Irregular breast lump - I’m so scared

[LeeHarper5]

I noticed a few months ago that my nipple had a slight dimple at the top. It seemed to come and go. A few weeks back I started getting stabbing pains in the same breast which have now become a constant dull/heavy ache.

My GP can feel an irregular lump. I’m guessing it must be a fair size because she asked hadn’t I felt it. I’m being referred to breast clinic. I’m petrified. I’m mid 40’s with a toddler. Obviously I’m fearing cancer. Is there anything else it could be? I’m trying to steer clear of google. Thank you for reading.

Hi op sorry don’t have any answers but wanted to wish you luck and hopefully you’ll get referred quickly

I have a lump that I was told to make sure doesn't change in size but not to worry about.
I have read before that breast cancer is usually not painful and you have pain, so I would try and keep calm until you know for sure what it is.
I hope that everything is fine. It could be a million different things. The NHS website says conditions like mastitis or a breast abscess can cause breast pain along with other symptoms.

Steer clear of google .. it could be nothing, or it could be cancer. If it's cancer then you will get the necessary treatment. I hope it's something and nothing OP 💐

Breast cancer doesn't typically hurt
Try not to worry

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I saw GP today and she got me an appointment at the breast clinic for nine days time.
I’ve not told anyone other than my husband and don’t feel I can confide in anyone else right now so I appreciate your replies.

I first had lumps when I was younger, they turned out to be nothing sinister and recently I've had another painful lump which came and went. Turned out it was a cyst and it went with antibiotics.

As others have said don't google and try not to worry (I know that is easier said than done!)

Horrible time to go through and like you, when it happened to me, at 45, I too didn't want to talk to anyone about it as I felt that doing so would only bring people up to talk about whoever they knew who had breast cancer but survive or worse relate horror stories.

I wish I had though because after I got the whole clear (it was a cyst which are very common in the perimenopause stage), I discovered that at least 1 in 3 of my girlfriends had exactly the same and all turned out to be cysts. I think it would have helped me a lot to hear that.

I am going through a similar situation at the moment... I noticed my right breast has suddenly become larger than the other and when my doctor examined me, she found a lump under my arm. I have my appointment on Friday and am very nervous about it. What has helped me is that on another thread I was posting on, there were 4 women all referred with lumps and all 4 came back as non-cancerous

What I will say is try to distract yourself as best you can... I have found that the time from my doctors appointment until now has gone so slowly! Good luck

Thank you all again for your replies. I’m hoping the fact I have pain is a good sign but it was the look on my GP’s face, and the fact she says it’s irregular, that has concerned me most.
There’s nothing I can do now but try and keep myself busy until my appointment at the breast clinic. I have confided in my sister and best friend.
Panicky I really hope everything goes well for you on Friday 💐

Hi OP, I just wanted to check in to say that I've just been through a similar thing. I'm 46 yrs old. I found a breast lump a few weeks ago and was referred by my GP for an urgent specialist appointment.

As my lump was solid and identified after ultrasound that it was not a cyst, I was thinking the worst, but after having a core biopsy, it has been diagnosed as a benign fibroadenoma and I don't require any further treatment.

It is completely normal to think the worst and my anxiety was through the roof whilst waiting for tests and then the results. However, please keep remembering that 90% of breast lumps are not cancerous and it is far more likely that the lump is something benign, especially as you have pain. Don't read too much into what your GP has said and done- they have to refer anyone with a breast lump as urgent. My gps response scared the living daylights out of me but really it meant nothing.

I ended up telling a couple of close friends and it did help at the time to be honest about how I was feeling, rather than putting on a front. I also found the 'calm' app really helpful in managing my anxiety and sleep.

I just want to say though that I know exactly how you feel and I'm sending you loads of luck. Keep remembering the facts/ statistics.

When I first felt my lump, although scared, I wasn't too concerned as it wasn't round, more thin and longish. I made the appointment to the doctor and expected him to say that it didn't look at all like a cancerous lump and that all was fine, so I too got very shaken when he said that he needed to refer me under the 2ww and when I asked if he thought it was cancerous, he just said that he really couldn't tell.

Then again, I hoped that the breast consultant and therefore expert would say right away that it didn't look like a cancerous lump, but again, all he said was that I needed a mammogram and then an ultrasound and that depending on what was seen on the screen, potentially a biopsy. The mammogram was done there and then, but when I asked the radiographer she said she couldn't tell me the result so all this got me more and more worried.

I had to wait another week or so for the ultrasound, and it seemed to go on and on. Then the lady who was doing it told me to hang on a second after poking in the same place for about 10 minutes and said she needed to speak to the consultant and I thought then 'that's it, he's going to say that it needed to be biopsied, but he came, poked again for another 5 minutes, spoke quietly to her and after a few more seconds, she said that I could stand up. When I asked if I needed a biopsy, she looked at me strangely and said 'no, why didn't you think you might need one'. Grrrrr. I knew then it would be ok. It turned out to be a very long cyst, which did remain for a good 12 months.

Thank you Cloudhopping and Swing. Your lovely replies, and all of the others, make me glad I posted. 💐

Since my mix 40s I have had lots of painful cysts. Fingers crossed that it was you have xxxx

I was one of the posters on the other thread panickyarse mentioned. I found a lump a few weeks ago and drove myself mad with worry in the 10 days I had to wait.

My lump felt solid and almost like a flying saucer. It was huge! My aunt and cousin both had breast cancer in their 50s and although both are perfectly fine, I was convinced mine was cancer and would be worse.

Anyway, it was simply a cyst, so was dealt with at the time and no worry needed.

Not panicking is far easier said than done, but do try to keep busy and keep your emotions under control....

We can compare notes on this journey, LeeHarp. I've got a lump, I even gave it a name ("Agnes", coz it put me in agony before I found it, and how I missed it is anyone's guess because mine is massive). I need to phone the clinic tomorrow to try to get appt.

I'm not really scared but I am overwhelmed with all the implications. Even draining a cyst doesn't exactly sound like a barrel of laughs. Very grateful for the NHS protocols that mean we'll start getting answers quickly (within a few weeks). Trying to remember to feel very grateful for the mostly very good health I have always had to date. Every person I see struggling with some health issue is a reminder of that.

Draining my cyst took roughly 20 seconds! She put the needle in and the fluid popped out into the syringe instantly.

The most important thing is to get it looked at and deal with whatever is found. Try to remember that 90% of lumps are benign.

How much did it hurt, Kahlua?
I flipping HATE needles.
I have no idea why HPs talk you thru what they're about to do with the sodding needle(s). "This will be just a little scratch." I don't need to know that. I do need to know "Now please sit very still".

It honestly didn’t hurt at all. You will know when the needle goes in only because it presses on your skin but that is it. It is a tiny needle and it’s over and out very quickly. I didn’t look at it either, only at her face as she watched it.

Also, you will be lying down when it is done so will naturally be very still and your vision will not be towards the needle.

The area felt sore for a few hours afterwards and has a small bruise but I can live with that.

Kahlua reading all of these posts has stopped the panic somewhat. I know there is nothing I can do until next Thursday but every now and then the emotions bubble over.

Dailywail I hope you’ve managed to get an appointment at your clinic. Definitely get checked out.

I still can’t feel the lump my GP found. I have a small bust (34A) and they both just feel exactly the same to me. It was the tiny dimple on my nipple and the pain that made me go and get checked.

My appt is end of next week. They can't do mammograms at the clinic, so not quite the one-stop-shop it was billed as. I gather ultrasound can quickly detect a cyst, so hopefully the whole thing will be resolved quickly. I am peak age for cysts, but never had any sort of lump at all before. An adventure.

My lump is 2-3cm in diameter. I feel fairly idiotic not to have noticed it earlier.

Do you find yourself slightly putting decisions on hold? Like I'm thinking... well, I won't care about attending that work meeting if I have to get chemo treatment about then, will I?

Large cysts can appear quickly so don't beat yourself up for not finding it sooner. I get one's come up overnight.

That's interesting & helpful, thanks Exmoor.

I didn't have my cyst drained and none of my friends did either so not sure when they do, unless it is when they are painful?

Yes, life goes on hold, but it also does make you realise what is important in life and that we waste a lot of energy on things that are not worth it.

Good luck on your appointments. When it does come and you're seating there waiting for your name to be called, remember that most women there will be in the exact same position to you, there are 2ww breast clinics every few days if not every day in most hospitals.

Thought I would let you know, I had my appointment today and got the all clear. If it makes you feel any better, every woman leaving the clinic came out smiling

I have read before that breast cancer is usually not painful

Sorry, I just have to say, you can get pain with breast cancer. The only way you can tell if changes in the breast are something sinister or not is to get them investigated properly. Google is bloody useless!

I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Several people told me (including Dr Google himself!) that my lump wouldn't be cancer because 'cancer lumps are usually irregular' and mine was smooth and round. Conversely people have been to the breast clinic with an irregular lump which has turned out to be benign.

The point is everyone is different and, as I'm quickly discovering, on a personal level statistics don't mean anything! But the important thing OP is that you are being checked out. Statistically, it is unlikely to be cancer, as others have said 90% of clinic referrals turn out to be nothing. Quite a few people I know have had breast lumps investigated and they have turned out to be nothing. But if it is cancer, then it is, and you will get good treatment, you will deal with it and hopefully it will get sorted.

Sorry, I'm not sure this is the best post for this thread, I have been debating whether to hit post for ages! But I think it's really important that people know that any change at all could be a sign of something that needs urgent attention. And also as a voice to say that if it is cancer that you can still deal with that too and you can't change it - I'm doing OK at the moment, the world has not ended for me, it's just on hold for a little while! In fact if it is cancer then a diagnosis is the best possible outcome as it would be there whether it was diagnosed or not iyswim!

All the best OP, I hope this post isn't inappropriate, let us know how you get on x