Hi newbie here. I’m 29, 3 kids, married. Last september I started to experience pain in my right breast. It wasnt really bad, I was just aware of it. After a couple of weeks I decided to visit my GP, she examined me and said that my right breast was very “noduley”, but didnt feel there was anything to worry about. She also told me to take evening primrose oil and nurofen. I dont have periods anymore, as I’m on an oral contraceptive which has stopped it.
Anyway, things did get slightly better but I was still aware of slight discomfort. I checked myself regularly, never found anything.
Anyway, the past couple of weeks I had started to notice the pain was quite bad. I’m fairly big busted and even the slight bounce when i walk was hurting. So i went back to my GP. Again she examined me, but this time she said that my right breast was very lumpy, with one definate lump. I cannot feel this lump, and i didnt think to ask her exactly where it was or how big it was. she said shes doing an urgent referral to the breast clinic and i’d be seen within two weeks. that was tuesday of this week. I’m worried sick. does this sound sinister? should i be able to feel this lump?
thanks for reading.
nadia
Hi
You’re bound to be worried, going to the doctors and then been told that it needs a further look is worrying, but try to remember that most lumps aren’t cancer.
As for the ‘urgent referral’ please try not to panic about doctor ‘speak’. Once a doctor refers you to the breast clinic they HAVE TO see you in 2 weeks, regardless of whether it’s ‘urgent’ or not. Also, at this point your GP doesn’t know anymore than you do but has found something that needs to be looked at further, so he/she isn’t in a position to say that it’s ‘urgent’ if you know what i mean.
When you go to your appointment you might find that it’s a ‘one stop clinic’. This means they do all the tests at the same time. You will see a consultant who will have a feel around and then possibly both or one test: mammogram and ultrasound (like when you look at unborn baby), again they are doing this to confirm and cancel out all possibilities.
Try not to let this take over, although i do appreciate that 2 weeks is an awfully long time.
Best of luck
Hi nadiag
Welcome to the forums. As well as the support you receive from the other users you may find it useful to read the BCC booklet ‘referral to a breast clinic’ It gives information about what to expect at the clinic and details of the different tests you may have. If you would like a copy or to read this on-line just follow the link below:-
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/referral_redesign__final_14_feb_08_0.pdf
Also, if you would like further support please do give the BCC helpline a call on 0808 800 6000. Here you can talk things through with a trained member of staff who will offer you a listening ear as well as information if required. Lines are open weekdays 9 to 5pm and Saturday 9 to 2pm.
Best wishes Sam, BCC Facilitator
I’ve just had my appointment through. Its for next thursday morning.
Thanks for all the replies. I’m trying not to worry, but can’t help it. 
xx
Great - next thursday is much better than 2 weeks. Don’t start worrying about the fact you got in quick, remember you are a priority simply because you are young.
Keep us posted.
x
Wot they said!
Good luck, and the stats are on your side.
Thanks for all the words of support. I’m worried that I cannot feel the lump the doctor felt, and then I won’t be able to tell them at the breast clinic where it is and then it might be missed.
The pain in my breast is not that bad, but I’m aware of it. I also have an aching shoulder and right arm. No idea if this is connected or not. My brain just won’t think of anything else at the moment and I seem to be sending myself mad!
yes -you will be sending yourself mad! been there done that!
Don’t worry about them not finding the lump, they will find it and also be able to investigate it further if needed. They know what they’re looking for even more than your GP.
Like i said before there are lots of scans they can do there and then which can see into your breast and pick up on things that may otherwise go unnoticed.
I’m sure you’re aware of pain more because you are really tuning into your body and obviously anything is going to make you panic. The pain is probably the way you slept or something else equally undramatic but you are not thinking the way you would normally because of the ‘unknown’.
I’m not going to say ‘don’t worry’ because you can’t help it but try to keep things in perspective. Most lumps turn out to be harmless and until you know otherwise that’s what it is.
Keep posting - we’ve all been where you are and completely understand.
x
Hi all, I went to the breast clinic yesterday. I’ll tell you what I experienced and you tell me what you think…
I was seen by a nurse who asked me to undress top half and sit on the edge of the bed.She asked what the problem was and I told her about the pain and that the GP said that she had felt a lump and then the nurse said “well she probably didnt”. This was BEFORE examining me. She then checked my collarbone area and armpits but not my breasts. She told me to lie down and then she did a very quick examination of my nipples and surrounding area but not the whole breast with her fingertips. She then asked if I smoked and I told her I didnt anymore but had in the past then she said “oh thats probably what it is, a bit of fluid because of smoking”. She told me she couldn’t feel any lumps.
She then sent me for an ultrasound, which was a nightmare. I went into this room where a 50+ man stood and he told me to take my top and bra off. I lay down and he said, “So you have pain? Pain means NO BREAST CANCER.”
He then asked where I was feeling the pain, I told him all over but mainly on the right. He then did the ultrasound just on the small area on the right hand side of the breast where I had generally pointed to. He then went onto to talk about GP’s not knowing much about breasts and having a well fitted bra (I always get fitted by M&S), and also not too much “wrestling” and “rugby”. At this point I hadn’t got the foggiest what he was going on about. Although after we came out of there my husband thinks he was talking about “rough sex”. WTF??? He then told me to go home, nothing there. He only did 1/4 of my one breast and I didn’t feel the nurse who examined me did it well either.
Am I being over sensitive? Should I just accept what I was told and get on with it???
Sorry to be a nuisance.
P.S Oh and he also said that BC is almost unheard of in women of my age (29), and that the doc is worrying me unneccasarily.
Oh Nadia,
Not very nice at all & both of them seemed very cynical about GP’s!
Do you know who the guy was?
My experience was GP thought my lump was nothing, probably just a cyst but said the practise refer all lumps to clinic. At appt 10 days later I saw a consultant surgeon (same guy who later did both my surgeries) - he thoroughly examined both boobs & clavical area, did ultra sound on my lump, sent me for a mamogram, did another ultra sound after looking at mamogram and finally took a biopsy. The only time I saw a nurse was when he’d finished and she put a plaster on my boob!
Now obviously with his training & experience his initial ultra sound might have given him enough inkling that mine needed further investigation but I really don’t think that i’d have been happy to be sent home after only seeing a nurse (don’t care how long she’d been in nursing). You did say you are quite big on top and if she basically just tickled the area, it’s no wonder that she didn’t feel the lump or other nobbly bits that your GP felt.
Your GP will be sent a report but if you’re really not happy and still in pain/discomfort, why don’t you perhaps consider visiting your GP again, give her the low down on your a;ppointment and ask for a second opinion.
I hope it really is nothing for you to worry about but worry is probably the optimal word right now and it’s something that you really don’t need.
Good luck in what you decide to do xx Chris xx
Thanks for the reply. The guy was the radiographer, I assume. He did the ultrasound scan.
I think I’m going to see about going private. Just for piece of mind. I am big busted, a 36F. And to me she was only touching the skins surface, not going in deep like my GP did. I never saw anyone, other than this nurse and the radiographer.
They seemed to have dismissed me as soon as they found out I’d had pain.
They also didn’t listen to me when I told them that my mum and 7 out of the 9 aunties I have on my mums side have all had hysterectamies before they were 35. However, I am not sure on the exact reason, but I think some sort of cancer. (Mum left when I was 18 months old so don’t know family history very well). I also do not know my dads medical history as he was adopted at birth.
This is so frustrating. Does anyone know the rough cost of seeing someone private just for the initial consultation and maybe ultrasound scan?
Hi nadia cant really offer you any advice, i just posted on here too and am 29 with 3 kids as well. I really hope you can sort out something so you can be seen privately, i really don’t think the hospital were supportive of you… or could you be asked to be seen again at a different hospital or by a different radiogropher if it has to be the same hospital, i would insist if i were you as its really not nice worrying about it. Hope you get something sorted soon. Helen
Sorry you didnt have a good experience.
Your symptoms sound very identical to mine (I posted a message called here I go again). I am also big busted for my size (im a size 6-8 normally but 34D bust) and have pain, my breast feels heavy and painful to sleep on/walk etc and tender to touch. I had some thickening on my left breast although couldnt feel a lump.
I had an appointment yesterday which wasnt a great experience either although the radiographer was lovely and examined both breasts thoroughly with the ultrasound and told me he could see no cysts. I just have lumpy breasts. I am of a similar age to you (30) and have been told that breasts change regularly throughout your life.
If you arent happy then ask to either see another consultant or go private which could cost a few hundred depending on the tests et.
Good luck!
I really wish medical people would stop saying that pain does not mean breast cancer. I suppose in some cases it doesn’t but in my case it was the only symptom I had. Because of this I didn’t bother going to the doctor and waited a couple of years till my next routine mammogram. I examined myself silly and to this day never did find any lumps. In the end there were 3 IDS lumps in my left breast and one with ILC in my right. I ended up having a double mastectomy after a WLE failed to get clear margins.
I am willing to accept that this may have been the eventual outcome in any case but I think that there is this erroneous theory around in some quarters about breast pain being ok.
Nadia, I hope that your pain turn out to be nothing. However I think that you have been treated rather shoddily by the sounds of it and for your peace of mind you should get a further opinion.
I went to the docs - he had a good furtle and found nothing.
I went back 2 weeks later, got referred to breast clinic and have been diagnosed with lobular cancer.
Lobular cancer looks and feels like breast tissue, it CAN be missed on mammograms.
i don’t mean to panic you but i really would do everything you can until you are satisfied with your treatment.
I had all the scans known to Woman once diagnosed to check it hadn’t spread. They always do this with lobular because people can walk around with it longer because it doesn’t show itself. We are told to check for lumps, this type isn’t lumpy until bigger.
Get yourself checked for peace of mind and mention lobular to whoever it is, you’ll know by their response if they understand what you’re talking about. Another GP i saw shrugged when i started explaining my cancer, clearly indicating that he hadn’t got a clue what i was talking about.
x
Hi nadiag,I had a very bad experience at the breast clinic last December-I came out in tears.I went back to my GP,as I felt very un-reassured about it all,and GP was great.She referred me to another hospital,and the experience was so different.(I also put in a complaint about the first experience,as I would hate anyone else to come out feeling as I did).
I would recommend you go back to your GP and tell him/her you’re still worried,explain what happened and maybe ask to be seen again at a different clinic.Best thing I did.
Jenny
Hi I went privately for first consult and mammogram and ultra sound -this cost around £600 -I then transferred to NHS for a biopsy and am awaiting results from them tomorrow! I was waiting over the 2 weeks and just couldn’t wait anymore 1 The first lump I found was a cyst but the mammogram showed calsification meaning a mammotone Biopsy -so now I’m glad I paid -still praying for the all clear tomorrow though! Hope you get a second opinion ! Good Luck Laura