Breast pain and found lump, terrified, guests due in an hour

[Geranium879]

In need of a huge handhold please. I’m 40 and have two young daughters. I had some strange pain in my right breast yesterday , and again the morning… I have now found a blueberry sized firm lump around 1 inch away from my nipple. It’s roundish and mobile but definitely “different” to the rest of the normal textures around it.

I have guests due in an hour… family friends… my daughters have been so excited they have actually been counting down the days. I feel sick but I need to get dressed and carry on. I can’t let everyone down.

my husband has a disability and we have no family help, I’m NC with my own mother die an abusive childhood. My husband would not be able to cope with the children on his own. For fucks sake why did this have to happen.

im going to put some nice clothes on, tidy up a bit and plaster on a smile for the rest of the day.

one thing I have on my side is that I have private health insurance and they have a fast track service for things like this, but alas I’ll not be able to call them till they open at 9am tomorrow.

my kids school nativity show is tomorrow too :-(

i would be extremely grateful for any virtual support anyone is able to give. Thank you in advance.

You’ll be seen under the 2 week wait- it’s very likely to be something innocent. I get frequent breast lumps and end up at the breast care clinic regularly- they are all fine.

I had this, I thought it was a cyst but turned out to be a fibroadenoma. The pain flares up before my period every month then disappears again. Lump is always there though - smooth, round, mobile, they are sometimes called a "breast mouse".

I found the waiting for appt and results very very stressful, particularly when I first found the lump, so I really feel for you, the anxiety is so hard to manage! But hang in there, they usually see you pretty quickly and statistically it's more likely to be benign than scary.

Check the GP option in your insurance policy. I’m with Bupa and they offer a same day GP call which can refer you to a breast clinic, rather than waiting for an NHS GP appointment. Shortening the timeframe to referral will reduce your time to worry.

An urgent referral doesn’t mean they think it’s something sinister, that’s just how they handle cases these days.

Good luck, stay away from Dr Google, and remember that the majority of referrals to the breast clinic turn out to be benign x

Yes I always feel with things like this, when you get the appointment booked in a little bit of anxiety lifts.

I really hope you’re ok. Finding these things is scary and I understand that until you get an answer it can feel all consuming. As others have said it’s most likely a cyst.
I found a lump about 6 weeks ago. Called my GP who saw me on the same day and I was referred via the 2 week pathway to the breast clinic at hospital. 10 days after seeing my GP I had my appt. They gave me an ultrasound, confirming it was a cyst and I then saw a consultant who had another feel and asked some questions.
I know it all seems scary now but call the doctor first thing tomorrow and they’ll see you quickly 💛

Thinking of you this morning OP, hope you managed yesterday ok. If your health insurance is BUPA I recommend ringing round your local hospitals to see who has a space at their breast clinic this week. You can see eligible consultants/hospitals and their secretaries details on BUPA finder. Make an appointment then ring BUPA to get the authorisation code. If you do it the other way round I’ve had some very odd consultant choices sent to me and then had to call back anyway to change the code when I’ve found somewhere more suitable. Otherwise they’ve been very good for cancer though.

Oh OP it’s so awful isn’t it, I’ve found lumps twice and I’m only 35. Both times I’ve been seen within 48 hours through bupa at the one stop breast clinic and it’s been lumpy fibrocystic breast tissue. Good luck x

Hi everyone - I’m just on the phone to WPA and they’ve approved my claim through the fast track service so just on hold to breast clinic now to get appt hopefully this week.

I’m really hoping this is what I have. Thank you for commenting. I really need the support of this thread this week!

I live in the middle of nowhere but can get to 3-4 cities in a couple of hours, so will see where can get me in first. WPA uses the Check4Cancer service which has the one stop breast clinics. My insurance costs me £45 pcm and boy am I grateful for it this morning.

I was told this by a GP and I believed him, which delayed my BC diagnosis for three years. 9/10 breast lumps are benign, though. OP is doing the right thing by getting checked.

I think if its all come on suddenly - pain and sizeable lump at the same time - it is much more likely to be a blocked duct type issue op.

But fingers crossed for you, and I know not worrying is so hard - though it really doesn't help.

Breasts can be lumpy, cyst-y, duct-y things! Still get it checked but there are lots of other possibilities. And even if it is bad news, there are lots of steps to take before a bad outcome op. 💐

Appt made for tomorrow afternoon. Thank goodness. Now to stay calm until then.

I had this exact scenario too OP - I found my lump whilst I was on holiday and it put a downer on the trip although I tried to put a smile on my face for my children. I was also 40 years old.

I went to the GP as soon as I was back in England and I obviously had to be referred to the breast clinic as a precaution but the GP told me that as the lump was painful/tender to the touch it was very unlikely to be anything worrisome (i.e cancerous). She said malignant lumps are rarely painful and it was far more likely to be a cyst.

I was seen in the breast clinic about10 days alter, I was examined and had then had an ultrasound scan which identified it as a cyst and I was told it nothing to worry about.

It resolved and I haven't had any problems since (and it was 3 years ago).

Try not to worry too much x

This happened to me recently .Absolutely frantic as in recovery from Ovarian Cancer! They saw me that day .It was a cyst that had got infected .2 weeks of Antibiotics and some steroid cream ,cleared up .Please dont worry, I read somewhere that 90% of lumps are harmless .Make an Appointment ASAP .Enjoy your friends today and have fun .

You must be desperately worried OP. Try to hold onto what PP are saying - there are many things it could be and they will fast track you. Cysts are common especially as you are peri menopause age. My friend had the same. It was extra sensitive for her as she was high risk, had had a lot of IVF to have her son and had family history of breast cancer. Her wife had also died of uterine cancer aged 35 so it was all ver raw. Hers was a cyst.

My husband would not be able to cope with the children on his own - you would be surprised what people do when they have to. And remember, a village doesn't have to mean family

All the very best to you.
Keep busy today, confide in your husband about how you're feeling and seek his support.
Everything crossed for you.

Fingers crossed for you today. Hopefully it'll be a cyst.

Remember 90% of breast lumps are benign, so the odds are in your favour 💐

I have just found a few more lumps -I know I should not be digging around … some are marble sized, some pea sized, some deeper and some closer to the skin.

More in the painful right breast but a few in a similar location in the left. They are all very firm, mostly round/ovular and are mobile/roll between my fingers. They are all in the same sort of area on both breasts. Like a mirror image. Still odd that one breast is painful and the other is not.

I wonder if I have developed cystic breasts due to my age or peri. For some reason I feel better having found more ….i suppose it’s unlikely that I would develop multiple tumours in similar locations on each breast… al though nothing is impossible.

I am still concerned by the one painful breast. I am very glad to have my appt booked for tmrw.

Obviously get checked but if it helps in the interim, when I was on the 2 week pathway I was told if it’s hurts it’s probably not cancer.

Mine hurt and it was cancer, and misinformation like if it doesn't hurt it's not cancer stops women getting checked. Theres a type of breast cancer called lobular where pain is a symptom and it develops like a spiders web at the start then after a while forms a lump. Yours doesn't sound the same if it's mobile, sounds like it will be OK.

https://lobularbreastcancer.org.uk/signs-and-symptoms/

OP, after this get used to regularly checking your breasts so that you know what is 'normal' for you. My breasts have small lumps but they are perfectly normal for my breasts, just milk ducts etc. They are not painful. Breasts can feel different at different times in your cycle too. You are doing exactly the right thing getting checked, though. I'm glad you have an appointment so quickly and although it will most likely be benign, it's always safest to get checked.

Did you breastfeed your kids? Several small lumps sounds like a duct issue.