23, worried I have signs of BC, unsure & seeking advice

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Hello,

As the title states I am 23. I know you can get cancer at all ages but I’m worried that if I go to my GP with concerns they are going to brush me off due to my age, as I understand breast cancer is more known to be in older women & men. I’m just seeking advice as I’ve had some worries for a while now and I suffer with anxiety quite badly, to a point I haven’t yet managed to seek professional help. This is a huge step for me & im hoping someone somewhere can help me. I’m sorry if what I’m about to say seems all jumbled and not very straight forward, I don’t really know what I’m describing and I confuse the hell out of myself so I’m sorry if I do that to any of you!

First things first my grandmother (my fathers morher) and my auntie (mothers sister) have both had breast cancer, my auntie twice, my grandmother once & both at very different stages. I don’t know if this means anything at all but feel it’s worth sharing just incase.

I had my son 18 months, since my beasts have never been the same; one of the many joys of motherhood! :wink: during my pregnancy I went up 4 bra sizes! Have slowly deflated and am now a 38B (well one of my breasts are anyway, one is a C!) but recently I’ve noticed some changes that seem to be more recent than the issues I had with my pregnancy. One breast is considerably droopier than the other, one seems to have perked back to its original shape & size, although it now feels very full and looks almost swollen (no redness or heat), nothing different other than the feeling of being full. And the other is like an empty carrier bag, it literally just droops down, it’s around 2-3inches lower than my left breast. It’s very very noticeable! I never had this problem before having my son & I really couldn’t tell you if this happened straight after I stopped breastfeeding (around 16 months ago) or if it’s happened more recently; I have been very aware of it for around 6 months now. Other than this I don’t think I can feel any lumps, my breasts do feel lumpy and bumpy but I’ve never known them to be any different to this and to be completely honest I’m unsure of what type of lump I’m looking for, I can’t feel anything on its own in the form of a lump that’s very prominent anywhere. The only other things I’ve noticed are, I have sores on my nipples and occasionally on my breast, they’re more like spots: I don’t help because I have always itched in my sleep, all over my body & I know I sometimes itch them as they tend to scab… so this tends to make them stick around but I’ve had these spots/sores (I’m unsure what to call them) for around a year now, sometimes they subside & sometimes they’re red and look inflamed. I’m sorry if this is TMI but I really am worried and I’m blurting my life story to the world in hopes someone can help me!

And now tonight, I noticed something else. Which is the reason I decided to write something on here… on my right breast, on my nipple, and coming onto my breast. When I’m laid down I have a dip; an indentation. It’s only noticeable when I lay down & if I pull my boob up (from under my armpit… the joys!) then it becomes even more prominent… this is the breast that is very empty and droopy, my right one, so I can’t notice this when I stand up as my breast just falls south! I’m so worried as this is definetly new…

Other than all of these other things that may or may not be irrelevant (and I’m sorry if they’re not) - my breasts are sore. Very sore. If I knock one or my son accidentally hits or kicks it then I can be in a lot of pain to the point of tears, in general they’re uncomfortable to lay on, they hurt when I’m on my stomach and my side. And it really does take a tiny little tap and I can be reduced to tears.

I really do hope someone has some advice or can share past/Present experiences with me. As I said i suffer with really bad aniexty and panic attacks and this prevents me from taking this further as I feel I’m just wasting everyone’s time & feel I will just get pushed to one side due to my age. I know it’s a horrible way to think but my minds all over the place lately for a million and one reasons.

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Sorry I ended the post without saying

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me & im sorry again for the life story but I wanted to fit as much info as I possibly could in!

Thank you again x

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Hi Alous23,

Sorry to hear you are feeling anxious at the moment, it is the same for everyone when they find breast symptoms they are concerned about.

However, at your age, it would be rare for it to be bc, mostly it turns out to be nothing serious, especially as you would have had breast changes related to having had your little boy fairly recently.

However, you are absolutely right to get is checked out, especially if there is a family history of bc.

Do go to your gp, you will not be fobbed off as the protocols for any undiagnosed breast conditions are quite clear. Do mention what you’ve said here & your family history.

What normally happens is that your gp will refer you to the breast clinic, as the clinic is the only place to get to the bottom of what it is. You should get an appointment within 2 weeks. If your gp says to wait a month or so (sometimes symptoms can be related to your menstrual cycle) then do say that in view of your family history you would prefer a breast clinic referral. 

Do come back here, post in the nurses section or contact the helpline if you need any more information.

What we do say to women, is do not google your symptoms, it does not reassure as its not relevant to your situation & only increases anxiety. 

Do let us know how you get on, 

take care

ann x

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Alous

 

I can not really add to what Ann has posted to you  and I absolutely endorse everything that ann has said and hopefully you are asking her advise to make an appointment with your GP so that you can find out what this is.  Everything that ann has said I totally agree with, there is a protocol for these things, not every lump is cancerous and the breast clinics deal with lots of benign conditions as well.  If you read some of the other posts on here you will see just how many ladies who have been in the same place as you, scared, anxious, not sure if they will be taken seriously because of them being younger have gone on to be told that they do not have cancer.

 

We are all here for you and will help and support you along the way but you really need to get that appointment made with your GP first.

 

Helena xxx

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Hi Ann! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I understand my post was a bit frantic & all over the place. But I really do appreciate the advice. I took the time to ask my grandmother today as well, I didn’t want to worry her & make her think some thing is wrong with me but her advice and reassurance has also given me the extra confidence I needed to book an appointment with my GP. Which I will be doing first thing tomorrow :slight_smile: thank you again!! Will keep posted on what’s happening and stuff. All the best xxx

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Hi Helena, I’m really not sure If I’m replying correctly & if you and Ann will see this. but I appreciate both of your comments and advice & thank you for taking the time to reply. As previously stated I have taken the time to speak with my grandmother and she has somewhat put my mind at ease about the whole situation. So I will be booking that appointment with my GP first thing tomorrow! Thank you again xxx

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Well done, Alous, that’s great, keep us posted if you want to.
ann x

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Hi both of you.

I called the doctor today & then I had a callback from my GP (protocall at my docs before I’m able to book an appointment) - and she said that because I’m on my period I have to wait to call back, something about my breasts looking and feeling different whilst I am on? I didn’t fully understand what she was going on about but she has told me to call back in a week or two, she said there will be no issues getting me an appointment and that we will go from there. She told me not to worry & that it will all be taken care of as soon as possible for me. I’m not sure if this is what’s meant to happen, being delayed an appointment due to Mother Nature saying hello, but that’s as far as I got today!

My grandmother really doesn’t like the GP surgery I am currently with as they aren’t very helpful at the best of times and the whole system they have for booking an appointment is tedious. So she has suggested I get another doctors opinion rather than wait around for 2 weeks… which is what I will probably crack on and do tomorrow. Whilst I’m feeling optomistic & finally ready to sort whatever’s going on (if anything) then I need to carry on. I’m worried if I wait two weeks my aniexty will get the better of me over the fortnight and I won’t call back the doctors, and just delay it, like I’ve been doing for almost two years.

So I’m going to call another doctor tomorrow and see what I have to do to change GP and try and speed this up a little!

Thank you again ladies xxx

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hi Alous,
hmmm, it maybe ok to wait a week or two, but as you say, its not good for your anxiety, especially as a referral is likely to be needed anyway.
Just another thought, depending on how long it takes to change gp, it maybe worth going back to your current gp, emphasising that you have a number of breast changes that are worrying you & together with your family history of bc, you do do not want to delay a referral to the clinic longer than necessary.
Whatever happens, do not feel tempted leave it, you’ll feel much better getting to the bottom of it. Again, mostly it turns out to be nothing serious, but its better to know that than live with ongoing anxiety.
Hope you get this resolved soon.
take care
ann x