Hi all,
I am having a lot of anxiety over pain in my left breast, focused in the outer/under side. It feels tender, and hurts more when it is pressed, sometimes sharply. I’ve had it for about a year, but I put off seeing a doctor because it seemed to be related to my cycle and I haven’t had any noticeable lumps. I haven’t tracked it religiously, but it seems that it comes on 7-10 days before my period starts and is relieved by the end of my cycle. I don’t have any pain in the right breast. I think I would feel less anxious if it were in both breasts.
I went to see my GP on Monday. He knows I have a history of health anxiety. I expected that he would do a breast exam and hopefully reassure me that I’m fine. Instead, he didn’t do a breast examination and went straight for a referral to a breast clinic. I wasn’t expecting this and it has sent my anxiety levels through the roof.
The appointment with the breast clinic is for the 5th Dec, and the receptionist I spoke to said “we’ve received an urgent referral from your doctor”. The word urgent had me panicking.
I am 30 years old. I am married and have two children. Feeling scared.
hazel britt
Hello and welcome.
I would imagine that your GP has referred you under the 2 week rule, which are the NHS guidelines for any changes in the breast so that they can be checked out. It does not mean that you have breast cancer but that he is referring you to the experts to get it checked out, there are a lot of benign breast conditions that it can be and they are the ones to confirm this.
As he knows of your health anxieties he probably wanted to make sure that you were not waiting a long time to get seen.
Sending you a hug and let us know how you get on.
Helena xxx
Thank you for your response Helena. The GP did tell me that they see everyone quite promptly and that they have a low threshold for sending women to the beast clinic. I guess the word “urgent” just triggered the anxiety.
The waiting is no fun. Trying to take my mind off of it, but it’s difficult when experiencing pain. Every time I feel the pain in my breast, the fear comes flooding in again.
Brittany
Thank you, it’s great to know that there are people here to talk to.
Hi Brittany , Like you I had breast pain that came and went with my cycle for many years , so sharply at times it would take my breath away but it always settled down and I couldn’t feel any lumps so didn’t do anything about it, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 they found I also had a benign Fibrodenema which was the cause of my pain , I’ve had it removed now and wish I’d had it seen to years ago!
It’s more likely to be nothing serious but you are very sensible getting yourself checked out, the majority of us are referred urgently but not many of us will actually come away with a cancer diagnosis, I know it’s so hard to wait and especially in the lead up to Christmas but try to keep it in a box for now and not let it over take you, you’ve not been diagnosed with anything yet so go with that thought! Xx Jo
Thanks for your reply Jo, and for sharing your experience.
I know that worrying will only rob me of my joy (and doesn’t change anything either way), but it’s so easy to get muddled up in the “what if”'s.
I have cousins coming to stay with us for two weeks from Sunday. I’m hoping this will be a pleasant distraction! We’re actually going to Paris for a day trip the day before my appointment at the breadth clinic. I’d like to think that this will keep my mind off of it, as I would not like for anxiety to ruin the trip!
Thanks again for your support x
This worry can really be all consuming. I am hyper aware of every twinge, and have been examining my breasts over and over again.
I’ve remembered that on my right breast (the one that isn’t in pain) the edge of the breast looks a bit irregular when I lift my arms. I noticed this a little while ago but thought it was probably cellulite and put it out of my mind. Now I’m panicking a little bit more than I already was…
Well today is the day. I’m feeling a bit less anxious, mainly because my period came and the pain disappeared as it always does. It’s easier to put it out of your mind when there isn’t a pain point. Still, I do feel a bit uneasy. I’m going to try and hope for the best.
Hi Helena,
It went really well, thanks. The doctor had a thorough examination of both breasts and couldn’t find any lumps or anything concerning. She sent me to have an ultrasound of the area where I’ve been having pain, which also found nothing. So it’s been put down to normal cyclical pain, which I am very relieved to hear!
Thank you everyone for your encouragement and support while I was feeling so anxious. I will continue to pray for all those who are affected by breast cancer xxx