Ladies
I hope someone can help me here. I am frantic.
I have been diagnosed with pagets - nipple cancer. I was told they coudnt see any masses only some calcifications (18mm) behind the nipple. They took a core biopsy using a mammo cos thats the only way they could get a sample. That was on on 4 April - about 3 weeks ago. All the time I am checking for new lumps or masses - but usually nothing.
I am now due my period - and this breast is usually very hormonal - lumpy and painful. However I have just taken off my bra (noy a particularly well fitting bra, but tight) to shower, and there seemed to be a large lump - a large lump. I paniced, but then realised that was the area where I had the core biopsy. The bruising is still there actually.
COuld this be a mass or just something caused by the biopsy. Surely a mass this large would have been picked up? Or could it have moved?
Help Ladies - please!
Lisa
I would say it’s most likely swelling fron the core biopsy but if you are at all worried about it speak with your BC nurse … of course it’s not handy when these things appear at the weekend and you can’t get to see anyone… as if we haven’t got enuff worry in the waiting period.
I know - I’m passed myself. I just dont know enough about my diagnosis from my surgeon, so have check internet.
With pagets the likelihood of some other cancers is high - and prognosis not brilliant - at one meeting with my surgeon she said she suspected IDC but couldnt see it on any tests. If my pagets is localised which she has said it was at my last meeting with her, then prognosis is excellent.
im just so flamming confused - worried, and cant help thinking the worst.
Hi Lisa
You might find it helpful to have a look at our fact sheet on pagets disease as it may give you a more information. This can be found at the following link:-
breastcancercare.org.uk//docs/pagets.sept05_updated_nov06_0.pdf
If this doesn’t help please don’t hesitate to call our helpline where you can talk through your worries and any questions you may have. The line will be open again on Monday at 9am and the number is free phone 0808 800 6000.
I hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards
Sam
BCC Facilitator
Thanks - Ive already read this. My problem is not knowing about MY diagnosis, not the disease itself.
Thank you though for writing to me.
Lisa
One of the worst things at this stage is not knowing the full details of YOUR case and hitting the internet looking up info on your type of cancer… it’s oh so easy to read a page on the internet and start imagining the worst case scenario is going to apply to you.
At the dx stage I think a lot of us do not understand the details that are given to us because we are basically in shock.
As I said earlier it’s worse when things happen at the weekend cos you can’t lift the phone and ask the relevant expert or the person who has the details of your case.
Good luck in getting through the weekend, try not to worry too much… a stupid thing to say I know cos worry is what we all do.
Thank you. Ill go and find my OH, and see what hes doing. Ill take some sleeping tablets.
Thank you for listening x
I have posted this on behalf of new user Kerry
Kind regards
Sam
BCC Facilitator
Hi Lisa, I have breast cancer and I had 2 tumours, I had biopsies taken from these. After a short while, say 3/4 of a hour max, my lumps became harder, tender and gradually bruised. This was down to the biopsy. I’ve no idea if this little message will help put your mind at ease, but I hope it does. Contact the helpline they will have a better idea than me.
take care Kerry
Hi Lisa
Just seen your post. . A couple of weeks after my core biopsy, I could feel a couple of very large hard lumps much bigger than the original. I got myself into a right panic as I, like you, thought it was cancer rampaging. On the day of my surgery I had to have an ultrasound so they could put a wire in to guide the surgeons as the tumour was very small. I was so worried about these new lumps so the radiologist checked them out thoroughly with the ultrasound and yes, it was just scar tissue and bruising. She explained that the core biopsy is quite invasive and will cause loads of swelling and bruising. You should check it out with the BC nurse tomorrow, but chances are very high it is simply a result of core biopsy as your lump is tiny and it is highly unlikely a mass would have developed so quickly. Easy for me sitting here to say don’t worry, but in this case, I don’t think you should.
Hi Girls
Thank you for your messages. I had got myself into such a state, my Mother and OH took me to A&E. Not sure if that was good or bad.
I told the consultant there that I had been diagnosed with pagets - and rambled on about my history - but then he said, ‘How much to you know about pagets - it is not cancer - its pre-cancer’.
I was gob-smacked! IT IS CANCER - I have the leaflet - ‘You have been diagnosed with breast cancer’. He, however, thought that the inflammation was due to the core biopsy, and has given me some penicillin. I am most definitely going to speak my lovely breast nurse tomorrow. I waited 2 hours in A&E with people with sporting injuries (SUnday morning!), then I was told that they would have seen me straight away if I had told them what was wrong with me! I did - I had to explain to the receptionsist.
Anyway - Im home, calmer and cleaning!
Thank you for helping in my bad time!
Love
Lisa XXXX
Sorry to hear about your less than satisfactory visit to A&E. I hope you get a better experience with your BC nurse.
Hello Lisa,
I too have developed a large lump following core biopsy. As It happened, I was having a second core biopsy following MRI (another much more dodgy area behind the DCIS that I’m having a mastectomy for, and my surgeon needs to make the 'right’plan for me!) so I had the reassurance of both the MRI and subsequent ultrasound. The new found dodgy bit is too far back for me to feel, so I know it’s not that, and I have now seen this BIG haematoma on scan. Be reassured - you’re having care and things don’t go wrong overnight (or even over a few weeks…)
I don’t know about Pagets disease, but I do know about DCIS and I too have read those word ‘it is not cancer but a pre-cancerous condition’ - meaning of course ‘it’s not travelling yet, but it will if we don’t get it out.’ I think other people (esp. medics) feel that as it isnt as urgent as malignant cancer, it doesn’t warrent the same term. Those of us with it know that this is not true!!! and so does most literature… so just thumb your nose at him and ignore him. You are precious. Look after yourself!
Td xxxx
Hi Waitingangel.
Are you saying that the haematoma was caused by the core biopsy?
Pagets is nipple cancer (found by a taking a piece of the nipple and checking for paget cells). I read that in a high % of cases it is caused by some underlying cancer,normally IDC that has spread to the nipple. However, is some cases it is just the nipple. My surgeon said that she couldnt see anything on my mammo, only 18mm calcifications directly behind the nipple - and no suspicious masses. It was the calcifications that they were trying to get a sample of in the core biopsy, but needed to use a mammo to get to it. I can tell you, it was not pleasant, and I am convinced that having me tightly in that mammo while they put in local didnt let the local pass to the area because that wasnt just a click I heard - I felt them take the sample. But even after all of that, it was inconclusive.
Therefore, just simply because I am advised to have a full masectomy, I need to know why they are taking so much if it is confined to the nipple. Im checking for masses hourly. So when I feel and see this red lump - I panic. I dread getting undressed!
The doctor this morning, I am sure, was getting mixed up with bone pagents and didnt click why I was showing him my boobs! That’s why he made that silly remark.
Hopefully I will get more answers tomorrow. I have a feeling that they are just going to whip me in the masectomy now without allowing me any further time for discussions on options including an immed recon.
Thanks for your thoughts and help!
Lisa X
Hi Lisa
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, hopefully soon you will get to learn more about Pagets.
Anyway I wanted to put your mind at ease, along with all the other ladies who have posted, I had core biopsies prior to diagnosis, the first time they took 5 individual cores from the lump and the second time they took 3 cores. As you can imagine that amount of invasion to the breast is going to cause quite a lot of trauma to the area.
Following the first ones I had a very large haematoma (bleeding under the skin), which spread into the skin over about 3/4 of my breast. My breast became very hard, hot and extremely back from bruising and the lump which had been measured at approx 4 cms in size prior to biospy, felt larger than my clenched fist. I would say that it took something like 2 months for it to settle down completely. By then I had of course had the second set of biopsies under ultrasound conditions, and these had produced further brusing and another large swelling under the skin, although no where near as bad as the first set.
I guess being a nurse I tend to be rather blase about my own body and possible problems and I didn’t mention the first lot of swelling to anyone until the second set of.biopsies. The consultant could not believe that I had not panicked about it, and said that they would have done anything, even if I had alerted them … doh… which proved my philosphy right, stay positive and cool and it will be fine… I tried to stay like that through treatment and well, I’m doing fine now a year down the line.
If I can give you any advice, all I would say is try very hard to not keep poking and prodding your boob looking for something that is not there. I know even now that when I check my remaining boob monthly, that I often ‘think’ I feel lumps and then Ii take a big breath and when I check again it’s nothing and just my normal boob.
So good luck when you see your consultant next.
Lynn x
Hi Lynn
Thank you - that helps!
I have spoken to by bcn this morning (she’s lovely). She thinks that the inflammation/lump is a haematoma and that it will go, and again doesnt think it is anything. I had a list of 16 questions for her! I know now a little more. They had a multi-discipline meeting and all checked my mammo, us and other tests. They concluded that the nest course of action would be a simply masectomy. I have pagets, but the core biopsy showed some indications that there may be something invasive there - although no lumps - they dont know grade etc until after masectomy. The good news I did get was that the plastic surgeon does do the diep I wanted. There is a place-holder on my file waiting until see the plastic surgeon on Thursday. I did ask if they did immed recons there, and she told me that they did very few since the ps are naturally perfectionsists and dont like to do them if they think their work will be damaged by treatment. I guess he will air on the side of caution and advise me not to do and wait til later. However, she did say that my masec wouldnt be skinsoncerving unless I had the immed recon.
I guess I need to open another thread about this?
Thanks Ladies for all of your support.
X