Breast lump undiagnosed

[Mamasuzette]

I have been referred to the breast clinic by my GP twice in the last 9 months. I had a lump and pain/tenderness in the area.

My first ultrasound showed nothing but ‘normal breast tissue’. I left feeling uneasy as the lump was clearly very different to the surrounding breast tissue, but i trusted that the scan must be accurate. I am too young for a Mammogram (early 30s).

Over the next few months the lump seemed slightly bigger, and the pain/uncomfortable feeling was still there. I returned to my GP who referred me again. At this appointment the radiologist did another ultrasound and said they could see the lump and it looked like a normal lymph node. But if i noticed any changes to return. Because they felt it had benign features they didn’t biopsy and sent me home. I was so relieved that the scan actually showed the lump I didn’t really question anything. I felt much more reassured than the first time.

Fast forward to last month. While i was on holiday I noticed the lump feeling very tender and more obvious to the touch. I have also had little spots of blood on the inside of my bra from my nipple. I have been back to my GP and am due to attend the breast clinic again next week.

I just feel really worried about it. How accurate are these breast ultrasounds? It seems strange that the lump only showed up on one scan and not the other. They were only done 4 months apart. Surely that means things can be missed? Will they only scan the area where the lump is again? If they do, surely this will not explain why my nipple is bleeding. Should I insist on a biopsy even if they think the lump looks benign on the ultrasound? The thing that worries me most is if the lump doesn’t show on the scan again at all? It is clearly palpable so I really don’t understand. I think the lack of answers is what’s bothering me. I need a definite answer as to what is going on. You read stories about people being told they are all clear, then months/years later being told something was missed. My mind is racing atm.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Or can anyone offer any advice about what to do/say next week? C

Hi. I went to the breast clinic a couple of years ago due to nipple discharge, although mine wasn’t blood, and was quickly diagnosed with a condition called ductal ectasia. Completely benign but can cause discharge and blood. The radiologist that did mine said that any nipple discharge even blood is more likely to be caused by inflammation or a papilloma (benign) than cancer.

you can’t plan or do anything until you’ve been to your appointment though. What I would advise is to take photos of the blood stains in your bra and if there are any on your pyjama tops etc so the consultant has a visual as to what’s happening

let me know how you get on

I attended a clinic where the surgeon marked the wrong area so lump didn’t show on scan. I went private for it instead and it was found and biopsied (thankfully benign). They actually scanned both of my breasts and armpits for reassurance which was incredible and I am so grateful they did that.

Thanks for the replies. I went yesterday as i was called and offered an earlier appointment. They repeated the ultrasound and again nothing showed up apart from ‘glandular tissue’. Apparently it can feel quite different but is very common. When i asked about the lymph node that showed up before the radiologist told me she could see lots of lymph nodes as they are common in that area.

It still baffles me that normal breast tissue would randomly feel like that, only in one area. However they were very thorough and asked me to lie/sit in different positions while they scanned. @DesperateTimesHelp i was worried that something had been missed because of that last time. But i am confident that the scan was as thorough as it could have been. i have an appointment for 3 months time because of the nipple discharge, but they didn’t seem massively concerned.

I had planned to insist on a biopsy, as it still feels so alarming to touch. I think if they had have done it would have completely put my mind at rest, but i suppose they can’t biopsy what appears to be normal breast tissue on the scan.