Awaiting Biopsy Results.. so scared

I am 40 years old

4 months ago my son accidently elbowed me in breast, a few days later found lump on surface of the skin  near inner part of breast and was extremely sore for about 1 month it was that sore and tender couldn’t lie on that side or wear a bra. Eventually pain subsided but lump didnt. I got a new bra which was a bit tight and after few days i noticed the lump had almost doubled in size and was bulging out of my skin and became sore again( lump is avout 6 inches) Spoke to gp over phone and gp prescribed antibiotics as thought lump was an infection. I thought antibiotics were working as i felt tingling in my breast and my breast started to bruise and part of the breast went pink/red colour. Lump didnt go away so gp had a look at my breast and said it looked like an abcess and would need to be removed so would refer me to breast clinic. Breast clinic gave me a mammogram,  ultrasound and biopsy on lump and one on the lymph nodes as said  slight inflamed. After  that consultant said possibility of cancer and only small chance its nothing to worry about.

Has anyone else experienced this type of lump got all ckear or bad news? Can consultant get it wrong and can infections etc possibly mimic cancer on a mammogram/ultrasound? 

Hi Mummy to 2 boys,

Welcome to the forum - you’ve come to a good place for support and advice.

You did the right thing seeing your GP, getting referred and having the scans etc. Did they give you a follow up appointment to get your results? Usually (pre-covid times) this is a week later. It’s a stressful time waiting for results, try to distract yourself as much as possible and have a think about who you can ask to go to your appointment with you (or potentially join by phone) depending upon how your hospital is working.

As I’m sure you are aware there are many causes of breast lumps, including cysts, fibroadema etc.

breastcancernow.org/information-support/have-i-got-breast-cancer/breast-lumps-benign-breast-conditions

There are also many different types of breast cancer. Hence the breast team usually need the results of the biopsy before they can say for sure what the cause of the lump is, which does leave us in limbo for a week or so waiting for results. It’s a difficult place to be, I think distracting yourself as far as possible and trying some mindfulness is the best we can do at that time. Also be very kind to yourself.   

The first part of your experience is similar to mine, I was a similar age to you, only rather than being elbowed I was determinedly wrestling boxes up into the loft, immediately after which I found part of my boob hurt, felt a lump and a fair sized bruise rapidly came up. A week or so later the lump was still there so I went to the GP who referred me to the breast clinic on a precautionary basis.

I had done a fair amount of reading about causes of breast lumps (don’t do it!) and was aware that something called fibroadenoma could feel similar to a hard bc lump and look similar on scans. I didn’t have wide inflammation, only localised slight swelling linked to the bruising. On the day of the mammogram, ultrasound and core needle biopsy I was told they had spotted the lump (I’d seen it on the screen too) and when I asked if it could be fibroadenoma the oncologist said yes but it could also be bc, and went on to say they were sat on the fence, needed the full results of the biopsy and suggested I think about bringing someone with me for to the results appointment. Unusually I also had really bad bruising after the core needle biopsy, I can only guess due to the lump being very hard. Mine turned out to be invasive ductal carcinoma, which is one of the more common forms of breast cancer.

The breast team at the hospital were very good, my surgeon great (and very neat). I’m now 6 years on and pop back on the forum primarily to give back.

I think the oncologists just try to warn us if they think it might be bc (when they can’t say for sure without the results of the biopsy), so that we are a tad more prepared for results day (in case it turns out to be bc). 

Just so you are aware, besides the forum, you can phone Breast Cancer Now and speak to a nurse or  message the nurse in the section on the forum.   

Sending you a gentle hug.  I hope you don’t have too long to wait for your results. Do post again if you think it would be helpful in any way. I’m sure other forum members will post soon in response too.

X Seabreeze 

           

Hi

First a big hug. This is a horrid time to go through but I’m afraid all you can do is wait for the results. You haven’t been told you have breast cancer, only that it’s a possibility, but I would say consultants generally know their stuff ie they don’t usually get it wrong. It sounds like a clumsy way of saying ‘I’m not sure and I’m not ruling it out.’ The ‘small chance that it’s nothing to worry about’ might mean that whatever it is may require surgery. Example: I had an 8cm lump in my early 30s, a fibroadenoma which is basically a benign lump of fibrous tissue which needs to be removed just in case, but it wasn’t breast cancer. That waited another three decades.

You mention you have a family but (can there be a but when you have a family?) you really do need to look after your emotional health right now. And it’s essential to avoid Google like the plague. The material you find online would just fuel your fears. One thing you could do is ring the nurses at the free number above. They are incredibly grounding and reassuring (though don’t expect them to make a diagnosis) and really give you time to air your worries without any judgment.

I wish you all the best with your results. No one expects a cancer diagnosis and it turns your world upside down but we’re all here to tell the tale so it must be manageable xx