breast worry

[choclab]

Hi i for the last few days had dull ache right breast , not all the time,when busy i done seem to feel it , may be cos im thinking about it it comes on ...i dont know , i have tiny breasts and examine myself regularly , and have done so now and cant feel anything there ...should i go to docs ? should i be worried ?

I suffer with health anxiety so am thinking the very worst ...

thanks

choclab, where are you in your cycle? From what I've read, doctors will recommend that you see if any changes go after your period. If they don't then definitely go in. If only to put your mind at rest it's worth it.

period ended just over a week ago , feel very hormonal and ovulating at moment ..
worried ...and emotional
not sure if its me over reacting or thinking about it all the time making it ache ...

Is it an ache in your breast or rather in the muscles underneath? Could you have strained them- by lifting something heavy for example?

hi no i dont think so

Obviously am not a doctor and if it persists you should get it checked out, but if you can't feel any thickening, lumps, there's no reddnes or weird-looking skin, I would at least consider that it might be psychosomatic.

thanks ,sorry what does that mean ..

It means that your anxiety is causing the pain which IS a real pain but caused by the anxiety about that specific health issue ie the more you think about it the more it'll be there.

Get it checked out if you're worried but don't jump to conclusions or indulge in catastrophic thinking- difficult, I know, with HA.

thanks , do you really think you can get that sort of pain ? and it be a real pain ? from anxiety .....i am a bad HA er ....

Oh yes, it's a scientifically proven occurence.

Obviously, it's also not good to asume every pain is that, but with HA it's very possible that a important part of worrying symptoms may be just that.

Again, not talking about concrete stuff like lumps, bleeding etc, but some none-specific symptoms are often due to anxiety.

• assume

yes i understand , thank you , and yes think could be right , god i hate feeling like this ....
i seek reasurance for health issues from doctors when im like this ,
im now thinking what if this what if that ....
i was worried abut SC last week ...

thanks for listening

I understand, I tend to worry to much as well, though not on regular basis.

I remember having lots of weird symptoms, like pins and needles in a big toe or maybe a super-sensitive patch of skin without any rush...they were there for weeks, but if I forgot about them for a while due to stuff happening in my life they would go away and never come back.

What actually helped was having a concrete worry of lumps in breast, having to have scans etc- in HA you're more scared of the idea iyswim than the actual disease- so when I had to get on with it, I actually found myself calm and composed, happy to be able to check it out and start treatment if necessary(it wasn't).

Good luck.

*too and rash grrr...I CAN spell...just not today

gosh ... im sorry did you have breast lump ... were you ok , theres me prattling on .....

give me a slap ....

but you are right im terrified of the idea of something being wrong

It was fine, but am supposed to go again for a control scan, but keep on forgetting. They were inflamed lymph nodes.

Point is, if, God forbid, you should fall seriously ill, you will just get on with it, but will be pissed off with yourself for wasting years on worrying unnecessarily, when you could have just enjoyed life and health.

No one knows what's waiting around the corner for them. Fact. NO ONE. Stressing will not change anything.

I also found that when doing worthwhile stuff in my life,like studying for my degree or even things I'm usually crap at, like cleaning the house, or going for long walks etc I automatically gained more confidence in myself and was happier and so was not waiting for some catastrophe to befall me.

thank you , and you are right ... i feel ashamed of how out of control i get with my health anxiety ,i do hate feeing this way , the doctor has given me some AD to take to see if will help me calm me down .

Im glad you are ok .

thank you for listening to me .

Don't feel ashamed as HA IS a real disorder.

Have you ever tried CBT? Maybe it would be more effective?

i have tried this a little , but given up , i also tried hypnosis this worked a little , but became very expensive , i never used to be like this ... i had an operation 3 years ago and that i worried about all was ok in end , but since then iv been bad with HA when ever i get ill or pain etc ... and now im so used to being like this i cant stop , i go a few weeks ok then i see or here something and sets me off constant self checking ...thinking the worst ... i hate myself ... and now this pain in breast ... i dont know what to do ...

Well, breast cancer usually doesn't hurt, although I did read a couple accounts when it did, but it was the lump that was sore.

You say you have small breasts and that you check them often.

Any new lump/thickening?

no not that i can feel . i did go to docs last month and she checked them as i went with list of things i wanted checking like i do ...
this is a dull pain , i notice more when im sitting , when im walking or distracted its not there ...

im 37 and have no family history of BC , none smoker ,

i dont want ot be wasting docs time as im sure they are sick of me to ... i was/am trying to get better and not go at first sign of anything , but should i go ?

im worried if i dont and worry if i do ?

If she checked them a month ago and with your age and no family history, then I'd say you're okay choc. But why not keep a diary of the pain, so is it constant, is it worse at certain times of day. Then if it's still there in a couple of weeks time go back then.

thanks ,smee,
getting myself in a state now with the worry ... i can feel no thickening , lumps myself ... have given them good feel with cream , lying down , standing up , in front of mirror etc ....

Well, if the doctor checked them out last month and didn't find anything, and you, who are familiar with your breasts, can't feel any lumps etc....very unlikely it's anything serious IMO.

Could it be that you did have some pain (hormonal, maybe, before of during your period), noticed it and now are obsessing about it, hence it's there, but not really iyswim, you're just projecting.

If it was me, I wouldn't bother, as it could be nothing, hormonal, or muscle pain radiating towards breast etc.

If it persisted or became worse I would go.

It really doesn't sound like much.

Also if you'll keep prodding them they WILL be sore.

thanks , winny ,

will c how im feeling tomorrow , dont think i had pain efore period or during ...but focus on it all the time now .

thank you you'v been very kind to me .

x