Not even sure its a lump now

Ok, here’s whats going on with my ever changing lump!
Thursday - prominent, hard, itchy nipple
Thursday night docs - he thinks its a blocked milk duct and says leave it for 2 weeks, i say no, give him big doeful eyes and he gets me a referral @ the clinic.
Since been slowly shrinking, keep losing it and then refinding it
Today - has been lost more than its been found, my husband couldn’t even feel it this morning (he’s been practicing playing doctor all week!!!)
I have my referral at the Breast Clinic on Tuesday, but i am serioulsy beginning to doubt whether i will be wasting their time. I don’t want to take up a valuable appt with an ever disappearing and changing lump and the doctor to think i’m a complete fraud when he has trouble finding anything at all!
I think i may be going slowly round the twist!!!
Claudia
xxx

Hi Claudia

I was a little like that, but mine didn’t feel like a lump. It felt more like muscle/tissue.
Some days I couldn’t feel it, and then others I made it sore with feeling it too much.

I say best to get it checked anyway, and at least it will put your mind at rest.

Good luck and let us know how you go on.

Take care

Angie

Can i ask what your outcome was Angie?
xx

Dear Claudia

If you feel that you would like further advice and support please don’t hesitate to call our freephone confidential helpline on 0808 800 6000 which is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm.

Kind regards
Sam
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care

Hi Claudia
I was checked by a junior doctor first who said the same that it didn’t feel like a lump, but he would send me for an ultrasound scan to check it. There wasn’t any need for a mammogram.

I had an ultrasound and the radiologist said he wanted a mammogram doing.
Alarm bells started to ring then, but I was sent for a biopsy and sent home for 2 days before I got results.

Its was cancer!!!

It took me weeks to get my head around it as I don’t have a family history and am 35.
Then suddenly I found a strength from somewhere, and buckled down to what had to be done.

I had a lumpectomy and node clearance, but they weren’t sure of enough margin around so then had mastectomy and reconstruction.
6 FECs followed but no radiotherapy.
I am now on 2 years of zoladex injections to shut my ovaries down.

I have everything crossed for you, and a lot of breast lumps are nothing to do with cancer.

Good luck

Angie
x

oooooooohh bugger, i’d best go then!!! And here was me convincing myself that cancer probably didn’t shrink or move etc etc!
xxxx

Hi Claudia

Sorry - I didn’t mean to frighten you.
I personally think it is best to get it checked to put your mind at rest.

Lets hope it will be nothing as I am sure many cases are.

Take care

Angie
xx

Hello Claudia

Just thought i’d add my input.
Years ago I had a small lump in my breast which seemed to keep disapearing. I actually marked it with a cross with a black marker pen as it kept disapearing so I could point it out to my gp.
Anyway, my gp referred me to the breast clinic and by the time I got there it definately had disapeared upon inspection by them. I felt very embarrassed that I had wasted their time, but they assured me I hadn’t and I had done the right thing in keeping the appointment and getting it checked out.
You need to still keep your appointment and get it checked out even if its to put your mind at rest, they won’t think that you are wasting their time, they treat everybody the same.

Good luck on Tuesday.

Debs
xxx

Hi Claudia

if you read my posts the first gp I saw on Monday told me it was my rib, the 2nd on Wednesday said yes it was my rib with a bony growth and I need a bone scan. So dont be afraid of going to your referral better to be a little embarrased than to ignore it.

Love lots

Danni xxxxxx

Hi Claudia,

I agree totally with what the others are saying, you are not wasting anyones time. These things need to be checked out thouroughly. Mine kept disappearing even when it was an inch big (and I have small breasts!!) Sometimes when I went for appnts they could find it, then they couldn’t. A male doc a few weeks ago told me I was feeling a rib (my new lump)… silly man, then a female gp had a feel a couple of weeks later and found it and referred me straight away. She did say it could be scar tissue from my lumpectomy, but was unlikely due to the size and feel.

I will go and will probably be told theres nothing to worry about and that all is fine (thats what I keep telling myself anyway)

May I ask how old you are?? I’m 26 abd this is my 2nd lump.

Please go for your appnt, and dont feel guilty if its good news, you are doing the right thing.

Lots of love,

Heidi xxx

Im 32 and am absolutely sh*t scared. My OH says i shouldn’t be on the site as every time i come off it i’m hysterical and want to commit suicide
I range from telling myself its nothing to thinking that i have lung cancer too (I am having pains in my right lung which won’t go away - could be because i’m stressing myself out tho)
I am very pessimistic at the best of times and can suffer depression, so am hoping to God its nothing as i’m not sure i could carry on
My appt is Tuesday @ 10.10
xx

Hi Claudia,

when I first found this site my boyfriend strongly advised me to stay away!! I was forever going on here and coming off in tears. He was working away at the time and I was forever ringing him in absolute bits and he was always had to pick up the pieces!

Anyway, since I was diagnosed with bc in March, age 34, this site has been my lifeline! Whilst my OH is not too keen on me using it quite as much as I do he now totally understands how important it is for me. Bless him, he’s a good 'un.

I wish you well for your appt on Tues. I will be thinking of you and keeping my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well. Remember, if the news is not so good then we are all here for you and will totally understand how you will be feeling. You could carry on, even though I don’t know you I am sure of that! We all feel despair at times but somehow you do find the inner strength to fight this awful disease, honest!!

Take care and keep in touch,

Kelly
-x-

Kelly
can i ask how your lump was and what your diagnois and prognosis were and how you’re getting on?
Sorry be nosey!!!
claudia
xx

Claudia

If your lump is going up and down that is a good sign. Malignant tumours don’t tend to do that. Mine fluctuated very slightly but could always be felt and eventually could also be seen.

Please don’t feel that you are wasting anyone’s time. The breast clinic can only see so many women in a day - it’s not like they will have to work overtime just to fit you in! If it turns out to be nothing you will be in and out in a flash and you will soon forget any embarassment you felt.

Good luck for Tuesday.

Love

Lola x

update on Larry the Lump (as i have now christened him) - he’s huge today and not painful at all

Hi Claudia,

no worries at all, ask away! My tumour was 4cm. I had always checked myself regularly and one day there was nothing and a week later there it was, huge!! I could feel it quite distinctly and could actually see it as it distorted the shape of my boob. It was not at all painful but also not at all characteristic of the ‘type’ of pea sized lump I’d always been told to look out for! My boyfriend and I were convinced it was some sort of cyst, because it got so big so quickly and also due to my age.

The tumour was grade 3 and I had lymph node involvement. However, I have had many scans to check for further spread, and whilst I know that these are by no means 100% reliable, so far no further spread has been detected, and that’ll do for me for now!!! I started chemo in May, then in Oct its onto rads and hormones and also Herceptin. I am not fully aware of my prognosis, although everyone caring for me has always been more than optimistic and positive throughout. I daren’t ask to be honest anyway, might not wanna hear the answer. Anyway, statistics is prob all they would be able to give me and they can be wrong!!

I hope all goes well on tues and ‘larry the lump’ is found to be nothing sinister. Take care and be sure to let us know how you get on,

Kelly
-x-

I just don’t know how you are all soooooooooooo positive - you’re all bloody amazing to say the least Kelly!
I have now become a 100000000% jibbering wreck and have managed to convince myself that in my appt tomorrow at the Breast Clinic, they will tell me i have about 2 weeks to live!! Could somebody please slap me!!!
xxxxxxxx

Hi Claudia

Slap!

I think we all felt the same when we go to the breast clinic first time. We’re all tense, nobody speaks, and they never seem to run to time.

Hope all goes well and feel free to moan about anything to us.

Good luck I’ll think about you tomorrow. My daughter has her appointment at 10.30.

Marilyn x

ClaudiaB

You have every right to be a jibbering wreck, (consider yourself slapped, if you think that will help). Personally, I think we all imagine the worse, then if it’s good news it’s a real bonus, and if the news is not so good, you’ve got a great support system on this site. So good luck for tomorrow, and let us know how you get on.

Take Care

Maggie x

Exactly! The way i’ve been looking at it, is if they’ll tell me bad news, i’m prepared (in theory) and if its good, then all the better.
Lump today has changed from a round pea just north of my nipple, to rather more flat and big like a broadbean spreading right under my nipple - good its like having a vegetable garden in my left breast!!
Am going to spend the evening getting well and truly p*ssed - more medicinal reasons of course :wink:
xx