Hello, I’m a newbie, 48 no kids. First found a little dimple in right breast (to the right hand side and slightly up towards armpit) in Feb. Left it for a couple of months, no change, could hardly see it. Was away last week and the lighting in the hotel bathroom was very bright. The dimple is now much more obvious. There was no lump in Feb and I can’t feel a lump anywhere, now. Cancer, not breast, runs through my family. I’d appreciate any responses - don’t worry, I’m not the panicking sort…
Thanks, Peggy
Peggy… Make an appt with your Gp to get it checked… All changes should be investigated by your gp and he can decided if its worth getting a breast clinic appt.
Obviously can’t say what it is but you can get cancers without lumps or so deep ha you can’t feel it, but could also be something benign… I had mondors disease and it caused a dimple in my breast.
Fingers crossed its nothing sinister but it does need checked out xxxx
I had a dimple and never did find the lump but it was bc.So best to get it checked! Mine was so tiny - about 8mm and not aggressive and i only had to have a lumpectomy (with a wire localisation so that the surgeon could find it)and then rads - so no mx or chemo - on femara now.I had my dimple for about 6 months.So again …get it checked…soonest is best. best wishes and keep us posted…Mary M
Thanks, Lulu34 and Mgsm.
I saw GP first thing, yesterday and he found a lump and also noticed some discoloration of the skin! I honestly thought I’d been checking my breasts properly, but when I came home, I checked again - using body lotion - and there it was… Husband had even noticed the discoloration, but had said nothing because he didn’t want to worry me! In my defence it is very faint - more like a splash of weak ribena than anything hefty… Anyway, now waiting for appt letter.
Thanks again for replying. I’m so touched that people want to help.
PB x
even more people would have been around before the problems with the website…i’m just about navigating around at the moment. Everyone on here is great so please come back when you have your diagnosis and let us know what occurred… Mary M.
Thanks, Mary, will do.
PBx
Hi peggy, Nothing to add. Just to say I am glad you went to the Gp and you are being referred to have it checked out by the experts. My daughter forund a lump recently. Was referred by her GP to the hospital. She had an ultrasound and a needle biopsy and luckily it turned out to be okay. But as Lulu says all changes should be checked out. Let us know how you get on. Val
Thanks, Val. One good thing is that I’ve decided to ignore all weight loss guidelines and I’m eating and drinking exactly what I want, when I want. I reckon that I can lose weight if I need to, later on… The whisky, crisps, chips, steak and chocolate diet is certainly making me happy!
PBx
peggy glad you went to get it checked… hope your not kept waiting too long for your appt… usually they are pretty quick.
xxxx
Thanks, girls. I’ve still heard nothing, yet. The surgery said that my GP’s letter of referral had been written on Tuesday 8th, ‘actioned’ on Wed 9th and ‘pipelined’ on Thurs 10th. I’ve no idea what any of that means, so if any of you know, please could you tell me?
Thanks for your good thoughts. You’re all so much further on the road than I am and I’m grateful that you’re taking the time to help me.
Px
After calling the helpline, today, - thanks to the lovely lady I spoke to, I can’t remember if you told me your name, but you were SO kind and encouraging - I called the hospital to find out what was happening, because I hadn’t heard anything.
My GP surgery had said to my husband that the letter had been sent on the 9th and that I had been a ‘non urgent referral’.
The GP who saw me said, after I rang again, that my referral letter had been sent on the 8th.
The hospital told me that they’d had two phone calls from the surgery - after my husband had called them this morning and had to use his ‘headmaster’s voice’ to get any response - to find out why a referral which had been faxed on the 10th !!! - had not been acted upon. The hospital had not received said fax. The fax was floating - with my medical info thereon - somewhere in the ether. It could’ve landed at Kwik Fit (who probably would’ve responded pretty quickly!!!) for all I know…
Anyway, the lovely specialist nurse at the hospital, after hearing my story and deciding that the new changes in my breast (much more bruising, new lump and pain/heaviness in upper breast, armpit and upper arm) were ‘throwing red flags around’ said, “I’m not going to wait for a referral. I’m using my own initiative and I’m going to do my best to get you an urgent referral for this Thursday. Call me tomorrow at midday and I’ll let you know what’s happening. You need to be seen and I cannot believe the service that you’ve received. Aside from anything else, NHS guidelines will be broken if you’re not seen before next Tuesday and you would be within your rights to complain VERY loudly!”
I’m so grateful to the lovely nurse I spoke to on the helpline who encouraged me to ‘be awkward’ and I want to encourage everyone out there to be as awkward as they can be. Don’t wait too long, don’t think “Oh, I’ll just wait to hear.” If it’s taking too long, or if your symptoms are changing rapidly, be brave. Please. You never know what may have happened to your referral letter.
Px
Hi Peggy
I just wanted to say I had “dimpling” in my left breast and went to the doctor in July. He examined me and said it was fine. I then went back six weeks ago (to a different doctor) and was referred immediately to the breast clinic and was seen within 6 days. I could not really feel any lump myself.
I was diagnosed more or less on that first appointment although not officially until Friday 13th. Mine was early stage and not very big and a grade two. I have since had a lumpectomy and my lymph nodes were clear.
My treatment so far has been great. I am sorry yours seems to have been a bad experience up to now. I am currently having chemo (started today). They have said mine was not very aggressive and the time delay from July would not have made much difference.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you and hope you are seen tomorrow.
Alesha
Thanks, Alesha. Fancy being diagnosed on Friday 13th! You poor thing.
As it turned out, there were no appts available, tomorrow, so I do have to wait until Tuesday. However, I don’t have to have a physical examination when I turn up at the Women’s Suite. I just register and then go straight to radiography for mammo, US and poss FNA. Then I’ll hang around for the preliminary results. Thanks for telling me your story. Although it sounds strange, the idea that it might be a slow growing cancer is rather hopeful to me.
Please keep in touch, if you want to. I’ll send good thoughts in your direction - and to everyone else who’s been helping me over the last week or so.
Px
Hi PeggyB
Sorry to hear you have to hang on until Tuesday. They examined me at the breast clinic, (I cannot believe the amount of people who have seen my boobs)! Then I had mammogram, US and FNA. I will keep my fingers crossed for you let me know how it goes.
Alesha x
Well, I went to the clinic, today and had a mammogram and an ultrasound. The Dr who did the ultrasound was a real sweetheart and explained everything that he was seeing. Even I noticed, before he told me, my lymph node and it seemed a little larger than I would have expected. Upshot: not breast cancer in any shape or form. Lymph node swollen but they don’t quite know why and I’ve to go back in two months. The slight oedema is because of this and they’re hoping that it’ll have sorted itself out. The dimple is due to fibrosis ( my mother has this). The discoloration is linked to the swollen lymph node and that’s another reason to go back. I’m a little worried about the lymph node. Because cancer runs through my family, I’m wondering if it’s something like NHL starting in the boob. I think I’ll go back to my own GP and have a quiet word with him about it. What’s everyone else’s opinion?
Thanks for being so kind and supportive, I really appreciate it.
Px
Peggy thats good news… If you dont feel happy… Why not contact the clinic dr again and ask him to explain anything you dont understand. Or hopfully you can get some reassurance from your gp. Xxx
Thanks, Lulu. I saw the practice nurse, yesterday and she’d had exactly the same thing happen to her a few years ago. She said that it tends to last about 3 months and then calm down. Hers came back a couple of years later, just as before. She thinks it’s v positive that I’m going back to the clinic just to check things out in two months.
Thanks again for all your support.
Ps
Hi Mary M, I have a dimple under my right breast, at 6 o’clock. I saw 3 GP and they all said that it is nothing to worry about. Was sent to an ultrasound and they found a small cyst, 6 mm in the area. The dimple is abou 1 cmm. I asked my regular GP to send me to a mammogram. I am 34, no history of BC in fam. Where was your dimple located? Was there any other sign? Skin thickening, redness? I know that you said that there was no lump. I am just very, very worried.