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.

Boob-Cyclops: I think I'll adopt that as my nickname.

That's brilliant news @Geranium879

So relieved for you!

Very glad its fine. Anyone waiting for the NHS I got it faster by phoning breast unit and asking to go on cancellation list.

Brilliant news 🤗 You must feel so relieved. How is pain this evening?

So glad for you OP. I hope the pain subsides quickly, it was probably magnified by the anxiety ❤️

Hi all, I wondered if you helpful lot could help me please. It’s a bit of a WWYD. My breast pain has subsided a bit , still there but not nearly as bad as it was. One thing I don’t think I mentioned in my Op was that the nipple on the left breast (the one that was painful) is slightly inverted sometimes. I only noticed this around the time of my appointment as I guess my attention was drawn to this boob a lot more than usual. My nipples have always been a bit flat but do protrude normally when I’m cold etc. the left one seems more concave at the top than the right…. I honestly can’t say if that’s normal for me or not. I’m going a bit mad with it all I think.

I mentioned this at the breast clinic and obviously my breasts were palpated , examined visually with arms held up , and mammogramed and ultrasounded. When I was being examined I was a bit cold so obviously my nipples were protruding normally. When I was shown the mammograms, at the final part of the breast clinic appt, he pointed out both nipples and said everything looks normal. I was so relieved and exhausted by this point I forgot to press him about the nipple inversion / flatness . I should really have mentioned it again one last time to get a clear explanation, and I didn’t and now it’s bugging me.

I can’t shake being bothered by the left nipple being very flat / slightly inverted at the top. I’d post a picture but not sure if that’s allowed. My right nipple is similar but less exaggerated IYSWIM. My boobs have sagged with age and there is no volume or fat on the top at all. The top of each breast is concave when hanging naturally.

I am wondering if I should go back (obvs not to have the mammogram) to ask about this… I don’t know how that would work with my insurance. No faith in GP.

Surely if the nipple was inverted in a malignant looking sense something would have been picked up? I understand that nipples get inverted in BC because tumour / scar tissue is creating tension and pulling them in. Surely then they wouldn’t get erect and protrude when I get cold?

so yeah, just unsure whether to go back or just “keep an eye on it” given the pain has reduced a bit and I was well checked out. Thank you all and sorry for coming back on with another worry !!

Try and breathe. Could be a fibroadenoma (rubbery, "breast mouse") or a cyst (soft, fluid) or a lipoma (soft, fatty) mass. There are tonnes of benign lumps that exist.

Get it checked out when you can though.

I don’t think they need it pointed out that the nipple can be flatter OP. The mammogram will see anything that needs to be seen and they’re the experts

Thank you @PigeonsandSquirrels I’m probably being a bit silly. I think the shock of the whole experience has stayed with me but also kicking myself that I didn’t clarify this particular issue. I have done some reading and I think a nipple that does evert with cold / stimulation (as mine does) isn’t meant to be a big worry especially if imaging was all normal. It’s probably just my saggy boobs.

You’ve had the full works there OP, if you’ve been monogrammed and had an US they’d have spotted anything untoward with the nipple.

I absolutely feel your worry OP. Breasts cause us so much anxiety!

An ultrasound would have shown up any cancer or anything else worrying or unusual. They also did a mammogram which would have shown anything up too. You were examined thoroughly.

You're getting your facts and feelings mixed up here OP. Try to reassure yourself that the facts are you have been thoroughly examined and your breasts are great! Your feelings of worry and concern are totally understandable but they are not the facts.

I think you're right to keep a close eye on things but don't keep prodding and poking - this will be causing you some discomfort too. I have done all of this too!

I have felt all of your feels honestly, but the Docs said all is well so please believe them. Book yourself in again in say 6 months or so to reassure you further.

I watched something the other day from a lady from a breast cancer charity who was explaining how to examine your breasts. She said, and this was such a powerful thing to hear - 'you are not looking for lump - you're looking for what is normal for you'. You now know what is normal for you so you can check in future that your normal stays the same and if not, then you know you can get it checked.

Oh and you're not being silly!! Sending hugs x

If you’ve still got concerns, please return for reassurance.

I’m also in Scotland with private health insurance and was fobbed off by my private consultant and told I just had a cyst.

This was after having had breast cancer twice before and mastectomies.

After a few months, I approached the NHS and again was dismissed with my lump being just scar tissue.

After a few months of this area increasing in size, I was eventually given a biopsy which showed a breast cancer recurrence just under the skin in two areas. Luckily it was low grade and hadn’t spread much but it could so easily have done which would have left me with a very poor prognosis.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from checking again.

Good luck!

Also to clarify, I had ultrasounds and MRIs which were apparently clear before my eventual positive cancer Ibiopsy, so consultants are not always correct.

Gosh @switchname sounds like you’ve had a dreadful time , I’m so sorry. Thank you for sharing.

im not sure what I could ask for …. I am still worried about the nipple and annoyed that didn’t mention it enough during the appt or ask about it again at the end. I don’t have “a lump” as I initially thought. I’ve got loads of similar, mobile, nodular bobbly bits . So I am not sure what they could do for me… what would they be biopsing 😢 if I had gone with an inverted nipple , had tests and a lump found it would be different … but they couldn’t see anything wrong! No cysts even. Nothing abnormal and my nipples looked normal on the imaging and during the assessment. Ugh. Maybe I should ask for an mri ?! I just don’t know anymore.😔

As you’ve had a physical exam, ultrasound and mammogram I’d feel really reassured, OP.
I had breast cancer this year and it was missed on US but caught on a mammogram. I’ve had a mastectomy now so future checks will be trickier and I know I’ll have MRIs, but that’s as someone who’s now had cancer.
It sounds like they did a really thorough examination of you - what was their conclusion?
They’ll have seen every nipple possible in their profession and I’m sure if anything had concerned them they’ve have said so, but if it’s really bothering you you could always call and ask.

Thanks @SunnyDolly for such a thoughtful reply. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me at the moment. I’m sorry to hear about your experience also. Xx

Surely if something was pulling / tethering the nipple inwards .. it would need to be significant enough to show on the mammogram? Maybe I’ll just ask his secretary if he can have a quick chat with me. Thanks everyone for listening… again !

The overall conclusion was that nothing abnormal detected, I have dense breasts with a lot of glandular / nodular tissue and almost no fat , and the pain was with put down to hormones or a pulled muscle.

there wasn’t really a conclusion about the nipple as I forgot to mention it again during the “summing up” phase (where we sat and looked at all the scans etc, at the end of the breast clinic session). So maybe that’s the Q I still need to ask.

@Geranium879for peace of mind I would contact the secretary and ask for a chat with the consultant who I’m sure will be able to talk you through exactly what they found.

I had a lump examined in May which I was told was fine (had mammogram & ultrasound & was told it’s hormonal related). Now rational me agrees with this and I’m fairly sure that it’s all fine but my lump is still there. It hasn’t got bigger but I’m going to call in Jan for a chat as he suggested it would subside but it hasn’t so it’s on my mind.

I just think with things like this it’s better to be thorough.

Thank you @hby9628 . Hopefully he can chat to me on the phone . I have some photos! I hope you get further reassurance x

It is hard especially when there’s lots of media coverage these days but it’s definitely worth a second chat for reassurance.

Thanks @hby9628 , I’ve just emailed his secretary so feel better for doing that.

Excellent. Glad you feel a bit more at ease x