Hi all,
Last year I was sent via the usual urgent referral as I had a large palpable lump to my breast. To be honest, I thought the urgent bit was a waste of time as I went there, they had a feel and sent me for mammo and ultrasound which took weeks, but I digress on what I feel is a stupid filler for NHS waiting times!
My ultrasound and mammo were fine apparently and I also had a needle biopsy where she didn’t actually manage to aspirate any fluid, just a bit of blood, but she was “reassured” it wasn’t cancer. That was that and I was discharged. Ever since I’ve been rather aware of my breasts and my rather rubbish health, although I put my fatigue down to my thyroid problems…
Anyway, in the last few weeks I noted a mild discharge on my bra, both nipples, easily replicated with an erm squeeze and the cyst I was diagnosed with has doubled in size towards my armpit and is not in the slightest painful.
I’m in healthcare, so I’m not silly and know that I have to make an appt with the doctors asap, I just can’t be doing with travelling miles again for another doctor to feel my breasts and suggest I need investigations. I also feel like if they said it was a cyst, its a cyst and I’m totally wasting their time and I’ll end up referred for no reason. Logically of course, my health is crap so I know *something* is up, even if its not that.
Has anyone avoided the urgent referral nonsense and at 37 got straight to the mammo?
To be honest, I’ve been using this travelling miles for an exam as a reason to put of what I know is a good bloody reason to go back to the doctors, particularly when I wasn’t conveniced with the dx a year ago :S I’m just bottling it I think, knowledge is a bad thing.
Someone kick some sense into me!
Claire I really think you should go back to doc and insist on a referral, I think they have to see you within 14 days , better safe than sorry, Hopefully its nothing to worry about but consider yourself kicked !!Please seek advice.
Jean.x
kicking u again!! get it checked out. alex xx
completely agree, start the process today. Probably all a waste of time, but I was told yesterday my cyst had a cancer in, and so I am glad I acted quickly.
I told the GP receptionist that I had a lump and skin puckring and she went into ovedrive mode and got me to see the gp straight away, and the gp got me an urgent referral a week later
Hopefully your discharging nipples mean nothing ( I am not an expert) but it is one of the boxes that they tick to get you seen quickly. Do some research to see if any of your local hospitals have a one stop breast clinic,then at least if you have to travel far you can get results quickly. You can choose where you are referred to so have the information of where you would rather be seen when you go into the gp
Dont delay, ring the doctors today.
Consider yourself truly kicked up the …
Come on - you know this is very iffy and the sooner you get to the bottom of what is going on the better.
Discharge is never good. Palpable lump is never good.
Sadly this forum has often been filled with stories of misdiagnosis - of women who have been made to feel like timewasters and are finally dx-ed once it has spread.
Go to GP today. Get referred today and get the full monty done at the breast clinic asap. And good luck!
Hi Clairemacl,
I too was diagnosed with just a cyst Jan. 2010.
A few weeks later I had discharge from the nipple which I put down to fluid from the cyst leaking from the needle hole.
Layer on that year my nipple started to change direction but I was busy with other health issues at the time and having been told that I have ‘Busy Breasts’ full of cysts I did not do anything until my call back for yearly mammogram in Jan. 2011.
Again, the mammo did not show anything but because of the turning nipple they did an ultrasound which showed a suspicious area which proved to be cancer.
I am now dealing with a grade three multifocal BC with heavy spread into lymph nodes (21/23).
I really don’t want to frighten you but I STRONGLY advise that you get this checked out again as my biggest regret is not going back to the docs much earlier. It’s really been the hardest thing to deal with in all of this and I will regret it for all the time I have left…
Good luck,
K x
Thanks for the replies!
I’m on nights, but I will be sorting that appt asap, I do realise its important, I think I had to write it down here to completely justify it. I can see you guys understand and I hope I AM wasting my GP’s and the breast clinics time!
I’ll let you know how it goes x
claire i hope it is nothing to worrie about but my cyst came up over night and after 2 biopsy with aided scan i was dx with having breast cancer my sister went and daughter went with in weeks of me and found they only had cyst so you carnt leave things better safe than sorry
all the best maz xxx
Thank you all for kicking me! It took me a few weeks due to rota problems and nerves, but finally got to the doctors and he looked suitably anxious when he felt the lump 
My appointment at breast clinic is tomorrow morning and even though I’ve been through it before and told all is fine, I’m nervous as hell! I feel like they may have made the wrong diagnosis last year, I may be wrong, I hope! I measured my what was small lump and it is now 6cm by 4cm, so its not small by any means and feels like a golf ball, although it does move a bit.
Hopefully I’ll be as determined tomorrow as I am now but I’m thinking now that even if mammo and ultrasound are fine, in view of the size, I’m getting it removed (even though I hate the idea of a scar) as at least it will be biopsied then and I can stop obsessing on the worst case scenario.
I just didn’t want to do this again, the not knowing is killing me!
Good luck for today clairemacl.
I’m thinking of you.
Let us know how you get on.
Kate x
yeh! everything crossed for you
Hi claire so pleased you went for it & like you say been there done that but it doesn’t make it any easier, I can understand how you feel from the last experience … IF they don’t offer a biopsy may I surgest you demand one regardless atleast that way they will have a propper sample & all being well you’ll feel more reasured one way or the other.
All the best keep us posted
Mekala x
Hi Claire the not knowing is worse. Glad you are investigating. And no its not a waste everything they look at improves the service for us bc people. Good luck wishing you well Chris x
Well done for doing what you didn’t want to do.
Everything crossed that all goes well for you.
xx