Hello,I appreciate there isn’t much advice that you can give me at this stage but I really feel like I need to vent. I’m a 26 mother of a two year old and a week ago I found a lump in my breast. It seems to be firm and reasonably mobile (moves side to side but not up and down if that makes sense).
I visited my GP who told me it didn’t feel sinister but it is not quite on my breast - she referred to it as the auxillary breast tissue I believe - and referred me to the breast clinic here. Unfortunately I’m on holiday next week which is the only day with appointments currently showing on nhs choose and book - when I called them up they told me that my GP had asked for me to be seen urgently (is this normal for someone under 35) and advised me to contact the doctors office. I did and they were not able to find me any appointments sooner with another hospital so I just have to wait and hope something is available the week after.
I probably wouldn’t be quite so stressed about this, given the odds in someone my age, if it wasn’t for the fact I’ve recently been diagnosed with two rare syndromes which have led to me having a lot of time off work over the past year and I was finally starting to feel like I was getting my life back on track. I don’t really feel like luck is on my side right now. I’m also now convinced that the lump is getting bigger but I can’t be sure - maybe I’m just finding it easier to locate.
Thanks for reading - I think just writing it down somewhere helped a little.
Sorry, I can imagine how anxious you are. Urgent is not unusual for a younger women and probably means your gp wants you seen sooner rather than later. ( non urgent could be a v long wait and v stressful) it would be unusual for your lump to e cancer at your age, but not impossible so you are right to get it thoroughly checked out.
I hope you get an appointment soon so you can get your mind put to rest. Sorry about your recent diagnosis. I hope that this turns out to be a false alarm as you have enough on your plate. I know it is easier said that done, but try to enjoy your holiday, it sounds like you deserve it.
Deb has summed it up pretty well. ‘Urgent’ means ‘give this person an appointment within a couple of weeks’ and has to do with guidelines for tests and treatments.
It must be hard for you to put this on one side in the circumstances, but try to think of other things, such as your holiday, in the meantime.
The majority of lumps are not cancer, but they all need to be checked.
Hi lumpy and bumpy sorry to hear you are distressed at the moment the waiting game is the most difficult. I know in my local area any breast lumps are urgently referred to the breast clinic as it is they who diagnose the problems ie cysts etc. I guess they have tosay urgent as they cant say for sure what it is on iniital inspection. If you find it difficult to wait it may be worth seeing if you could see a consultant privately for at least the initial consultation prob around £150 but might put your mind to rest sooner. I couldnt get an appointment for 3 weeks and didnt want to wait so went to a private clinic who could see me 3 days after I initially contacted them which was great. It is probably nothing but I appreciate your concerns and have my fingers crossed that everything goes ok for you. PS keep on their backs for an appointment if they dont come o you. x
Thank you so much for your support and kind comments. I have just checked today and appointments are now available for Thursday 26th May. I did consider going privately but I couldn’t really justify spending the money for something which, in all likelihood at my age, is probably not breast cancer. Hopefully the holiday will take my mind off it - I keep switching between feeling like a complete hypochondriac to feeling terrified at my little boy growing up without knowing me. I promise to update you with the results. Thanks again.
i am also waiting to go to the breast clinic to get a lump checked out. I cannot believe it is going to be bad news. I have done lots of internet research and found a completely good benign match for my symptoms, and of course several realy bad ones.
I think about the appointment all the time. Just as i would about a job interview, but oddly enough I am not worried. as i said I cannot beleive something bad will happen.
But I know that if i was freaking out, nothing anyone could say would be able to calm me down. Logic can tell you not to worry, but emotions rule all.
You can only get through the time between now and the results the best way you can. here is wishing you a bit of personal strenght,and good luck with the results
PLEASE DON’T GOOGLE! You can end up scaring yourself witless. Stick to reputable sites like this one, Macmillan, Breakthrough, Cancer Research and that sort of thing.
Give the helpline a ring, they are terrific, particularly while the worries are biting at your heels.