Urgent breast cancer referral

[Beautifulbouquet]

I've been referred today.

My lump is one third the size of my breast (doctors words. I just think it's massive!). It is hard. It is an irregular shape. It is very painful even when not touched.

Do you think it will be a mammogram? I can't think how painful that will be!!

Will they look at both breasts?

Lump appeared fully sized overnight.

Thanks for any advice or experiences. Obviously I know 90% of referrals aren't cancer and you can't diagnose it for me!

Best of luck with your new job Penguinsn and thanks for telling your story 💐

An inspiring and heartening story. Thank you xx

Thanks Beautiful and Moving Hope you get the all clear beautiful. Hope your covid improves soon Moving.

Aw thanks Penguinsn. Good luck tomorrow BeautifulBouquet.

The positive thing with any breast issue is that there is so much expertise and resources. You can be confident that all the health professionals you meet will be brilliant at identifying exactly what is going on and working out what to do. Good luck.

No. Just so you're aware as this sort of speculation isn't helpful. The escalation is made on the grounds of "a string suspicion of cancer which requires immediate action".

GPS and hospitals don't just randomly act they follow guidelines to ensure equity. I've never even heard the word abcess applied in this context.

I appreciate you are well intentioned but if the things you state aren't based on any facts then that isn't helpful to anyone reading the thread in the future.

@Beautifulbouquet wishing you lots of luck tomorrow. I find mammograms painful these days (I didn’t used to) so often take paracetamol before an appointment so might be worth considering if you are already pain. Will be thinking of you.

Ooh thats a great tip. Thank you xx

I had the exact same thing and it was an abscess.

It mirrored inflammatory breast cancer which is why I had urgent referrals (ultrasound the next day) but it was an abscess that got drained.

The urgency was two fold. The importance of ascertaining if it was inflammatory breast cancer which needs to be caught early, and if it was an infection needed monitoring so not to get sepsis.

I think you are being a little harsh on this responder. They can't tell you what it is until they do an ultrasound or mammogram.

I had a large painful lump come up over night. I saw the GP who said she “didn’t like the look of it. At all” which frankly scared the shit out of me. I was at the breast clinic within a few days and had mammogram and ultra sound on both breasts. It hurt a bit on the one with the lump but totally manageable. Mine turned out to be a cyst which randomly disappeared as fast as it appeared. So hoping you get good news tomorrow xx

It’s great they’re getting you in quickly. I have cancer, but not breast cancer. In my experience, the referral targets are just that, absolute targets, they are you much faster if they can get you in and they have appointments available for people on an urgent basis. I was referred on a Thursday on 2 week pathway and seen in hospital on the Tuesday. I had my first surgery 3 weeks after the referral. Similarly, the usual target for starting treatment after surgery is 12 weeks. I’m starting this week and it will be only 4 weeks post-surgery for me. My experience has been things happen quite quickly when you have a consultant and team who are on the ball.

I don’t know if you’d have a mammogram first, but you will almost certainly have a fine needle biopsy, which is where they use an ultrasound to take images of the mass and use a needle to take a sample from it. I had mine done within a week of seeing the consultant for the first time and it was no big deal. They numb you up first so you don’t feel anything.

Hope it turns out to be nothing, especially if it’s appeared very quickly. I actually think that’s a good sign. But it’s great they are seeing you promptly.

You're right. Sorry.

I hadn't realised that a cyst and abscess were different things and a lot of my symptoms don't seem to match the descriptions of a cyst.

They are very consistent though with it being an abscess.

So thanks to poster highlighting this and sorry that in my ignorance and anxiety I didn't understand it properly.

I had a 48 hour referral after a routine screening mammogram. Mine turned out to be three tumours in the same breast.

I had surgery within two weeks, then chemo & radiotherapy. It was a tough 6 months but life has returned to normal. I'm three years on and fit & healthy.

I hope yours is something minor OP but if it isn't, your consultant will agree a plan with you and then everything will be a lot less scary. Good luck.

Thank you @meadowfinch for your kind reply.

Must have been frightening and I'm glad you are now fit and healthy!!

Hope today went ok OP.

Yes I hope everything went ok for you today.

Thank you for asking! Sorry I fell asleep immediately on getting home.

It was two very large (whoppers as the consultant said lol) cysts that were adjacent.

There was no way I could bear the mammogram on that breast

But they ultrasounded and drained 120ml fluid (a disgusting dark green sludgey colour which i was sure meant I was either an alien or dying but is apparently completely normal).

Very relieved and grateful to the nurses and doctors and you guys.

Think the hardness was just as there was so much disgusting pus in there...😮

Just for anyone else reading in future I had a definite nipple inversion commented on by consultant which I'd read doesn't tend to happen with cysts but obviously did with mine.

So I'm fine...if a bit grossed out at the human body!!!!!

Great news OP !
Rest tomorrow if you can, your chest will be tender for a few days and might bruise.
Also Well done for going to your GP quickly when you found the lump, if it had been anything the quicker it’s dealt with the better.

Very glad its good news.

I'm so delighted for you BeautifulBouquet - it's made my day!

Go and do something lovely for yourself over the next few days (when you're feeling better)

I can't believe what they drew out of it 🫣😱. What a whopper.

Great news op 🙌💐

I know there were two people there and one kept saying "I can get more!" And the other one kept saying "keep going then!". Pus jackpot lol.

Thanks so much you've been so supportive. Settling down to a good book and I think this will prompt me to be a bit healthier especially as Christmas approaches with all its temptations.

Oh fantastic news! I have had a huge cyst that spewed green gunk! I was fascinated and grossed out in equal measures. Sleep well tonight OP.

That's great news, I'm so happy for you OP. I remember well the fear of waiting and worrying and then the elation of being ok.