Years ago, I wrote this post to help other women struggling with mammogram call back anxiety. Since then, more than one hundred women have provided mammogram call back stories of their own.
If a mammogram call back has left you feeling anxious or afraid, I encourage you to read this post and the comments below.
More than one hundred women have returned to this post to let me know their mammogram call back results were all clear.
I don’t know what your follow-up scans will reveal, but I believe you will find hope and encouragement here.
My Story
I walked into that examination room and up to the 3D mammogram machine without the tiniest bit of nervous energy. I chatted with the technician as she performed the test. She was a nice older woman who told me she loved her job and performed more mammograms than she could count in a day.
When the test was over, I thanked that smiling tech, put my bra and shirt back on, and cheerfully went about the rest of my day. I never thought I’d be back in that same exam room for a follow up mammogram.
I didn’t expect a call back mammogram on the same day of my exam, because I didn’t think the exam would reveal a problem.
Mammogram Call Back Same Day
So when my cell phone began vibrating on the table beside me I glanced down at the screen, but didn’t think much of it. I didn’t recognize the number, so I choose to ignore it. I flipped the phone over and returned to the game of Monopoly Junior I was playing with my four-year-old.
If the caller ID doesn’t show one of four numbers (my husband’s cell phone, my parent’s house, or one of my children’s schools), I assume someone is trying to sell me something. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.
At that moment, it didn’t occur to me that the radiologist might’ve found a suspicious area during my annual cancer screening. It didn’t dawn on me that this was a call I didn’t want to miss.
The Dreaded Mammogram Call Back
Later that day, a bright red #4 appeared on the phone icon on my cell. I clicked on it and found two missed calls and two voice mails waiting for me.
I fully expected them to be SPAM. The first was a young woman offering to lower my debts. Yup, SPAM, just like I thought it would be, but the second message was not the robotic voice I expected to hear.
“This is the radiology department…,” the kind, melodic voice said. My heart started to race, and I immediately took a seat.
I restarted the message from the beginning. “This is the radiology department. Please call us regarding your recent mammogram,” the voice said.
Then the caller provided the call back number, a string of digits I couldn’t write down as quickly as she recited them. I returned to the beginning of the message over and over. By the fourth time, I’d gathered them all.
Before I called the radiology department, I tried to settle myself. I wasn’t prepared for the dreaded mammogram call back that morning. Who would be?
I took a deep breath and reminded myself that no one in my family has ever had breast cancer. Then I slowly and carefully dialed the number as though I was entering secret, nuclear launch codes. I paused after I pushed each button on the phone.
I Had a 3D Mammogram and They Called Me Back
The kind receptionist can’t provide many details. “I’m not a doctor. I can’t tell you what they see, only that you need to come back in for a follow up mammogram and ultrasound. The doctor requires additional imaging. Would you like to schedule that now,” she asks?
“Yes,” I say without a moment of hesitation. “That will cost $371,” the receptionist says. “Fine, fine,” I tell her as if money matters at all at this moment.
“Okay,” she says. “You are scheduled for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound, but on the day of your appointment you’ll need a referral.”
I hang up the phone and immediately call my gynecologist. Of course, the nurse isn’t at her desk, so I leave a message. Slowly, I state my name. Then I spell it twice and repeat my phone number three times.
I want the gynecologist’s staff to call me back immediately, so I make damn sure they know who I am and which number to call.
I Am Waiting for Mammogram Results, and I’m Terrified
As I wait the world keeps on spinning. I wait for mammogram results that might change everything, and I’m terrified. It’s normal to feel anxiety waiting for mammogram results, but I can’t put my mind at ease.
I sit in my basement, watching my four-year-old race marbles. After each race, my son walks over and shows me the marble that won. I fight back my tears as I watch him and wait for the phone to ring.
Two hours later, the nurse calls back. “You were next on my list of patients to call,” she says, sounding surprisingly chipper. “Let me pull up your mammogram report and read it to you.”
Architectural Distortion Scared Anxiety
“There is a focus of architectural distortion in the left breast,” she says, “and suspicious microcalcifications.”
I’m immediately scared and anxious. My mind swirls with frightening thoughts.
“They want you to repeat the test with a follow up mammogram. This often occurs after an abnormal finding is found during your annual cancer screening. The technicians will get a closer look and then perform an ultrasound. The doctor already took a look at your results. He thinks it’s a good idea to get retested. I’ll send in the referral for you.”
That’s it. The nurse hangs up the phone. She can’t provide any other information. A minute passes, and the phone rings again. It’s the nurse calling back, “Oh, sorry,” she says. “I misread the report. It says it’s NOT suspicious. I thought you would like to know that.”
There is a HUGE difference between suspicious and not suspicious. I’ve never been so grateful to hear the word NOT used in a sentence before. At least now, I’m only dealing with one abnormal finding on my mammogram report.
Dr. Google
I take a deep breath, one of those deep, deep breaths where it feels like your lungs sucked in all of the air around you.
Then I pull out my laptop and immediately consult Dr. Google. I have so many unanswered questions.
- How often do people get called back for a follow up mammogram?
- How often are forty-year-olds diagnosed with cancer?
- Where in the breast is cancer typically found?
I find the answers:
- Did you know that breast cancer occurs most often on the left side of the body?
- Or that 50 percent of malignant lumps appear in the breast’s upper, outer quadrant, extending into the armpit, where tissue is thicker than elsewhere?
- Did you know that younger women tend to get more aggressive cancers and have a lower chance of survival?
No? I didn’t know any of it either.
The tissue in question is on my left side, in the upper quadrant, and I am younger than fifty, so I’m batting three for three.
Mammogram Call Back Fear and Anxiety
This isn’t my first medical crisis. I’ve faced medical traumas in the past. I nearly died of a pulmonary embolism at age twenty-seven, but this time it’s different. An embolism occurs quickly. You don’t have time to worry about it. You barely have time to get to the hospital. Breast cancer is not like an embolism. It’s drawn out and painful, plus this time I have kids.
I am anxious and terrified. Having kids changes everything. I look down at my four-year-old and feel hot tears pouring down on my cheeks. I put down the laptop and snuggle my little one into my lap. The tears drip onto his face, and he looks up and asks why I’m crying.
“I just love you,” I tell him because it’s true.
The Facts: Architectural Distortion
Later that night, I decide to search Google again. This time I’m armed with specific questions about architectural distortion. I’m terrified. I mean, scared right down to the bone. I feel my hands shaking as I type words into my computer. Can I overcome anxiety as it rushes over me?
I’ve received questionable results from blood tests in the past, but I’ve never felt this frightened before. Every website tells me architectural distortion is the third most common sign of cancer and that the most aggressive types of cancer are often discovered this way.
I promise myself I can only search the Internet for a few more minutes. I’ll drive myself crazy if I keep reading about breast cancer. I search one more time and come across an article published in May of 2019 by Moose and Doc.
It says, “Breast cancer commonly causes architectural distortion.” It also says, “Architectural distortion uncommonly indicates cancer. More common is for architectural distortion to be ‘imaginary’ in the perception of the radiologist.”
Architectural Distortion Statistics
An article about mammogram abnormalities also says, “Specialists estimate that around 4% of women who undertake a screening mammogram present with an architectural distortion. The number of those women in which the architectural distortion would represent invasive breast cancer is very low, perhaps 5%-7% of the 4% with architectural distortion, which becomes a much small number.”
My heart stops racing. I have a 93% chance that this abnormality won’t be breast cancer. Why couldn’t I have found that link earlier?
Another helpful piece of information. According to the American Cancer Society, radiologists will call back 10% of women who have a mammogram for further testing. Some women will be called back for a mammogram on the same day they took the initial test. It all depends on how quickly the radiologist reviews images.
The good news: Doctors will give 90% of women returning for a call back mammogram the all-clear after subsequent tests are complete.
My Mammogram: Architectural Distortion
I open my digital mammogram images and scan for the architectural distortion. I’m not a radiologist, but I find the spot immediately. It’s a small, bright white piece of tissue surrounded by four or five long strands. It looks different than the rest of my mammogram.
I browse through the images of my prior annual screening. It looks different from those breast images too.
I take a snapshot of that image and obsess over it for ten days. I look at it once every morning and once every evening before bed. Oh, and another fifty times throughout the day. I can’t stop thinking about that bright white spot on my mammogram. What is it, and what does it mean for me? Will my next mammogram report reveal breast cancer?
The Follow Up Mammogram
On the day of my follow up mammogram and ultrasound, I try to remain calm. I find ways to distract myself. I try to think about anything other than this test or what a positive result might mean. But, no matter how hard I try, my mind starts to wander, and the anxiety builds.
Will they perform a breast biopsy? Will I find out if I have cancer right there on-site? How would I find an oncologist if I needed one? How quickly could I schedule an appointment to be seen?
My mind is racing, but I keep thinking back to that 93% number. The odds are definitely in my favor.
I’m perfectly fine until I go to get undressed. As I place that pink hospital gown around my bare chest, I feel the tears drop down my cheeks. I brush them away. I try to act brave.
My husband jokes about the urine colored walls and other fabulous decorating choices. Then I hear my name.
The technician shows me an image from my first mammogram. She points to that bright white spot of tissue that looks unlike the rest of my breast and explains that I’m being called back due to breast asymmetry. The appearance of that spot doesn’t look like the rest of my breast or my other breast.
She explains that she’ll take additional images and compare them to the images taken during my routine mammogram. If everything looks perfect, I won’t need to undergo an ultrasound. But if anything is wrong, I’ll need an ultrasound and possibly a biopsy. I start to cry. She tells me to try not to worry and lets me know I will receive my mammogram call back results that same day.
Then she places my breast on the imaging machine and presses a clear piece of plastic against it. She moves my body rolls my breast one way and then another, squeezing it each time between the plastic plate. She asks me to hold my breath while she takes the pictures and then says, “You’re all done. The doctor will look at your images now.”
Called Back for Ultrasound After Mammogram
I’m led back to the hallway. I return to my pea-green seat and quietly hope that everything looks okay. Here I am, waiting for mammogram results for the second time in two weeks. The terror begins to overtake my already shaky composure.
I try to console myself, at least I’ll receive same day results for this mammogram call back. At least I won’t have to go home to wait for the news.
The technician steps out a few minutes later. “They’ll need an ultrasound,” she says, and I feel the panic set in.
She just told me they wouldn’t call me in for an ultrasound unless they saw something on my latest mammogram. Clearly, they see something on the second mammogram.
This time my husband can come along. He jokes about the ambiance in the room, the dim lights, the fact that I’m taking my shirt off, and lying on a small bed. I’m thankful he’s with me that he’s able to take off work to sit beside me and crack jokes to ease my mind.
The ultrasound technician squirts gel onto my chest and then starts to move the wand across my skin. I can see the monitor as she moves it over me. A small, black, circular spot appears. She measures it once, twice, and then a third time.
She moves the wand further up and down my breast. Then she abruptly stops. “All I see is a lymph node,” she says, “nothing more. I’ll call the doctor in now.”
Within a minute or two, the doctor appears beside my bed. He shakes my hand, introduces himself, and says, “I don’t see any cancer. I didn’t see anything on your follow up mammogram, but I wanted to be 100% sure with the ultrasound.”
At that moment, I realize I’ve been holding my breath. I slowly and calmly exhale.
Calming Mammogram Call Back Anxiety
If you receive a call back for a mammogram, you are probably feeling overwhelmed and terrified. I understand that anxiety all too well.
Mammogram call back anxiety can leave you feeling nervous and tense. The moment you receive that call, you may feel an impending sense of panic and doom. Please know that you are not alone.
I know how scary it is to wait for a repeat mammogram or additional testing and how alone you might feel. If you are experiencing mammogram callback anxiety, please talk to a friend or reach out below.
Mammogram Call Back Statistics
I wish you the best of luck as you undergo further testing and I hope that your future scans are all clear too.
Getting called back for a diagnostic mammogram is not that unusual. Over a ten year period 50% of women will receive a false positive result. There is good news though. While a lot of women are getting called back to check their breast health, less than 1% will receive a cancer diagnosis.
If you are feeling terrified and anxious reflect on that number for a moment. The majority of women who return for a follow up mammogram will be given the all clear!
Mammogram Call Back Stories
Not so long ago, I scoured the Internet in search of happy endings. Now readers stumble across these words and leave their mammogram call back stories in the comments below.
If you are feeling nervous about a mammogram callback please read the words of the brave women who kindly shared their stories below. I hope their stories reduce your fears and anxieties.
If you receive good news after your call back mammogram please let me know. Each comment helps other anxious women who stumble across this post in search of good news.
** Part two of this story can be found here: Life is Fragile: Make the Most of Limited Time.
Thank you and everyone who commented! This blog and these comments were one of the few things (besides my husband and pets) that gave me a little bit of comfort while waiting for my diagnostic mammogram. I had my regular screening mammogram on September 6th and received the callback the next day. My mammogram was inconclusive, as there was a spot on my right breast that they wanted additional images of. On the 8th I received a call from the imaging center to schedule my appointment. The first opening they had was September 15th. The week of waiting seemed endless. After the callback I noticed some wrinkles or stretch marks on my right breast so I was concerned that this was related to my callback. I would stare at them before my shower every night, somewhat convinced that they were a sign of cancer. At 43 years old with dense breasts I knew the odds were probably in my favor of the “spot” not being cancer, but I just couldn’t shake the what-ifs (plus I am a worrier by nature). Finally the afternoon of the 15th arrived. I went to the imaging center and was called back relatively quickly. Thankfully all the ladies there were very nice. The technician took three images of my right breast and I returned to my little room. After a few minutes she returned and said the doctor has requested another image (the technician had mentioned that this might happen). We took the additional image and I returned to my room. I felt like I was going to pass out due to my nerves and the waiting. After a few minutes the technician returned and said the doctor would like a couple more images. So we went and took another image and then the technician said she was going to get another tech to help her. I took a quick look at the computer while she was gone but that did not reveal anything. The technicians returned and we took one more image. Back to my room I went for more waiting. Finally I hear my name and it is the doctor who has been reviewing the images. Immediately I thought that it must be bad news. Thankfully it was not bad news. The doctor explained that the area of tissue that was a concern was basically right against the wall of my chest and it was difficult to see. I received the “all clear” and do not have to return until my regular mammogram in a year. I was so relieved! I called my husband from the parking lot and gave him the good news. My thoughts are with everyone that is going through a similar situation and I wish you all good results!
@Lori, Thank you for sharing your story here. I’m glad you received good news and that you found comfort in my blog and the comments left by so many amazing women like yourself.
Hi all, going through same thing…. My report states “There is a subtle focal asymmetry with questionable architectural distortion in the right breast”. Got it yesterday, go back Tuesday. Of course i immediately Google Architectural Disorder for reassurance that it’s a minor thing. When will I learn that Google is NOT reassuring – with the exception of this blog of course!
I see “75% malignancy” and freak the freak out. I already have health anxiety- AND my husband and I are creating a will on Monday so this must be a sign.
So, because I can’t turn off my reflex to read EVERYTHING, I actually discovered the truth behind that 75%— it ONLY included women who had already been to their call back appts and were deemed higher risk AD with BiRad risk 4 or 5 after additional tests. So the study only includes people who were higher risk after call back. And even in that batch then still there is a large chunk that are benign (I’m saying 25% is a good chunk).
Also, another study was done regarding the 3D catching what could be an AD much better than the old 2D, but many more turn out to be due to benign causes. My Theory is that the it took longer for an AD to show up on traditional mammo and by then an issue would be bigger. The study was about changing screening methods to do more MRI than biopsies if anything concerning showed up at diagnostic testing because they were finding more benign causes.
I really hope they can change call back methodologies to adapt with the 3D screens. I guess we could be part of that study! I go in a Tuesday for diagnostic mammo and maybe U/S. In the meantime, thanks for sharing your stories and I will drink a glass of wine and watch Bravo tonight. Wish me luck! 🙂
@Becky with the bad Anxiety, Hope all went well! Your post made me feel better.
This is Becky with the bad anxiety following up- I finally got to my recall appointment and it is likely a benign skin fold due to my super dense breasts! I have 6 month follow up and overwhelming odds of less than 3% cancer!!
Because of this blog and the comments I was super prepared with all it questions during the testing… so I asked if they found a mass is it as awful as I’ve read? And the amazing tech told me that even IF there was something in the ultrasound that required a biopsy, OR even if something was still off in 6 months, she would say it was a great place to be because my architectural distortion was so early it would be a win. As I said I don’t require a biopsy, but she led me to believe that even if abnormal cells had been found in a biopsy I was in a good position to beat anything. She said repeat mammos do find tiny abnormalities or changes or skins folds even in dense breasts when compared to prior screens. Made me realize how important they are and as a person with multiple abnormal (not cancerous) skin lesions removed I understand how early detection and removal of anything “abnormal” is not that big a deal. Breasts are scarier because they may not be as visible as a mole, But makes me understand how super great screening technology is to catch stuff early! Big love to my girls going through the same anxiety!
@Ariana A,
I’m glad it did (guessing you saw that same stupid scary stat on Dr Google?), and glad to read in your follow up post that all went well with your follow up as did mine!
Hello all! I’m sooooo glad I found this page! I just received the call today. Incredibly nervous. Looks like they found a mass on my left breast. My breasts are super dense so they need more views. I will be going for my diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound next Wednesday the 12th. I’m also hoping I can come back here with good news. Thank you for creating this space! I know it will help me tremendously the next 6 days of waiting.
I had convinced myself that I was done searching google and youtube about mammo results but here I am again tonight. Your post is one of the most relatable I have found and thank you for allowing others to share their experiences. I had a routine screening a few weeks ago, got a call back notice the next day, but canceled the first appointment because of getting a cold. So here I am 2 weeks later waiting to get another mammogram this week. The first results state “indeterminate”, there is a focal symmetrical band ..mid depth..upper region right breast. My conciliation is that it is most likely scarring from a previous surgery. I also haven’t found a lot of info on after reduction issues, just that the changes over time can make cancer detection more difficult. So it’s still intimidating to wait, to try and find easy to understand info online. This was my 4th mammogram because of previous pain issues, then a reduction surgery, I take it seriously though because of a strong family history of cancer on my paternal side. I’m trying to focus on my ability to get the tests done and the small % chance of a serious issue. Not easy but reading these experiences helps.
@Emily, I’m glad to update that the follow up scan results are Bi rads 3 probably benign. I will get another ultrasound in 6 months for the area of likely post surgical scaring to check for stability.
I kept on dreaming all last week until today about coming here and tell my story! I hope it gives hope to others going through the same!
I went today for my Mamo/Sonogram. The technician said they found a mass but they couldn’t tell what was it (my world crumbled at that moment) I was sooo scared, shaking. She said don’t cross that bridge yet (of thinking it was the worst case). They did my mamo and the sonogram (he wanted me to have it on both breasts) and it turned out to be a fluid filled cyst and a lymph node! I got the ALL CLEAR and won’t need to come back until next year!
I started crying, I was so relieved! I learned that my breasts are so dense that they couldn’t see what it was. From now on, I will be doing 3D Mammograms AND breast sonogram every year because my breasts are dense so he wants to make sure we see everything!
Thank you again for this blog! It truly helped me this week! Hope others can read this and have the same outcome!
@Ariana A, I’m so glad that you received good news and that you returned to let us know!
So I’m reading these posts and feeling anxious but hopeful. Had my 3rd mammogram yesterday and got a call for a diagnostic mammogram. I’m going tomorrow. When I had my 1st mammogram 3 yrs ago I was also called back for an ultrasound that turned out to be a lymph node. I had Covid about 4 weeks ago but they only say the vaccine causes false positives. I’m terrified. I’m 47 and just buried my sister 6 months ago (not cancer). I’m not sure how much my head and heart can take right now. Positive vibes and prayers would be great.
I received the dreaded phone call a week ago, a day after a 3D mammogram. It had been 2-1/2 years since my last one, right at the start of the pandemic. The woman on the phone had an upbeat tone, said the Dr. wanted to do another mammogram and maybe an ultrasound because I have a focal asymmetry on my lower left breast. She said it was very common and “probably an overlap” but they wanted to get a closer look. I’m anxious anyway, and my anxiety level shot up. It’s been so-so this week, but today, the day before I go in, I’m super anxious. I’m 63 and have never had a callback nor do I have family history, which I realize doesn’t matter. I emailed my GP, who said he’s noticed an increase in the past 4-5 years for callbacks, with about 30 percent of his patients receiving them per year and that he doesn’t know if it’s an insurance thing or imaging centers are being overly cautious and most of the time it turns out to be nothing. I’m still a bundle of anxiety. Hoping for a good outcome to share and in the meantime I am trying yoga breathing.
Update: I went in for my second 3D mammogram last Friday morning. All OK! The radiology tech was calm and reassuring and told me they just wanted to get another look to make sure an area on my left breast was clear. She seemed more adept at “arranging” to get just the right images, quickly checked, showed the radiologist, came back and took one more image. She showed that one to the radiologist. He walked in the door and immediately said “Everything is fine–you’re good!” He explained that the first images presented an overlap that was not a clear read and said that I could follow up in a year. I thanked the tech for her calm demeanor and, as I’m sure many here can relate, felt a wave of relief and gratitude wash over me. I hope others get the same level of kindness that I was treated with. The wait is the hardest!
Thank you for sharing your story.
This blog has been super helpful. October 8, Saturday, I got my annual mammogram which is 3-D. Then on Monday while on vacation, I got the phone call telling me I need to call them to schedule a follow-up. After retuning home I accessed my online chart and see Architectural distortion of my left breast is the reason. So I did what I always do, go online and find out what that is. Big mistake. Usually knowledge makes me feel better but in this case, like everyone else here, it just lit a fire of anxiety.
My follow up is on Nov 3rd so I guess I’ll have an answer soon. I’ve kept this information to myself as I really don’t want to worry anyone else but this is taking its toll so I’m glad I found this blog today as I know I can make it a few more days. Thank you,
@Rachael, I hope that your test went well yesterday and that you received good news.
I am so glad I found your story. This has been the only thing on google that has given me hope. I already have so much anxiety, especially health anxiety with cancer being my biggest fear. This is only my second mammo, and I received a call back. Went to that, and knew immediately I was going to be called back for an ultrasound when the tech said “that will be all for now.” During this time, I’m getting no communication from a doctor or a nurse. I’m just left thinking the worst and going down the google rabbit hole. How do you not when you log into your portal and all the info. Is right there. Well I research to try to call my nerves, but then the opposite end up happen when I find out that my linear calcification is the most suspicious for cancer. Now I’m just terrified! I already am anticipating biopsies from what I’ve read and thinking the worse! Just needed to vent, but thank you for writing this!
I hope your call back mammogram was all clear.