breast clinic nurse wouldn't give me scan

[Daisytiddles]

A couple of weeks ago I plucked up the courage to go to GP about left breast pain I've had for years.Was breastfeeding for a few years so thought it was down to that but haven't breast fed for 5 months and still getting pain throughout the month. GP said breasts felt very lumpy but couldn't feel a specific lump and referred me to breast clinic ,2 week wait.I was nervous but was happy that anything serious would be ruled out by scan At the breast clinic a nurse examined my breasts like GP, said they were very lumpy,no specific lump and said I was fine and would have no scan as I am 31 and no family history. Have since found out that many women have had similar symptoms and it was bad news for them and they were around my age.
Just feel upset and I have had pain for so long really wanted to rule out anything with scan.I really though everyone who is referred to breast clinic gets a scan.

OP that’s awful. I had lumps after breastfeeding age 34 and was referred to the clinic, they had no issues scanning me at all. I think you should go back to the GP.

I would demand to get a scan. I understand that the nhs is stretched and they don't want to waste resources, but I think that in your situation they need to listen to your concerns. I guess that now would mean back to the GP to get another referral, but would definitely deal with the annoyance of that for the peace of mind of getting a scan.

hope all is okay

I had similar and DO have history - my mum actually died of breast cancer. I was just told I have lumpy breasts too. I eventually had my first mammogram last year (I’m 50 now which is not much younger than my mum when she died) and all is well and just shows that I do, indeed, have lumpy breasts.

I think there is a legitimate reluctance to expose breasts to unnecessary radiation.

Grrr. Surely if the GP has put in a referral they have to do it?! Please don't leave it. Go back to your GP and tell them what happened.

I agree they should scan you since you have new pain, feel something might be off and your breasts are lumpy. They can’t know if a tumor is hiding among the lumps. What is the point of asking us to check ourselves if they don’t listen when we say a breast isn’t acting normal for us? We know our bodies.
But, to be a bit reassuring, breast pain with no cancer is also quite common.

I also had an awful experience at the breast clinic (they were absolutely useless- refused to do tests because I’m so young despite having family history 🙄). I didn’t do anything about it at the time despite being furious and now flash forward 12 months I’m having to get urgent biopsies. If I were you I’d complain and ensure you get the tests, even if nothing shows up at least it’ll put your mind at rest ☺️

OP I had similar a couple of years ago. The tech did scan my breast, to the right of it though, rather than beneath, which is where my lump is.
Lots of tutting and sighing, along with comments about how I couldn't possibly have anything wrong, as I was early thirties.

I'm frightened to go back. Been a while now, so if something was wrong, it'd now be really wrong

Can you afford a private scan?

Absolute disgrace that she refused to scan you after your GP had referred you.

I would be asking the GP for another referral. It's not something you can take chances with.

I would demand another referral. I had the same after breastfeeding and my gp referred me. At the hospital they did a quick check and said everything was fine, but offered me a scan for my own peace of mind. Please be pushy and go back.

Definitely go back to the GP and ask to be referred back. I was under the care of the breast clinic from my second trimester to about 12 weeks postpartum because of lumps. They turned out to be hormonal, but they scanned me multiple times, and reviewed me every six weeks until they had resolved. Could you ask that your GP refer you to a different hospital if there’s another near you?

She would have added up all the points: age, pmh, current symptoms to come to the decision of no further investigations needed.

There is many reasons for pain in breast including muscular etc. If you don't agree with her decision, ask for a second opinion.

Without being disparaging to nurses, when I was referred I saw a consultant who decided what investigations were needed.

Surely this is a doctor's remit?

The concern is that a clinically unnecessary scan may turn up anomalies that would be fine just left alone. Once detected on a scan they may have to be treated, and treatment carries risk.

The same logic applies to the decision not to do smear tests on very young women. Screening tests can do more harm than good if they lead to unnecessary medical procedures.

This should have been discussed with you in more detail.

4% of breast cancer happens to people under the age of 40. And there are about 11,000 deaths a year in this country from breast cancer. Yes, 4% of that isn't many, but it is enough for it to be worth checking. And if they can screen 2.2 million women a year, I can't believe that adding a few to that number would cause the NHS to break any worse than it is being broken anyway.

The only thing against it would be if you then ended up having an unnecessary procedure -- I have no idea how common that is as a risk, but it seems to me not to be terribly likely because at that point they would have to discuss it with you, not just dismiss your concerns.

Surely if the GP has put in a referral they have to do it?

No. CCGs can overrule GP referrals. And, in this case, GP had referred to secondary care and the decision was taken there.

You're not reassured so it would not be unreasonable to speak to your GP again.

Did the GP refer you to the breast clinic for a second opinion or did he send you there for a scan?

I still think you should have got a scan but I'm wondering if he specifically told you that he wanted you scanned and they refused to do it.

You can book one privately and be seen very quickly if it would put your mind at rest. No need for a referral.

That's awful I had a 2ww referral recently because I felt pain on pressing nipple without a lump, saw a doctor at the hospital who did a mammogram of both breasts and a scan. Cysts for me but so thorough, go back to GP and ask for another referral and ask to see a doctor when you get to the clinic.

I have had breast cancer and now all clear so am back on the 3 yearly NHS mammograms. I pay for one in between each time so I get one every 15 months, it costs £115 at the local Nuffield hospital. However, mammograms are less effective for younger women as they have denser breast tissue so an ultrasound would be the thing for you.
Go back to your GP and ask for a direct referral to the consultant

I had a lump way back when I was 28, my gp only referred me because I had private healthcare, I had a core biopsy taken and the doctor giving the ultrasound said it was nothing to worry about. Unfortunately it was and I had surgery, chemo, radio and drugs. And every single time I went to an appointment it was expressed how rare it was because I was so young and no family history. Push for a scan OP, it probably isn’t anything but you need to be sure.

If you can get an ultrasound done privately,

Breast clinic care is shockingly variable. I was in a similar position to you OP (only older) and my GP wanted a scan to rule out inflammatory breast cancer, which has a horrible prognosis if not caught early. I was seen under the two-week rule, but the doctor who saw me was awful - barely took a history, did a very perfunctory examination and refused to scan. I made what I thought was a pretty reasoned argument but was told in no uncertain terms that I was wasting their time, in response to which I burst into tears (not my finest hour but I was very worried about myself). After that, I got a USS, a mammogram and a biopsy. Which is also wrong, but goes to show that these decisions are not always clinically based or even logical. (My GP was horrified and actually made time to make a formal complaint about the service, which I didn't expect.)

I was OK btw, and I hope you will be too, but I think you do need that scan to be sure.

As an aside, it's my experience that cutting out/down meat and dairy products can help immeasurably with non-cyclical breast pain.