Huge mass in breast aibu to go to a&e ? **Diagnosis in and treatment underway for the OP** Title edited by MNHQ

[needabitof]

Last week I went to the doctors - my right breast has a big mass in it that has appeared in the previous week.
He checked my liver, lymph nodes, so I know what he's thinking, and referred me to the breast clinic under the 14 day rule. Except it isn't 14 days, it's over three weeks before you can be seen. The gp can do nothing to speed things up apparently.
I thought I need to pay for a private mammogram, it's £400. I'm desperate - imagining the worst constantly.
Managed to get a referral sent by the gp to the private hospital, only to be told they're breast clinic has been cancelled for the next three weeks.
Aibu to go to a&e to get some medical advice or wait? The mass is getting bigger and painful each day.
What would you do? Thanks in advance.

@XingMing Good to hear your update. I bet you'll be glad to get on with the next bit of treatment. So you had your reconstruction before radiotherapy?
I agree everyone is so kind. I turned up for my mri yesterday morning to find I hadn't been booked in. So stressful, I couldn't help but cry. I never cry. It was sorted out quickly though and nowhere near as scary as I'd anticipated.
@sillysmiles good advice, I really do want to know all the details and feel anxious now as several people have said that's a long time to wait for your op ( a month) It's because my consultant is going away for two weeks. It seemed ok to me until others said this to me. So I'm panicking now that it would be done sooner if he wasn't and might spread/ grow in the meantime.
Can those of you who have been through this tell me how long you waited from your mri to your op? I need some reassurance please.
I have phoned the breast care nurse, waiting for a call back.

@needabitof, so stressful all this hospital stuff, especially at the beginning of the journey, but most of what will happen is okay even if it takes forever. And everyone is so lovely. BTW my operation was also delayed so the surgeon could take holiday, but as I was caught early it probably wasn't as time critical.

Yes, they did the construction at the same time as the lumpectomy because, as one medic observed rather tartly, otherwise the NHS will take two years to finish the job. They left the one due for radiotherapy slightly larger to allow for some "shrinkage".

So sorry to hear this OP, and wishing you the best possible outcome.

I’m so sorry to hear this, OP, wishing you the very best. One of my relatives (totally fine now) also had breast cancer and now campaigns about dense breasts - they aren’t that uncommon, many women don’t know they have dense breasts and they make it much harder to detect tumours. I’m very glad your initial results were followed up so swiftly. Here’s a site with lots more info: mydensitymatters.org/#densitylevels

I waited about three weeks for my mastectomy but that was before Covid. It gave me time to get ready.

Worth getting a mastectomy pillow from Jen's friends, a great charity.

My mum waited about a month for her mastectomy from diagnosis. Like you they could not tell on the day at the breast clinic and she had to wait for the extra biopsy to come back - although they did say they felt it was likely to be malignant. Then she had a chest x-ray and a CT scan. Then she had the operation. I was amazed at her recovery- she went down to theatre at 8.30am and by noon was back on the ward in her own pyjamas and when I went in an hour later she was eating lunch and grumbling that her pudding choice had gone. She came home the next afternoon.

I can't help with any info but wishing you all the best OP. Like a PP said, order a pillow from Jen's Friends asap, you can find them on Facebook.

Don’t panic. I had 6 months chemo before my mastectomy.
GP appointment beginning of March, hospital appointment for mammogram and biopsy approx a week later, then waited a fortnight for results Diagnosed 1st April (no one said ‘April fool’ at the end of the consultation, unfortunately).
Op was mid October and radiotherapy the following January. It was hard living with it at first as I just wanted it gone but also good to be told it was shrinking with chemo; every 3 weeks I felt I was in a better place than the time before.

I also want to add that I worked right through it, I was never signed off and didn’t see my GP again after the 1st appointment. You’ll need ‘purpose’ to keep going so always do what you feel you can, even when it’s less than usual. 💐

I wasn't diagnosed in the UK so slightly different but in terms of timelines, I had mammogram and ultrasound on the lump on 26 April, and lumpectomy on 3rd June, so over a month. I started chemo on 29 July. Between having the lumpectomy and starting chemo I moved home (back to the UK) and was brought into the NHS system - they were fab. Best of luck with your treatment!

My mri was 14 May, and op 10 June so almost a month. I used the time to focus on my cardio fitness to hopefully aid post op recovery - and it meant I was doing something. I was in two nights as they weren't happy with the drain. I had NO pain at all from the op and could shower the following day (I was unreasonably worried about that). Please, please, please, if they advise you to do certain exercises (which are really just gentle movements) after the op, do them religiously. I did and have full movement in my arm. Also, by the time you are ready this clinical trial may have started recruiting again. It helps get fitness back when you have, or have had, cancer. I cannot explain how much it helped with the after effects safefit.nhs.uk/. I started in February with them and by the time I finished I was back to where I was pre-op.

Keep posting, we are all here for you.

Good luck OP. I was diagnosed 12 years ago and so far doing well. I initially had a lumpectomy but after gene testing I was found to be Chek2 positive. I had a preventative double mastectomy without reconstruction.

I would say around a month is pretty average to be waiting for surgery.

Forgot to say I was 38 with dense breasts when I was diagnosed. The mammogram didn't pick it up. I found it myself through regular examination.

@needabitof I hope your MRI went well, I've been thinking of you

Thanks @MakeTeaNotWar.
The mri showed something on my breastbone, so I'm actually terrified right now. I'm going for a bone scan and a ct scan over the next few days, and the breast care nurse is trying to get me seen earlier than the end of November.

you must be so scared, @needabitof. It is really a terrifying thing to await the actual news of what's what. Once you know what you are dealing with, it seems to be a bit more - okay, kick into action, get this thing done and dusted - kind of feeling. At least, that is how it was with my best friend.

Sending you lots of good thoughts and wishes, and and hopes that they hurry this along so that you have some resolution.

Thinking of you 💐

So sorry to hear your update.

All the best xx

Wishing you all the very best.

Sending love and thinking of you.

Sending best wishes

Good luck, I hope they bring your appointment forward .

Sending lots of love and support your way.