Hiya All, I’m a 40 yr old mum of 5, oldest will be 20 in April and youngest 6 in April.
About 3 weeks ago I woke up and my left boob was sore (not the type of sore I associate with the monthly cycle) Gradually throughout the day the soreness eased off and I was left with a mild burning type of sore, thought nothing of it and went about my day. I went up to bed as usual, left my husband a note to come join me (he fell asleep in the chair downstairs). As I lay down, the pain suddenly reminded what i’d been ignoring all day. I had a feel and discovered a lump, not a huge lump. I went back downstairs, woke my husband up and told him, he said to make a doctors appointment in the morning and cuddled me to sleep.
Next morning I phoned to make an emergency appointment (usually the only way you are likely to be seen at our doctors in a reasonable time) … Managed to be seen later that morning by the practice nurse. She asked about my periods etc, had a feel of the lump, told me it felt like thickening of the breast tissue and to come back and see her when I have seen through my next period. (My period had finished 3 days prior to seeing the nurse) … I feel I must explain my periods have been somewhat strange over the past 5 months or so. I have the contraceptive implant in my arm (due to be removed end of June this year) and this is the 5th implant between having my last 2 children. I have never really had a proper period in all the times i’ve had the implant, nothing from one month to the next and when I did see a period it was very light spotting, so light I never needed to worry about needing sanitary protection. Well about 5 months ago that all changed, I woke up to a full on period, heavy, clots that looked black, stomach cramps and feeling cranky (was like being a teen again). It lasted for a good 7 days, not really letting up on flow then suddenly stopping. 2 weeks later, another period, full on like the last one. This continued to the point that in some months I would see 3 periods in 1 month. I went to the docs and he prescribed me tablets to help decreased flow, cramps and frequency, which to a degree worked, the flow is not as heavy, still black looking clots, still lasting between 6 and 8 days at a time, still having periods between periods.
Any way period history aside, after a few days of all kinds of things going through my head, I felt the need to make an appointment with my actual doctor. So I phoned up, made a general appointment to see my doctor and to my surprise they had one available a week after seeing the nurse initially. In that time the mild burning faded away but kind of left with a feeling of something scratching, jabbing, pricking inside my boob, it isn’t alway noticable but is there it just feels different, kind of like I don’t notice I have a right boob but notice my left is certainly there because I can just feel it there, like a weird sensation.
The day came to see the doctor, I explained that I had seen the nurse the week before and that she though it felt like thickening more than a lump and to come back after my next period has concluded. (I was actually mid-way through my period when I seen the doctor) he asked a few questions, had a feel. I told him, its strange, I said I can’t really feel a lump when I lay down. He found it straight off and said I can, its right there. He asked me if i’ve had lumps before, I said only a cyst in my late teens and mastitis several times whilst pregnant and after pregnancy. I told him thats what the lump felt like inially like very early stage of mastitis but it wasn’t intense burning that i’ve had with the start of mastits before. He asked me if the lump had changed size etc, I said it didn’t feel like it had but felt like it had changed oriantation or shape (it was facing downwards 1st (tube type shape, kind of like a elongated air bubble in a hose pipe) it kind of feels sideways now, still in the same area, kind of feels more defined still tube shape that comes to an end with the odd nobble either next to it or joined) … He said that needs checking out and referred me to the breast clinic, and told me to make sure I come back and see him as I was leaving.
3 days passed…
