Breast cancer - tumour behind nipple.

[dotty2]

Posting in case it's helpful to others.

I've recently been diagnosed - I'm 49, and I have a 15mm grade 3 tumour and at least one positive lymph node, and am waiting for surgery (ER+, HER-). Feeling pretty miserable right now, but my main reason for posting is that I didn't go to the Drs when I first found the lump earlier in the year. This was partly because I had a whole load of other difficult stuff going on (serious family illness, two bereavements, teenagers needing support etc) and I just couldn't give it head space. But it was also because I managed to convince myself through selective googling that it was probably low risk - my lump is mildly painful, and gets more painful just before my period. (Most breast cancer tumours don't hurt, apparently). Also because it's right behind my nipple/areola, I decided it must be a blocked duct or some kind of cyst or infection. I think I even found an old thread on here where someone said that their Dr had told them you couldn't get breast cancer behind your nipple.

Anyway - my point is just that I've been really stupid, so please don't make the same mistakes I did, and get a lump checked out, rather than convincing yourself it must be fine...

@dotty2 Similar story here but luckily my problem turned out to be nothing serious. Just agreeing with what you are saying, don’t just google it and convince yourself it’s nothing to bother the doctor with, get seen by the GP for any changes to the breast, mine wasn’t even a lump, and go from there. All the best x

Thank you for posting on here - it's thoughtful of you to do so at what must be a really tough time.

Don't blame yourself by the way - it's easy to overlook these things.

Best of luck with your treatment - you've got this

Good luck, and thanks for a great post.

My breast cancer lump hurt.
It was also moveable.
Two things which indicate it's nothing to worry about so I didn't.
I did however go to the GP and was referred to the breast clinic. I fully expected to be patted on the head and sent away. When they said, at the first appointment, we think it's almost certainly cancer I was flabbergasted.

Best of luck @dotty2 . It's a long haul but hopefully this time next year it will all be behind you.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes - and especially @Skap, to know you've been through it too. Hope you're well now. At my first appointment they said 'it doesn't seem of immediate concern' and graded it as low suspicion when sending the biopsy off for checking - which just reinforces the fact that even specialists can't always tell, and it's so important to get things checked.

Thanks OP, and so sorry you're feeling low. It must be hard to find a distraction. All the very best for surgery and beyond and feel free to vent here 🌷

@dotty2 there is a long running cancer thread on the General Health board that you might like to pop into. My mammogram was postponed 6 months during lockdown, then rescheduled and I lost the appt date and didn't go. But I had a lump under my arm (so already in the lymph nodes) so thought maybe I should try and reschedule 'just in case' I could so easily have not gone... Never felt the breast lumps. I'm though now - good luck with your treatment plan.

Thanks for that, @Acinonyx2. It does help hearing from other people who have been on a similar path. Of course, objectively I know that breast cancer is very common, but it does feel quite lonely right now.

For some reason I hadn't realised your thread is already in General Health! New people join that other thread al the time and there is a lot of info generally. It can be rather a lonely road that only other travellers really understand.

I also delayed going to the GP after I had found a lump- I think I put it off for a few months. No excuse really - I had had a benign cyst before and just convinced myself it was the same thing. But it wasn’t and had spread to the lymph nodes by the time I was diagnosed. But I had treatment and am still here. I think you’re at the worst stage - once you start your treatment, you know what you’re facing and can get on with it. It’s the waiting and uncertainty of the early days which is the worst bit so hopefully you will soon be on track.

Much love to you all going through this.

I have another post about my painful and swollen nipple and breast - the GP and I can't find any lumps anywhere and there are no skin changes. I'm currently watching it and praying it's hormonal like she thinks.

If no change in 6-8wks I'm to go back and they'll refer me for a mammogram but I'm not waiting that long - 2wks max as that'll be a full cycle of my period.

I too am a breast cancer survivor. In fact I started my chemo on the 1st October last year. I had a lumpectomy prior to that, clear margins and no spread to lymph nodes.

I'm now back at work, teaching fulltime with a head of crazy curly hair (it was straight before chemo) I'm still having Herceptin injections and taking Anastrozole but the worst is behind me.

I still can't believe I went through it all to be honest. It's tough but you just have to keep going one day at a time.

Breast cancer now have brilliant forums as do Macmillan.

Hi OP, thank you for sharing so honestly.

My mum had a very similar diagnosis to you (same location, grade ER+ and lymph involvement.) she was post menopausal which might have given an easier ride - but anyway I wanted to say that she was treated back in 2008 and remains cancer free.

Wishing you the best with your treatment.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and the good wishes, and good luck to you @GetOffTheRoof . I know there won't necessarily be a positive outcome, but it does really help to know that there might be, and to hear from people who have been through it.

I had a shock diagnosis of Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer three years ago (literally woke up to find my boob really sore and red one morning, in hospital that evening, cancer diagnosis confirmed two days later) and after a shit ton of treatment git the all clear within a year and remain so. Just wanted to share a positive story to show that even when the diagnosis is bad the treatment these days is pretty shit hot so most of us survive. Best of luck with your treatment.

Thank you @Flatandhappy - love the user name.