additional follow-up on either the spot that hadn’t grown or the biopsied spot. She said no, I could wait for mammograms when I turned 40 (I was 36 at the time).
About four years later, I went in for my screening mammogram with a sense of worry. I was worried not about the previously biopsied spot, but that something else would be found.
Imagine my shock, and I’ll admit, anger, when I got my results, and I was told that the previously biopsied spot appeared to have grown again, and I needed a diagnostic ultrasound.
I went to the ultrasound crying on and off and also shaking during the procedure. Before the procedure, I was told I’d get the results in a few days. I knew something was wrong when they instead told me the breast health navigator was going to meet with me.
Crying my eyes out and not believing this was happening, I got my husband on the phone so he could hear what the breast health navigator said. We were looking at another BIRADS-4 rating, four years later. My son was now 7, and my first worry in all of this. I drive him to and from school. I love being active with him. I needed to be here for him. I kept asking why something that was previously biopsied benign needed another biopsy. The breast health navigator told me our bodies are always changing, and we couldn’t guarantee it was still benign. I told her I wanted it out, and she said I would have to meet with the breast surgeon to discuss that.
I saw a new breast surgeon this time. I cried to his physician’s assistant that I wanted this out—I had a 7-year-old son I needed to be okay for. She was very patient with me. I asked her how worried I should be that this was cancer. She said she would put it at an 85 percent chance of being benign and a 15 percent chance of being malignant.
When the surgeon came in, he said we could remove the lump, but we needed to biopsy it first to see what we were dealing with. I did ask if it were biopsied benign again, would I still need repeat biopsies every time it grew? He said yes, and if it was still a fibroadenoma, it could keep growing for the next 15 years, until I was about 55. This convinced me completely that I wanted it removed, no matter what it was. I did not want to keep going through these biopsy scares.
I got the biopsy done, and similar to the previous one, the pain was minimal during the procedure. It was the waiting for results and needing to take it easy with my very active son that was the hard part.
I waited six days this time for the results. This time, I was told I had a “myxoid fibroadenoma.” It was growing and needed to be surgically removed because there was a possibility it could turn into a phyllodes tumor, which could either be benign or malignant at that point.
Although I had already made up my mind I wanted the lump removed to be done with these worries and biopsies, I was still scared. I asked if the second lump, which had been stable since July of 2020, could be removed. I was told it could. The lumps were close to each other.
A few days before surgery, I had a Magseed placement to help the surgeon locate the spot. Additionally, a clip was placed by the lump that was stable and had never been biopsied, so it was marked just like the biopsied lump had been with biopsy clips.
On surgery day, I told my son Mommy would be back later and be tired, but she would be okay. As I was waiting to go into the operating room, I wondered why I was putting myself through this for a benign lump.
I remember being wheeled into the room and being put under general anesthesia, then waking up in recovery. I had some nausea and grogginess.
My uncle drove me home, and I assured my son again that Mommy was okay, just tired, and went to lie down on the couch while he played with Daddy. By evening, I was able to eat some dinner and have conversations with my family.
Over the next few weeks, it took time to heal. I was limited in what I could do with my son. I couldn’t run around with him or have him snuggle on the side that had surgery, which was hard.
I got good news a few days after surgery, that the masses had both been removed with clear margins and were confirmed benign. At my 2-week follow-up, I was told I shouldn’t have to worry about recurrence of these masses with the clear margins. I was given clearance to run a bit in the yard with my son, but not to jog a mile just yet. That would have to wait until I was four weeks post-op.
I’ll always be worried now when I go in for mammograms about what they will find, but now I won’t have the fear of needing a repeat biopsy on the same spot. I wish someone had explained to me when it was biopsied the first time that, although it came back benign, if it grew again, I’d need another biopsy down the road. But I’m finally free of the worry of this mass growing anymore.
by Jodie Utter 
by Natalie Platzkoester Pavlak 
by Harmony Vuycankiat 
