i wonder if there is a diffence in age to how people found their lump? do more older women find it in the shower/ by accident and younger women find it on routine tests?
I religiously checked mine as I am too young for mammograms (39) and had a friend die from BC when she was 31. Also my riding instructor died from it and another friend has secondaries. Tends to make you rather paranoid, with good cause in my case as although it was a large tumour it was found early.
I held back from commenting in this thread as it was about younger women. I am 55 so just fall into the âolderâ age bracket.
Always checked my breasts in the shower, although never been told to check the armpit area.
My problem started with occasional shooting pains in my breast. I was concerned and always checked myself out every time I had a pain but never found anythingâŠuntil one day when I felt the pain and put my hand down against my breast and felt a feeling of âfirmnessâ that wasnât there before. I went home and stripped off before a mirror and when I held my arm above my head I could see a crease below my nipple that I had never noticed before.
I showed my OH and he couldnât believe that he hadnât noticed it before, but I think that was because it hadnât presented itself before!
Fast forward to today two months on and two chemo sessions done with. I will beat this - I will!
Hi, I havenât bumped this up for ages but wondered if anyone new/who hasnât previously posted would like to write their story?
Thanks
Vickie
Ps anyone can post, not just whippersnappers
Hi
Mine was found by a routine mammogram, my second. I am 53 and it was a total shock as I check my breasts regularly and couldnât feel anything or had any symptoms. I felt very guilty for not feeling it but my BCN said it wasnât palpable. After 2 biopsies I was diagnosed with IDC 10mm, US suggested no lymph node involvement, however after having a WLE and SNB it was found that one of the two nodes removed contained microscopic cells also lump was measured at 9mm and only grade 1. I am due to have a partial axillary clearance on 7th October with probable chemo and rads plus 5 years tamoxifen. Just want to get on with treatment, hate all this waiting.
Hugs to all
Sorry posted twice
Hi sunshine
Donât worry Iâve deleted the duplicate post.
best wishes
June, moderator
guilty of not regularly checking breasts but at 41 with no family history didnt think it would happen to me! wrong! applying body lotion one day and felt what i thought was a HUGE lump at approx 6 oclock on left breast.honestly had not felt it before. slept on it deciding it was probably due to being just before period. next day i just knew it wasnt right for me. gp same day,breast clinic 3 days later. 1.8mm idc. no node involvement.clear margins. 25 rads, 5 yrs tam. seems only yesterday although was only dx in may.feel great now but will be so more breast aware!!! alex xxx
forgot to mention it was grade 2 x
I found a lump shortly after a miscarriage. Had an itch and as i scratched i found a lump and thought what the ⊠went to docs and was told it could just be hormonal change in the breast due to the pregnancy but to go back in couple of weeks if still there.
Obviously it didnt go away so got referral to breast clinic.
Was dx 16th august with grade3 1.8x1.5 tumour
Interesting thread. Iâm an âinbetweenyâ - too old to be a âyounger womanâ and too young for screening; designated âyoungâ by nmy consultants as I was pre-menopausal and under 50⊠there seem rather a lot us on here!
I was reasonably breast aware and checked fairly regularly. Can honestly say that it was max three weeks from checking that I found my lump inadvertently. One night lying in bed, rolled over and thought,âouch whatâs thatâ? Felt a lump that seemed to have come from nowhere, and was, so I reckoned, about 2cm. Saw GP straight away (2hrs afetr phoning) who said it was mobile and smoooth but would refer me anyway⊠the rest is history. Turned out to be 8cm x 6 cm (yes, I do mean cm) tumour at the time I stared neoadjuvant chemo, and when I said to my consultant I thought itâd had grown between diagnosis and starting treatment he said âyour instincts are goodâ. Grade 3 stage 3 nodes 3⊠so everything thrown at it. Now just over a year on from dx feel great and moving on⊠still too young for screening, still too old to be young⊠but above all glad to still be here!
I confess I never bothered checking my breasts. My husband found my lump back in January. I went to the GP and she thought it was hormonal and asked me to come back in 3 months. At 33 with no family history I wasnât worried so didnât go back until June. It took 3 biopsies and a lumpectomy for them to finally diagnose me in August with a grade 3 carcinoma and high grade DCIS but fortunately not spread. Just had the mx and awaiting everything else
Lizzy
MY lump was between my breast and armpit, and i found it beacause it was cold!.. It was Jan and I was ready for bed and as it was cold I sat with my arms crossed over my chest and hands tucked under my armpits⊠the rest as they say is history!
I had a lump investigated 2006. Was diagnosed with a fibroadenoma which was slightly calcified but not cancerous. I was told to go away and not to worry, that it might increase or decrease in size, and that they were not usually removed unless causing a problem.
Christmas 2010 I was aware of more bulk in breast, stupidly assumed it was fibro again growing. Only when it got to April and it was obvious by bulk/ pain that it had grown significantly did I contact gp.
Appt came May 2nd, Breast clinic not until 19 July and then told prob nothing so another two week delay for biopsy.
Guess what? Now had three fibro and 2 cysts, the smallest fibro cancerous. I had to fight with the surgeon to take everything out at WLE, but he did it! Did not want to make same error in future.
I was breastfeeding my youngest son who was 5 months at the time, this was just before christmas 2009, whilst he was feeding I could feel a âdraggingâ sensation in my left breast. I put my hand to where the lump was, it was about the size of a 50p piece in dia, but thought that it was just a blocked duct due to the breastfeeding and tried massaging it to relieve the blockage. I checked on the internet where it said that bc whilst breastfeeding was rare so I ruled it out and continued with the massaging until the following July when I decided that enough was enough and I needed to get it sorted whilst still ruling out bc.
Went to breast clinic at hospital at the end of July, mammogram, ultrasound and core biopsy done on the day, surgeon told me I have a benign lump that had to come out, still in denial about bc. Dx beginning of August was totally shocked, I was 39 just weeks off my 40th. Surgeon did SN biopsy a week or so later then in Sept 2010 I had my mx with reconstruction, just before I went for my surgery I was told that my nodes were clear and that it hadnât spread. Reconstruction didnât work and had to have implant removed 6 weeks later. I mourned the loss of my breast for a long time but Iâm in a much better place now, things could have been so much worse, i have so much to be grateful for and 4 beautiful children to stick around for and Iâll be doing it proudly with one breast!!
I noticed a strange area in the shower and on further investigation found what felt like a huge lump at the time, saw GP next mourning and was diagnosed exactly 2 weeks later. I checked occasionally in the shower, but not often enough and was only 45 so too young for screening.
WLE and SNB on 2nd August and thankfully no node involvement so will be restarting rads when my current infection and wound clears
Anne
Dimpling skin when I lifted my arms to dry my hairâŠno lump I could feel (1.8 by chest wall, 0.6 closeby. Waited to have a period to see if it changedâŠno. Went to GP,âDo you want to be referred?â, âYes pleaseâ said I. Seen 8 weeks later⊠grade 1 multi focal dc.
Ballsed up histology, jumped surgeon. Down for MX and full clearance with 1st surgeon. Ended up with sent biopsy: 4/4 negative, WLE and 3mm clearance. 45 and no family history.
4 years on, mamos tomorrow for annual check⊠down for LD flap tidy up on 12th.
Keep everything crossed girls
Blessing.
Had an ache under right arm pushed it a little then did same with left side where I found a small lumpâŠwent to drsâŠhe said to go back in a month as he thought âhormonalâ (Iâd had a hysterectomy at 39 but had retained my ovaries so had no âcycleâ)âŠwent back GP still said âhormonalâ even though there is family history of BCâŠI continued to mention lump to him for 18mths before he referred meâŠdx with BC at 43âŠgrade 3.
I was called up for early screening not 50 yet, went along and that was that! Thank heavens for early screening, but why oh why arenât we all screened as a matter of routine? I want my daughter screened now I have a feeling I may have a battle on my hands 