A little bit of history. I am 42 yrs old. Had first baby when I was 37 and breastfed for 8 months, had my second baby at 39 and breastfed for 13 months.
I started getting breast pain down the side of my left breast in Oct 12, went to GP who thought it might be muscular combined with thrush (carrying baby etc) so referred me to an osteopath. This seemed to help and pain went away. It came back in January 2013 so she referred me to the breast clinic. I was seen by the top consultant in the local hospital. He gave me a thorough exam and an ultrasound and said all looked fine (couldn't have mammogram as still breastfeeding). The sonographer said I had very fibrous breasts and that sometimes there are lumps which fill with water and can be painful especially if we are anxious or stressed.
The pain then came on and off over the next few months when in April I found an enlarged lymph node in my armpit. Back to the same consultant for another thorough exam and U/S and a fine needle aspiration on the lymph node. All fine.
Roll on further to August when I was able to have a mammo as had stopped breastfeeding. I saw the same consultant again, another exam and U/S, along with a mammogram and another fine needle aspiration on the same lymph node as still swollen. All fine.
Takes me to this year (breast pain is still intermittent, occasionally need to take ibuprofen, evening primrose oil doesn't make a difference) and in January i noticed a small dent in the top of my left breast on the outer edge, just down and along from my armpit, where they meet, under the fatty bit. Cue immediate panic. Went to the GP who couldn't feel any lumps, or see the dent (said I had lost volume from the upper breast and it was just breast tissue and my pec muscles) said she didn't think a referral was necessary but I requested one as have read so many bad things where dents are indicative of cancer.
She wouldn't give me a 2 week referral so have waited 6 weeks plus for an appointment (19th March). Inbetween this I went to a different GP who said she could see the dent but couldn't feel any lump. I do have private health care but the wait for an appt at the private clinic is also 6 weeks!! So I am in both systems for whichever appt I can get first.
Has anyone else had experience of this? I can cope with the intermittent breast pain on its own but now this dent/dip is really freaking me out. Everything I read all refers back to cancer, I can't find any innocent explanations for dents in the breast. I am convinced I have breast cancer and it has spread in the last 18 months but not been picked up. I am so scared.
Any words of advice for my appointment? Or comments? Should I ask for an MRI? The consultant will no doubt be fed up to see me yet again!
Thanks for reading through my waffle to the end!
TOOIK