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Original poster

Found a lump in my breast

42 replies

AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 18:18

on Saturday night.

AF was due, and after some googling assumed it would go with my period.

Period has gone, lump is still there.

I am petrified.

I have a friend who was diagnosed with bc early 2 years ago and now has weeks to live.

I know the stats are in my favour, but when I was pg, I reassured myself when I spotted blood the stats meant i would be fine,but I lost the baby. The next pregnancy the odds were very much in favour of a successful pregnancy but I had another MC.

DH knows, but I am putting on a calm face for him. He will be home from work in an hour but I am sitting here in tears.

Can anyone calm me down?

OP posts:
FarrowandBallAche · 27/01/2016 18:22

Have you been to the GP yet?

pepperrabbit · 27/01/2016 18:24

You need to go to the GP really. They will examine you and refer you for tests if necessary.
Did you tell your DH on Saturday or have you waited to see if it goes and are now upset today?

ryland · 27/01/2016 18:24

hey, not well knowledged but am here if you want to talk

Original poster
AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 18:24

No, I already had an appointment in for Friday for something else, so was going to use that.

Crazy week at work

OP posts:
outputgap · 27/01/2016 18:32

I have had lumps a few times now. The stats are very very reassuring, as 90% of lumps are benign. There are all sorts of benign lumps, and mine certainly don't disappear when my period finishes. Just go to your GP, get referred, get it checked out. It is extremely likely to be completely fine. (For example, if I asked you if you wanted to spend £6000 on IVF with a 10% chance of success, would you do it and feel confident? No.)

TheBitterBoy · 27/01/2016 18:34

I have been through this twice, both were non cancerous lumps. Your GP will refer you to the breast clinic at the hospital, as far as I can tell the procedure is similar everywhere, you have to have an appointment within two weeks, and they do all the tests on the same day, so you see one of the team, will have a mammogram, or an ultrasound depending on your age (mammograms are less useful in the under 40s as the breast tissue is more dense). You will also probably have a needle biopsy, which truly doesn't hurt at all, I've had quite a few. Then you wait a while (couple of hours) and see a member of the team again for the results. For most people that gives a conclusive answer - mine were inconclusive, so I had to go back for more tests and an open biopsy under general anaesthetic, but in the end I was all clear.
I won't tell you not to worry, because you will, and I won't tell you it will be fine, because only the docs can tell you that, but I do want you to know the procedure, and that the care here is fab and totally aimed at giving you an answer one way or the other in the shortest possible time.

Original poster
AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 18:42

Thank you for sharing.

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a private breast clinic? I had issues with my local hospital during the mc, they have subsequently apologised, but it has left me terrified of going there. Ihave bupa so hoping they will cover?

OP posts:
FarrowandBallAche · 27/01/2016 18:47

Ok, so it's good that you're seeing your GP on Friday.

You can ring Bupa to see if you're covered, which I'm guessing you are but tbh the breast clinic is so very good. You will be seen within 2 weeks, given an ultrasound and a mammogram, a biopsy if required and examined by a consultant.

I have had two lumps that were looked at, one by a NHS hospital and one private. Personally the NHS one was no worse than the private.

NK346f2849X127d8bca260 · 27/01/2016 18:49

Most private hospitals will have a breast consultant who will be able to do tests that are needed.
Check your Bupa cover carefully first though.

outputgap · 27/01/2016 18:54

Yes, I got bupa to pay in one instance. I went to a hca breast screening clinic just up from Liverpool Street. It was very efficient. (If you Google HCA you should be able to find it.) Results even quicker than in TheBitterBoy's description, but same process.

Original poster
AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 18:59

Thanks, have called Bupa, seems like I am covered, so that is one thing sorted.

Dont have policy detail as it is a corporate policy.

OP posts:
FarrowandBallAche · 27/01/2016 19:12

Can you self refer OP?

lavendersun · 27/01/2016 19:20

Albus, I went through this too. I went to a clinic at London Bridge Hospital through BUPA.

It was fine, all done in an afternoon with my results (which were fine) available before I left.

It was called One Stop Breast Clinic or something like that with a really lovely consultant who saw me before and after the tests.

Try not to worry (stupid thing to say I know).

Original poster
AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 19:26

hmm, im half an hour from london bridge hospital, so will maybe ask to be referred there

OP posts:
lavendersun · 27/01/2016 19:26

Must add Albus, that I found my lump six months after a miscarriage (at 15 weeks).

lavendersun · 27/01/2016 19:28

The only reason I went there was it was close to work and I was a workaholic so only took a few hours off in the afternoon.

tribpot · 27/01/2016 19:32

Yes, you shouldn't need to use Bupa in order to be offered a choice, although - not to alarm you but the GP will refer you on a two week wait (i.e. cancer is possible) pathway, so this may limit the choice of NHS hospitals which can see you quickly enough. This is normal and doesn't mean the GP is only pretending that the chances are extremely high that it isn't cancer, I think only 1 in 20 two week wait referrals turn out to be cancerous.

Please don't put a brave face on for your DH, this is your turn to let him look after you. The way you're feeling is the way any of us would feel in your shoes.

Best of luck, Albus, we'll all have our fingers crossed for you.

Fabellini · 27/01/2016 19:37

I found a lump last year, and, like you I was terrified. I went to my gp and she referred me to the breast clinic at our local hospital. I got a phone call to go less than a week later, which scared me even more because I figured if they were being so quick to see me it must be a bad sign.
I had a mammogram and saw the consultant and then got a phone call to go back a day or two later. They thought it was a cyst and that was confirmed when they did a needle aspiration with ultrasound and drained fluid out of it.
I have never been so relieved in all my life. I only told dp and two of my closest friends and they stopped me from going completely into a tailspin.
I cried all the time and I was petrified for my sons.
But....the odds were in my favour, and they're in yours too. I understand completely how you're feeling, it's crippling, so talk to your dh, tell a trusted friend, and explain to your dr on Friday how worried you are.

I'll be thinking of you Flowers

Nodney · 27/01/2016 19:47

Me too, I had a lump, I found it on my birthday and was with a consultant within a week. My baby was six months old. I had a mammo and a scan. The scariest part was when the radiographer left me to check something, lying on my own. I was terrified she'd seen something. Not sure what she checked but it was a cyst, they left it but called me back 12 months later to check it again. By then it had gone if it's own accord. I know the fear OP x x

Original poster
AlbusPercival · 27/01/2016 19:51

Thanks all, will see GP on Friday and go from there.

4 hour presentation to give tomorrow night, so that should keep me busy

OP posts:
girlandboy · 27/01/2016 20:19

And me too.
My lump was quite moveable, and my gp said it was a "breast mouse".

Had a fine needle biopsy at the hospital which confirmed it. The proper name is a fibroadenoma and is basically a fatty lump. Surprisingly it disappeared after about 6 months.

Good luck

mamaneedsamojito · 27/01/2016 20:26

Go to the GP but don't panic. I found a lump over ten years ago and had it thoroughly checked. It's a benign cyst that I still have to this day.

mamaneedsamojito · 27/01/2016 20:27

Girl - mine is also a 'breast mouse'!

Lilymaid · 27/01/2016 20:34

Friend of mine went to London Bridge with a lump and was dealt with fully on the same day - it was a cyst that needed draining.

GingerNutRiskIt · 27/01/2016 20:47

Hi OP, I found a lump several years ago and went to see my GP who could feel it too. He sent me to the breast clinic and it was pretty fast (within about 2 weeks I think) and they scanned it and reassured me that it was just a fatty lump and is nothing to worry about. I can still feel it there now.

So.....
The good thing is, you're aware of it, and you're seeking further advice.
There's nothing more you can do right now, and panicking won't change anything.
So stop stressing. You'll be fine OP.