Hi all,
Just before Christmas I was referred by my GP to a family history clinic to assess my risk of breast cancer due to my family history.
I got an appointment for January 14th (yesterday), but about 10 days before the appointment I found a lump in my right breast. I went back to my GP and she told me to just go along to the booked appointment since it was within the 2 week wait time and she would send them an extra letter letting them know I now had a lump. I called the hospital up anyway to check I would be able to get the lump checked out in the same appointment and I was told it wouldn’t be a problem and they would be able to do the necessary tests at that appointment.
I went along yesterday only to be told that I was at the wrong clinic to get the tests done! The nurse examined me and said she will book an ultrasound scan appointment for me, and that is about as much as I know. I wasn’t very switched on at the appointment and didn’t ask how long I should expect to wait, kickinh myself for that now! The original referral obviously wasn’t a suspected cancer referral so it wouldn’t have been on a two week pathway, but I have no idea if I’ve now been put on one after being examined by the nurse. I’ve tried calling up the breast clinic department to see if they can shed any light but they don’t seem to be able to.
Naturally I’m pretty anxious and just feeling generally frustrated since I have no idea how long I’m going to have to wait to find out what’s going on! I’m just wondering if anybody has any advice or have been through similar problems that could tell me about their experience?
A bit of background on me - I’m a 29 year old female, no personal history of cancer. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44, had a mastectomy and then got breast cancer again in the same breast (despite the mastectomy) at age 56. My maternal great aunt also had breast cancer. As did two paternal great aunts. I was told at the family history clinic that my risk of breast cancer is no higher than gen pop because they only look at two generations. Although I have a friend who is a genetic counsellor and she believes that because my mum had it twice, and they are most likely separate primary cancers as they were so far apart, that I have a higher risk.
I discovered the lump on January 3rd by accident when scratching. It was about the size of a small marble, hard and doesn’t feel mobile (as far as I can tell, but I could be wrong, the two people who have examined me haven’t mentioned whether it is mobile or not). It doesn’t feel round though, feels more oblong to me. I think it has increased in size slightly since I first found it, but only a little.
Sorry for the essay, I tend to ramble when I’m anxious! I also work in the NHS so I’m used to providing as much information as possible when talking about patients to doctors haha!