Last year (Sept) I had a small lump and after mammogram and ultrasound it was decided I had an increase in glandular tissue / fibrous changes. I was told it would most likely increase over time and to keep an eye on it.
This summer I noticed a bigger ‘patch’ of hardening tissue which seemed to be in a different place. By the time I got in at the doctor and had 3 appointments for consultant, mammogram and ultrasound with biopsy we’ve got to here. I get my results this Friday.
I am terrified that this was actually cancer all along and that I’ve left it growing for a year without getting it checked. I can make all the excuses in the world about family life and other priorities but in truth it’s more that I have so many other health problems I don’t really think this hit my radar.
Now I have a very large lump, nipple changes and pain. Oh my god, what have I done?! I’ve just looked at survival rates etc for late stage diagnosis, average 3 years??? I’m terrified now of leaving my kids who both have anxiety disorders and my eldest (17 and preparing for uni) is Autistic too.
I’m not sure there’s much people can say to reassure me to be honest but I just had to vent somewhere so thank you so much for that.
Welcome to the forum . I’m sorry you are having such a worrying time . Lots of us have been there and understand how frightening it is . If you read the threads in this section of the forum you will see the vast majority of people reporting back that the changes they’ve experienced no matter how alarming are not cancer .
You have not ignored your “ lump “ you got it checked out throughly a year ago , I could be wrong but I don’t think most clinics will repeat mammograms within 6 months of you being seen so you probably wouldn’t have been seen again much more quickly than you have . Most breast cancers grow very slowly over years so you will find that Consultants are not too concerned about a delay of a few months when it comes to treatment even though that seems like a very long time to those being treated .
When you. mention late stage breast cancers I think you are referring to cancers that have spread to other parts of the body - even if this was the case I believe the figures you have found on Google will be years out of date as there have been major advances over the last few years in treating secondary breast cancer. Please try to stay off Google as the information you find there will not help you work out what is going on and will only scare you witless ,probably unnecessarily. Best wishes Jill
I’m sorry you find yourself in this position. It’s not like you’ve neglected yourself or gone into denial that there’s anything worth checking - you’ve more or less stayed on the ball. The fact is, breast consultants don’t often get it wrong so you might just hold onto the fact that it was fibrous tissue last year. The next fact is that benign conditions like fibroadenomas constitute almost 90% of referrals to breast clinics. It’s very common. I had a huge lump removed in the 1980s, just gristly tissue. Another fact is that most breast cancer cells don’t replicate that quickly. There are some that do, fiercely aggressive, but most are actually quite sluggish so, IF your hardening tissue is breast cancer, that doesn’t mean it has spread anywhere else. You don’t mention if you have any other symptoms like fatigue or breathlessness, pain (not in breast) etc. You’d have experienced some, if not all of these, if breast cancer had spread and wasn’t being treated.
Jill is completely right. Google is NOT our friend. Each breast condition, each breast cancer is unique. Google is generic and has no filters. You may get referred to a research document written 30 years ago. You may get inaccurate information, not applicable to your condition. I know it’s tempting to look for reassurance but Google is not the answer. There are helplines, like the nurses’ number top right (which I cannot recommend highly enough), there are information booklets from, say Macmillan - but why jump to breast cancer as your diagnosis? If your breast consultant mentioned it, fair enough, but this is just you in panic mode. The other thing is that statistics are only a very rough guide. We are not statistics; we are the individuals that make up the statistics. So you have to bear in mind so many different factors that, in the end, render the statistics nonsense. I found out my prognosis by accident (I have never asked). I’m already 12 months past and still going as strong as daily chemo allows!!
Virtually every one of us has felt the same sense of panic. You have a ‘long’ wait till Friday. I’d say the best thing you can do is to start building up your resilience by practising mindfulness, meditation, running, baking - whatever distracts you. I’ve plugged into free videos on YouTube by Progressive Hypnosis almost daily for the past 4 years and they have served me well, teaching me diaphragmatic breathing and meditation that gives a welcome respite to anxiety. I’m heading there in a minute! They deserve a medal lol. Don’t fall for the ‘positive mindset’ unless it makes sense to you - generally it makes people who are panicking feel they are doing it wrong and making things worse. You feel what you need to feel. Soon things will fall into place and your perspective will change. ‘Positive’ can make you feel better but it doesn’t actually cure cancer so…Go with what is right for you.
Maybe you won’t let go of your fears until you’ve spoken to your breast consultant - that’s always your choice - but, after a difficult few weeks, you have vented. That’s a good start.