Waiting...

Hi everyone, last Thursday I found a lump in my left breast. My husband could feel it too so on Friday I went to the doctor to get it checked. The doctor said she thought it feels like a cyst and I wasn’t to worry but she also referred me to the hospital. The doctor also thought that as I’d got a period due the lump may be hormonal and could disappear once my period started. I had a letter on Monday saying my appointment is on Thursday 25th.
Thing is I’m already off work with anxiety issues and now I’m struggling to decide whether I’m over-reacting to all of this.
I keep trying to remain calm and remember what the doctor said about a cyst but then I’ve read that no one can tell by feeling it and then I feel all panicky again.
My period started on Sunday and the lump’s not gone. I’ve got a week to wait and unsurprisingly my anxiety isn’t going anywhere!
Can the doctor tell if it’s a cyst and how long after a period starts would a lump go down? I know I’m probably asking questions that no one can answer I’m just so worried.
I’ve been reading a lot on here and am reassured by the positivity and I know the odds of it being bc is very low - I guess everyone feels worried before they know for sure?

hi luna
youre doing the right thing, its going to be checked, hopefully nothing to worry about but youre bound to be worrying anyway. the 25th isnt such a long way away in the great scheme of things but its going to feel like ages. the specialist doctors can tell you what the real problem is, gp’s just usually refer to them.
stay on this or the macmillan site, google will fry your brains, too much outdated stuff.
good luck, keep us posted.
angie xx

Thanks Angie, I keep bouncing between extreme anxiety and practical calmness but from reading posts on here I’m seeing that that is normal. I want the 25th to hurry up and never come all at the same time! I did start googling but have stopped as there’s some scary stuff out there! I’ve decided to stick with the info on here and try to resist looking at anything else.

Hi Luna good luck for your appointment I’m still waiting for mine and its crucifying me…I hope you are feeling a bit better today x

Whether you are waiting for appointment, treatmen, or results, it is the most agonising time of all. Not knowing what you are dealing with is scary, so what you are both feeling is perfectly normal. There are many different types of breast lumps, many harmless, so you need to find out what it is. Emz, have you asked your GP to get on to the hospital to hurry your appointment up? You don’t say where you live, but there are rules about how long we have to wait. But just to reassure you, I found my lump at the beginning of October, kept it to myself a while before kicking myself up the bum and getting it sorted. I was diagnosed on November 1st. It didn’t make a lot of difference to the end result. Sending you both good wishes and hoping for a good result for you.

Poemsgalore xxx

Thank you Poemsgalore - it is awful the waiting I just keep hoping it’ll be good news. I’m sure I’m getting more pessimistic just because I’ve had time to imagine the worst! I’ve planned a meal out with a friend on Saturday - either celebrating or commiserating.
I keep expecting to find that the lump’s gone and everyone will be cross with me for wasting their time. Or that I’ll go in and they’ll have a feel and say they can’t feel anything and they’re not going to do any checks. I know I’ll still be worried if it hasn’t been checked properly.
I’ve been reading lots on this site and I’m shocked at how many women in their 40s are affected. As a (nearly) 42 year old I thought I’d be too young but it sadly looks like that’s not the case.
Only 2 more days to go and I’ll know…
I hope you get your app through soon Emz - I hope too that you get some good news when you do go.
This site is amazingly supportive and I wish everyone on here the best of luck with all the challenges they face.

I went for my screening today and after 3 separate mammograms, an ultrasound, fna and yet another mammogram they are fairly sure its just a cyst. I have to go back next Thursday for the result of the fna but they seemed very confident it was ok.
They gave me a leaflet about cysts and it says that they test the fluid if its bloody as that has a chance of being cancerous. I’m now worried again because the fluid they aspirated was definitely bloody.
The nurse called the cyst a ‘complex cyst’ and it fully emptied during aspiration. Should I be concerned, or am I being stupid?

Dear Luna

You are not being stupid at all, don’t ever think that. I hope that when you get your results they prove it to be just a harmless cyst. I can’t honestly say I know anything about cysts, but I notice the leaflet says blood in the cyst ‘only has a chance of being cancerous’. So let’s keep our fingers crossed that it is ok.

Poemsgalore xx

ohh luna i hope results next week come back as a cyst… it does sound positive that believe it is a cyst…goodluck hun x

You are not being silly at all. Fingers crossed that everything will turn out fine for you!! xxx

Thanks everyone. I’m feeling calmer today and I’ve decided to try and be positive about everything. I’m sure the nurses would have been less confident if there was any doubt about my diagnosis so I’m sure next Thursday will be just a formality. I’ll let you all know the final outcome.
I wish everyone going through this process the very best of luck - I hope you all get good news too.