Hope you are all doing ok. I went to the GP about a month ago with pain in what I thought was either my breast or my armpit (I couldn’t tell), having cancelled once before because I felt dumb. The GP found a lump and referred me to a breast clinic. This took me by surprise as I hadn’t felt anything, and I am what I perhaps arrogantly considered to be quite young at 26. She assured me it was most likely a cyst and that the referral was procedure.
At my appointment last week, the first doctor I saw told me no way was it a cyst but likely an enlarged gland and the pain was something to do with my period (despite me having had it for nearly three months, as non-cyclical pain). I was given a leaflet on breast pain and the doctor seemed a little defensive when I asked questions. I then immediately had an ultrasound which showed a mass. A consultant then came in to take a biopsy which again I was really not expecting (and the mega bruising and stitches it has left behind is in itself upsetting).
They are fairly positive it’s a fibroadenoma. However, this would be the third thing they thought it could be and I guess my anxious brain is reluctant to believe them. Mostly, I am a little scared because I have just received my follow up letter which mentioned cortical thickening of my lymph node (but no other lymph node enlargement). No one mentioned this to me at my appointment.
I realise no one can give me exact advice on my particular circumstances, but - would they have mentioned this at the time if they thought it was important? I’m no expert but I know that cortical thickening is a bad thing. This has all taken me incredibly by surprise - I am trying not to worry people around me but I myself haven’t experienced a scare like this before. I am also aware that a lot of other users will be having much worse experiences than this, so thank you very much for reading and any advice you give.
It’s always shocking, at any age, to to told something is amiss in the breast because of course our minds leap to breast cancer. I’m guessing you’ve done a bit of googling to shape your fears as to what cortical thickening means - when ideally the person you should ask is your breast consultant. However, most of us miss the chance to ask the questions we need answers to.
Of course none of us can tell you what is amiss with your breast. What I can tell you is that up to 90% of referrals to breast clinics turn out to be benign conditions and not breast cancer. I had a fibroadenoma in my 20s too. I ended up having it removed, which was a shock to the system. My breast cancer came 40 years later. Fibroadenomas are very common. There are, too, other explanations for cortical thickening but, again, I’m guessing your brain halted at the word metastasis.
Sometimes it’s not possible for a consultant to tell you everything in one go. The biopsy (yes, a real shock first time - how can they be so brutal!) results provide information later so it is normal for diagnoses to change almost weekly as new information is received. So that too is not something to worry about. It’s also common for different practitioners to have different opinions until the facts from the biopsy and scans come through - so try not to worry. It’s too easy, but very painful, to catastrophise at this point but you need to trust the specialists to know what they are doing.
It might be a good idea to ring the nurses’ helpline at the number above. It’s a brilliant service. The nurses know their stuff and are sympathetic about our fears - I’m sure they could explain cortical thickening to you, for example. Meantime, please resist the temptation to use Google to learn more about your breast. It’s often outdated information, always out of context as each patient is unique - and it doesn’t take into consideration our vulnerabilities. I doubt it would recognise an emotion if it was thrown at it! You need experienced human beings to guide you through this minefield of possibilities.
Remember - 90%. The odds are in your favour. Let’s hope for a good outcome. Try taking Arnica 30, a homoeopathic remedy that’s brilliant for bruising and its pain. Arnica cream would be too painful to apply I suspect. Wishing you all the best xx