Pain in one breast DR won’t refer me

[Bluskyenonstop]

I contacted GP yesterday as for few weeks I have a stabbing pain in my boob, near the nipple - I am 46 yrs old.
She told me to buy paracetamol and come back in a month.
The pain got worse so I spoke to GP again on the phone.
I said it hurts really badly.
They said to pop quickly in, I went in, I was examined very briefly- literally 4 seconds.
All good apparently and said I shall take more paracetamol.
I don’t know what to do.
Clearly there is something which causes the pain- it’s few times per day, like a gripping pain, if a knife went in sort of pain.
They said I don’t need a referral.
I can’t afford to go private sadly.

Breast pain is rarely anything to worry about if you can’t feel a lump. It is very common particularly in the perimenopausal period which it sounds like you are in if you are 46. If they have examined you and are happy there are no lumps it sounds like the advice to take pain killers was normal advice. These things usually settle down but obviously are often worrying at the time.
Ibuprofen works quite well and worth getting a good fitting bra too. I hope it settles quickly for you

So what did she diagnose was causing it, then?

Pain isn’t one of the referral criteria so the breast clinic would probably not accept a referral NICE

Years ago I saw a programme on TV which said breast pain in women with no obvious cause is quite common. They spoke to lots of women and put a lot of it down to wearing bras, especially underwired bras, which caused constriction and overheating. The women, mostly older, tried going braless and said the pain stopped.
It's worth a try if you can manage without a bra.

patient.info/womens-health/breast-problems/breast-pain

It’s only on one site, on the outside side of the boob.
I had ultrousounds / mammogram in the past but have fibrostic breast.
Usually I get pain before my period but in both boobs and this always stops when my period arrives.
This is now on one side only and to describe its like a gripping burning pain for few seconds, it sort of feels it goes into or behind my nipple.
The Gp said she couldn’t feel any lumps and pain on its own it’s not a breast cancer symptom.
I remember reading that Sarah Harding described that she had a pain in her breast but thought it was a cyst or that she pulled her muscle ( she had no lump).

@3beesinmybonnet I got quite small breasts and I hate wearing bra, so most of the time I don’t wear any also as I’m working from home so it’s not definitely cause by bra.

This sounds like thrush to me. Please Google symptoms of thrush in breasts and see if it sounds like it to you. If it is you should be able to get oral anti fungal over the counter which may help

@Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep
Thrush? But the pain is on the side of the boob shooting into ( behind nipple)
I looked on my nipple and I can’t see anything unusual.

You can get it in the breast tissue itself. Am a trained breast feeding supporter and saw this a few times. Admittedly I'm not sure if it can happen in non feeding situations but the symptoms just sounded so similar i had to suggest it. Good luck

I’m 48 and getting the same thing in my right boob. Pain shoots through nipple area and also at the side of the boob, it hurts when I lift my arm up too. I worried when I read about poor Sarah Harding saying she had pain.

@Bluskyenonstop. I have had and do occasionally get this. First time it started, it lasted a couple of days. I thought it must be my bra or something. A few weeks later I woke in the middle of the night and it was so painful. I'd been sleeping on my tummy and thought it was that. But it just didn't go away but to a lesser intensity. The practice nurse couldn't find a lump so I got referred on the non fast pathway. While I was waiting it sort of went away but came back occasionally, (felt like the nipple was being caught be something but it wasn't) but I couldn't find any pattern to it.
Saw the consultant three months later and he gave me a dressing down for wasting his time (not even examined me), cursed the nurse who had referred me and said pain is not indicative of cancer. To be honest, I'd already thought it wasn't cancer but I just wanted to know what it was. He graciously(!) examined me and mammographed me. They found nothing.
I haven't had it for about a year now apart from a twinge a couple of weeks ago.
I'm sorry I can't be helpful and tell you what it is. The consultant said it was my age (59) and implied it could be hormonal. (According to my doctors pretty much everything has been my age since I was 13!)
I'm sure if you're really concerned, you can insist they refer you. Are you sure you don't have a relative who had breast cancer. I think it becomes more serious then.

I am a similar age and get this on right hand side. I also have a lump on that side but doctor said as its gets bigger and smaller it'll be fine. No idea what it is, maybe hormonal.

@Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep
I’m not breastfeeding but I looked into it and it sounds interesting really.
I suffer from atopic eczema since I was a baby and I often get eczema in my both nipples.
I tried trace the pain in my boobs, I noticed when I pressed a rib inside it was quite painful, like a burning pain, but then I feel it in my nipple too.
I had in a past crack in my nipple and I used Savlon and it would heal .
I used Savlon this time too and the pain was gone for about 4-5 days and now it’s back. I can’t see any cracks etc.

Yup. If you've had a crack on your nipple then thrush is a string possibility. Maybe talk to a pharmacist, as they can often be as well informed on these things as GPs (if not better in some cases). Topical treatment possibly won't help if it's in the breast tissue, but I'm not a medic and only have enough knowledge to signpost you really. It does sound likely from everything you've said and does at least have a simple answerand treatment which would either fix it or rule it out. At least you don'thave a feeding baby causing it to reinfect! I hope you get better soon.

I had this last year. Had to really push to be referred but I was just like a dog with a bone, wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The pain increased over this time- pain started in April, had a couple of telephone appointments, eventually insisted on being seen face to face and examined in July. Doctor didn’t want to refer me as there was no lump but I insisted. Went for a mammogram, ultrasound and saw a specialist end of August. It was all fine but it might not have been. I had to be tenacious to get to the specialist.

Just insist. It’s too important not to. Good luck.

@Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep
Hello, I put some double strength Canesten on my nipple twice per day for last four days and I completely forgot about any pain as I had no pain at all..
Today I feel some gentle tugging again, but when it comes close to period my both boobs hurt, sometimes lot, so it could be from that today.
I keep thinking how could I get thrush there, I googled it up and all I could find it was breastfeeding issue only.

I've just had this.

One achy boob. Luckily my Dr referred me to the breast clinic. On all examinations no one could feel a lump I was then referred for a mammogram (no history of breast cancer in my family) and it showed a lump.

I've got private healthcare through work so then went privately and had a consultation, ultrasound and biopsy taken on the same day.

Still no lump to be felt.

The lump is a fibroadenoma and harmless but just because you can't feel it doesn't mean there isn't a lump

Boob is still achy but I would insist that you are referred.

Ring the practice manager and if they refuse, say you what a written guarantee that there is nothing untoward going on. They obviously won't give that but hopefully it will lead you to the point of them agreeing to refer you

I wasn’t going to comment....because I don’t want to worry you unnessecessarily....But I have had non invasive breast cancer twice in 2012 and 2018 and both times the only indicator was breast pain ( shooting pain that came and went....sometimes only lasted seconds) in the exact place the cancer was.....even though I had no lump and the first time the area was only 4mm and completely non palpable....,now remember that breast pain is a very uncommon sign of BC and you are likely fine but don’t be robbed off.....insist on a referral to the breast clinic....my cancer was picked up early because my GP did not dismiss my concerns and referred me under the 2 week rule....I was seen in the one stop shop clinic and my cancer was picked up on ultrasound the same day ( it wasn’t visible on mammogram) I’m sure you will be absolutely fine....and this way you will have peace of mind...I hope I’ve done the right thing posting this....but you struck a chord with me....as I was 46 back in 2012
Take good care 💐

Dear OP,
The likelihood of this being something serious is small but I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2018. The only symptom I had was breast pain in a specific place on one breast. My GP examined me and couldn’t feel a lump but referred me anyway. She almost certainly saved my life.

Whilst pain in the breast is not a common symptom it is certainly not unheard of. Go and see a different GP and insist on a referral.

I had this before I got pregnant, it was like hot needles just under the skin shooting towards my nipple! It must have been hormonal.

If you have the money I would go private if your GP won't listen to you. NHS loves to just brush stuff aside if it's a new problem, they love to wait and see, it's their favorite advice. Private GPs will actually try to find out what it is rather than say it will probably go away... Of course because it's all income for them. I get it but for me when I have a problem i won't be reassured until I get a diagnosis even if it's benign. I'm not happy with the token "it's probably nothing just keep an eye on it and come back in 6 months if you are still concerned"

@Shelddd I don’t have the money.
I can’t go back to gp as they won’t do anything- so I’m basically fucked.
The pain is now concentrated inside the nippple- I check thoroughly and there is like a red spot of pimple size- on the border of areola-, sort of sensitive, it could be where the hair is normally coming out - I don’t have hairy nipple , maybe one or two max- but I doubt that would cause a pain inside the nipple- like shooting pain.
My both boobs now extremely hurt as period was approaching, so both are very sensitive,though the sore one is more sore.
On the top of my usually very very accurate period came 9 days earlier so I got no idea what is going on with me.
Now I panic I got IBC.

It's highly unlikely you've got breast cancer. But if you're very worried, go see a different doctor at the practice, explain and say you've seen differences in your breast and say you have a relative on your mother's side who has had breast cancer. Asked to be referred. Then insist on being referred. If necessary speak to the practice manager. Doctors, very reasonably and rightly, don't want to refer people needlessly but it's your health so you need to really push. I also think taking someone with you makes doctors more amenable to making referrals.

If clotrimazole helped on an interim basis I would wonder about a systemic treatment of fluconazole. You can buy from pharmacies: I've found online is much cheaper e.g. pharmacy first etc.