One Woman's Story: Living With Dense Breast Tissue Information is a curious thing. Too much can overwhelm, too little can cause doubt. Finding the right balance can be difficult and frustrating, especially when your health is in question. Since my first inconclusive mammogram, I’ve been caught between certainty and uncertainty; the certainty of knowing that the only breast screening exam available has limitations and the uncertainty of whether those limitations should be cause for concern. I have dense fibrocystic breast tissue. Mammograms are unable to see through my dense tissue to identify what could potentially be abnormal or cancerous. My doctor says not to worry, this is routine for people like me who have dense fibrocystic breasts. He says this while scheduling me for yet another six month follow-up mammogram, “just to be sure.” So each painful exam I undergo leaves me no closer to knowing whether the bumps I feel are cancerous, cystic or just the normal by-product of my breast tissue type. Every chance I get, I ask my doctor: “what other options are available for women like me?” Predictably, the response rests on mammography as the standard for breast screening. If something questionable is seen or felt, an ultrasound or MRI can be used. I’ve been examined with both and still have no answers. Although I feel lumps, nothing can be seen on my mammograms to suggest I need further evaluation. I continue to hold out hope for a better option that can deliver the assurances I need. Instead, I live my life six months at a time, anxious, frustrated and uncertain, until my next exam. My fears are amplified as I sit in the waiting room before each exam surrounded by pamphlets and booklets focused on countless topics related to breast cancer– survivorship, treatment options and advocacy group support. Information about breast tissue type and the limitations of mammography is conspicuously absent. Imagine my relief when I discovered that there was an alternative for people like me! I immediately scheduled an appointment for an exam using the ARIA Breast Imaging System. Surprisingly, the exam using ARIA was simple and comfortable, but more importantly, the tissue was undoubtedly visible. To my relief, no abnormalities were identified. For the first time in years, I left feeling self assured about the accuracy of the results. Thank you Advanced Imaging Technologies for developing the ARIA Breast Imaging System and providing a solution for women like me with dense breast tissue.
43-year old woman Download this story |
