Hi! About two months ago I noticed a lump in my breast and a bit of tenderness and after a week or two booked an appointment to get it examined.
I was very nervous beforehand because I am 22 and I had heard that breast cancer in younger women can be quite aggressive. Fortunately, the doctor said he didn’t think it was anything sinister and that it didn’t feel like a cancerous lump. He still referred me to the Breast Clinic just to be sure and to see if the lump could be treated. He said this would take a few months and I wouldn’t get a letter of referral for a few weeks.
It has been over two months now and I still haven’t had my referral letter.
I try to reassure myself that there isn’t anything wrong, I am young, healthy and don’t have any family history of breast cancer (as far as I know). However I’ve got some big exams coming up and so generally I’m feeling incredible anxious and any body aches or bodily sensations are causing me to stress out even more.
Also none of my friends have ever had a breast examination or lumps in their breasts so I think they are finding it difficult to understand and talk about.
I know I’m probably fine and I would have been referred earlier if there was cause for concern but having to wait months for a definite result is still making me a worried.
I was just wondering if anyone else went through a similar scenario or is going through a similar scenario and how they are coping.
It’s sometimes nice to know that there are other people in the same boat as you.
I’m so sorry you’re having to face such anxiety - and on your own by the sound of it.
I hope I can offer you some reassurance. First of all, pain isn’t usually an indicator of breast cancer. There can be many reasons for benign lumps, many of which go away of their own accord, but obviously they will be investigated. Some women unfortunately just have lumpy breasts
Second, I learnt from my GP that cancer lumps and tumours have a distinct feel to them so GPs are generally confident about what they can feel. If a GP states an opinion as clearly as your GP did (remember, his reputation is on the line here, regardless of any other implications), then your GP is confident of his diagnosis.
BUT third, in the UK, there is a two-WEEK commitment for any breast referral. Even allowing for slight delays during the pandemic, you would expect to be seen by a specialist within three weeks. I would advise you to ring your GP immediately and ask about the referral. They will chase it up but I would also chase it up myself, if I were you. Of course, you may not be living within the NHS but such a delay is unacceptable, not just because of the risks (breast cancer at your age would be rare, by the way) but because of the emotional torment attached to discovering a breast lump.
So, please get on the phone to your GP practice and find out when the referral was made, to whom it was made (ask for the contact number) and ask why there has been such a delay. It’s completely unacceptable, no matter how certain of his diagnosis your GP was.
Good luck. You need reassurance from an expert now.
I would definitely follow Jan’s advice! Call your GP, I am 21, and I only had to wait 2 weeks for my appointment, I had an ultrasound today and I’ve got to have another one in 4 weeks, to see if it looks the same, they didn’t want to take a biopsy today because im young, I personally don’t think its going to change much and if anything its making me even more anxious waiting so long. I would be awful if I had to wait as long as you have, for your appointment to come though, if you don’t want to call your GP, can you Google your local breast unit? You could always call them and see if a referral has been made for you.
Good luck with everything, I know how scary it all is