to not really know how to check my breasts

[SylviaTrainer]

I've read all the leaflets, watched videos and even been shown how to do it by someone but as far as I can see breast are lumpy things and even though I've done it quite often I still have got no idea whether they feel any different to the last time I felt them.

Every time I see a thing saying I should check them I feel as if there is a big club of people out there who know how to do it of which I am not a member. I

Luckily I'm nearly old enough to qualify for regular mammograms but when I was younger I just worried about it.

Is it just me or do other people feel the same?

I'm the same. I'm not sure we were ever shown how to do it in sex education or whatever. Obviously I have read leaflets etc. but as you say, boobs feel weird and are changeable. I feel like I should know though, especially as I recently found out my GM had breast cancer in the 40s (survived it though).

I hate it when the GP or other medical professional asks me if I do it. Who's gonna say well no actually I don't bother in answer to that question? It ranks the same to me as being asked how much alcohol do I drink.

Me neither!!!
When i was in hospital they asked me if i was checking and how important it was, i just told them my bf did it
I really have no idea and they offered no guidance either!
They were both male, but i really wouldn't have cared if they'd showed me!

I usually tell people that you need to be aware what your 'normal' is and then you are more likely to spot any changes.
Start by looking at yourself in a mirror naked. Get to know what shape your breasts are. Check that the skin is normal not 'orange peel'. With right hand Palm and fingers sort of flattish and with your fingertips feel around your left breast then move up into the armpit. Then repeat with left hand to right breast. When you are in the shower is a good time for doing this. When lying flat, do the same again.
Breast tissue does feel uneven, but if you become familiar with your normal then if a lump appears you are more likely to feel the difference. Any discharge from a nipple should also be checked (unless you are pregnant or breast feeding and you know it's milk!)

Thanks faded red for your reply but I guess what you are saying is pretty much the same as what I have read/ been told before. I hate sounding negative about it but I don't know what is "orange peel skin".

I'd just be interested to see if people reply and say they are as nervous about the whole procedure as me. I wonder if its easier for nurses and doctors to talk about because they see loads of breasts so after a while they get a feel for it but for most people - well they only see their own ones so its v hard to know what is normal or how different is different.

Mine are naturally pretty damn lumpy - I do check but keep finding lumpy bits! The only time I would worry is if I found a lumpy bit on one that isn't also on the other (I seem to have matching lumpiness)

I don't really trust my own checks, so ask the GP to check for me if I'm really worried - she's done it a couple of times and said nothing to worry about.

Wondering if daytime people feel the same as me.

Hi Silvia. Yeah, I see what you mean but 20 years ago it was routine for doctors and nurses to do 'breast examinations' as part of the 'well-woman' type of appointment, but this stopped as it was found to be pretty ineffective at finding abnormalities and was disliked by many women (me included) as embarrassing and intrusive. Breast-care experts are a different matter, but you would usually only see such HCP as a result of referral for suspected breast problem.
The thing I didn't express properly in my previous post is that you are expert in what looks and feels normal for you, and if you become familiar with your own body, you are more likely to notice when there is a change from that 'normal'.
Orange peel skin would be visible as an area of skin that is different to the normal skin around it, looking a bit shiny, smooth with the pores more visible (tiny holes) like on the rind of citrus fruit.

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere ages ago that manually checking breasts was almost pointless and most doctors missed small lumps too?

I couldn't find a picture of orange peel skin that I could put on here.
I really don't think that people don't know what an orange looks like!!! but thought the above picture was the nearest I could find to illustrate what I was trying (and failing) to describe.
BTW if your skin is really this colour then I'd lay off the fake tan for a while.

Orange peel skin:

I always do it when my period has finished and I find it easier when I'm using the shower gel. I feel with my fingers flat, not prodding with the tips. I do it sitting up with the arm down (of the breast I'm feeling) and relaxed then also with my hand behind my head.
I must be doing something right as I felt a mass a few days ago, went to the GP who also felt it and has referred me to hosp.

Much better than my poor attempt ItsAllGoingToBeFine

I found a lump in my breast and have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Before managing to get to the doctor I did a number of tests at home to see what I could find.

I looked at them both in the mirror,they looked the same.
I went in the shower and felt both breasts at the same time,I could feel the left one had a lump and felt different to the right.
I bent over and could see that the left breast hung lower than the right.
I lay on my bed with my head on a pillow,both breasts looked the same.I removed the pillow and I had a dent in my breast next to the lump.
Sitting and looking down I could see my left nipple was tilted towards the lump.

Sorry to hear your diagnosis, Cleansas but thank you so much for sharing what you did that helped you spot the lump, that was immensely useful.

Hope it all goes well for you

clean thank you for that explanation! That's the most concise advice for checking breasts I've ever heard/read.
Wishing you all the best

Thank you both.
Had my last chemo yesterday and waiting for an appointment for a mastectomy.

Just hope everyone checks there breast on a regular basis and if they do spot anything then go to the doctors right away.

As I have health anxiety my GP wanted to keep me away from self checking as I got obsessed and was feeling body parts every few minutes at one point.

Now I am back in control I tried a breast check last month and got really anxious and stopped. I am anxious that I will find things which are normal and end up having massive panic attacks and getting ill again.

I am going to get DH to check from now on. He knows how you are meant to do it and he won't have a panic attack like me over it.

I would prefer to do it myself but with my illness it never goes well.

You aren't allowed to do it just before your period, right?

Also survived bc and cannot emphasise enough advice above about knowing what's normal for your breasts. In my case, I had multiple small lumps that could barely be felt in the breast. It was only when it had spread to the axilla that I could feel a lump. In hindsight, I had seen puckering in the breast but didn't think anything of it. Had my last radiotherapy 2 years ago, and life is good now. good luck clean

I'm a breast surgeon.

Fadedred is spot on. Systematically checking yourself is no longer recommended. Knowing your breasts and what is your normal is key. So, as she says looking at yourself in the mirror, knowing when you normally get pain (if you do) and what that usually feels like, and what they feel like under your hand is what you need. Once you know what is normal then any change from that normal, however vague or specific it is, should be reported to your doctor. So any new lumps, nipple discharge, persistent pain, skin changes, nipple changes or dents in the skin should be checked out.

Good luck with your forthcoming surgery cleanasawhistle.

Thank you.

I have a question for anyone who knows about these things: one of my nipples has kind of gone inverted (it leans to the side now, whereas before it was straight). This has happened since having my last child and breastfeeding. I had read that this could be a warning sign for cancer so went to the doctor, but she just felt for lumps and said it was okay as there were none. Should I forget about it or go back and ask for a second opinion?

Well it's probably ok BUT if it were me I'd want it checked by breast specialist and possibly mammogram, rather than by GP who is not familiar with 'my normal'.

I keep thinking that I should go to the doctors for a breast examination because I have an area on my left breast, on the side and going into the armpit that has felt tender/sore for a while. This breast also seems to be larger/slightly swollen than previously.
The reason I haven't is because I don't want the doc to think I'm wasting their time
This thread has made me realise that I need to do this soon, even if only for my own piece of mind, so thank you op and everyone who has posted.