Hi I’m 28 and visited the breast cancer clinic today for the first time. I’ve had a lump in my right breast for 4 weeks now, the doctor referred me to the clinic and said that i would be seen within 2 weeks under the new guidelines.
I waited 30 minutes to been seen , which wasn’t a problem but when we got to see the doctor she spent 2 mins going though the questionnaire followed by a 5 minute examination. She then said she wasn’t concerned but would refer me for ultra sound anyway and to come back in 6 weeks. Is this normal ? I’m not feeling at all reassured, everything she done was the same as my own doctor.
No, that doesn’t sound normal. Do you mean you have to wait another 6 weeks before they will do the ultrasound? That seems a long time. When I was referred to the breast screening clinic I was told the same as you by my GP (referral within 2 weeks). It ended up being quicker. I was warned that I would be there for a long time. First I was examined by a doctor who told me it was probably a cyst and nothing to worry about, but that I would have a mammogram and Ultrasound anyway. I got chatting to a few other women while I was there and it seemed the same for everyone - once there, no matter what the doctor thought from the examination we all still had a mammogram and u/s. I was waiting for about three hours in total. The mammogram showed nothing, but the lump was visible on the u/s and even though they still said they thought it was nothing, they did a biopsy there and then to be on the safe side. Thank goodness they did because a week later the results came back that I did indeed have cancer. The consultant who told me my results had not been the one who examined me the previous week and he said that they were all surprised about my diagnosis because both the doctor who had examined me and the one who did the ultrasound really didn’t think it would be anything serious. Hopefully your lump really won’t be anything serious, so try not to worry (easier said than done, I know!) but maybe you could go back to your GP or ring to speak to him/her and say that you are not reassured and ask why you were sent away without any further investigation on the day. It seems frustrating that you were actually at a breast screening clinic and yet had no test other than a physical examination. If you are worried then 6 weeks is a long time to wait, so I would definitely pursue it. Good luck. x
Yes it does seem a bit odd this. I thought all breast clinics were now one-stop shops and that the days of waiting weeks and weeks for appts and referals were a thing of the past.
You can always contact the PALS at your hospital and get them to act on your behalf. Better still call the hospital and ask to speak to a breast cancer nurse - explain your concerns and fears and see if they can do something about the situation.
Best of luck - as Lola inferred, opinion isn’t the same as total diagnosis. The medics all thought I had nothing to worry about with my lump until the test results proved them wrong. Most lumps are benign but it is essential to be sure.
Good luck.
This doesn’t seem normal from my experience and that of others I know. First time around in 2005 I went to docs with a thickening which to be honest had virtually gone but thank goodness my doc referred me under the two weeks rule to hospital. This happened and a registrar had a feel and felt that there was nothing to worry about but I would have a mammogram anyway. This happened straight away and then I was taken into another room for an ultra sound where I was told they thought I had DCIS and because of this I went straight along to see the main consultant with bcn who confirmed it. This all happened within 2 hours and I was in having an op within 10 days. I would be inclined to look further into this more for peace of mind.
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You might find it’s because of your age. I was 28 when I first got referred and my consultant did the Ultra sound and considered leaving me 6 weeks to see if the lump changed at all because it’s so rare to be diagnosed under 30 (about 150 cases a year). Thankfully she did a biospsy and mammogram though as my lump didn’t show up on the ultrasound.
You can ask for a second opinion though, so push if you’re not happy.