2WW for breast clinic referral - anyone care to join me?

[OneMoreForExtra]

Referred to breast clinic yesterday after finally acknowledging I wasn't imagining the indent on my left boob. Normally I'm very sanguine and unflappy but this has me completely distracted and tearful. I've banned myself from Google (easy now as I've read everything ever published about breast indents over the last 24 hours) but have no idea how I'm going to avoid going bonkers while I wait. I don't want to talk about it IRL till I know if there's anything to talk about, but think I need an outlet. Anyone else in the same boat?

Hi. I saw the gp on Friday night due to lump and producing breast milk. As it was an out of hours appt the referral would have happened on Monday. I am feeling rather tense at not having an appointment date yet. I know it is rather soon, but lots of you seem to have got letters relatively quickly. Am trying not to worry but have a ds under 2 so am really hoping this is nothing sinister.

Thank you so much Fluffy! That's really nice that your sister can come with you and talk you through it all!

Hello StarDanced, welcome to the two-week wait club! I'm sorry to hear you're facing this though.

My referral took a week to come through and it will be one day short of a fortnight tomorrow at the clinic appointment so it wasn't incredibly quick. I phoned the GP practice to chase up my referral and phoned the breast clinic to ask for any cancellations- apparently the list was running slightly longer than a fortnight in my local area so I'm lucky to be seen in the fortnight. There is one benign condition called 'Mammary Duct Ecstasia' that does produce discharge and a lump but obviously they'll want to rule other things out too.

Thinking of you!

Hope you're coping OK Vi37 and that work is a good distraction tomorrow! x

Thank you EmilyrosiEl, good luck for today. X

Welcome to the group Stardanced.

Thanks Vi37, I managed to sleep a bit last night but woke early again. I have to take the dog for a quick walk, try to force some food down and then leave for the appointment. How are you?

I hope you're coping OK today Stardanced and Fluffy?

I’m ok, still panicking but glad I’m at work this week. Let us know how it went. X

Hi stardanced - sorry you’ve found yourself in the 2 week limbo too! It’s shit isn’t it?! Hopefully you will get your appointment quickly and least that will be one more unknown out of the way.

Good luck this afternoon Emily - are you taking anyone with you? I went on my own and the nurses were lovely. I had no waiting around though. Went early and called straight through for mammogram and then straight in for my ultrasound and biopsy - didn’t have to wait at all. Is a bit different here though.

Stardanced, I had my appointment on Friday and got a letter on the Wednesday. But then had to phone them up because the e referral wouldn’t work online. I have an 9 month old so I’m worried too. X

Thanks for the support guys. Finding this thread has really helped. Really sorry others are going through this too. It all seems so much scarier with a little one Vi37, fingers crossed all is well with you.
So got called today with a Monday appointment for next week, but it is an outpatient one so I might be scanned but any further tests will require another appointment. I really hoped everything could get sorted in one go, but Monday is not too long to wait.
It may not be breast related and may be a prolactinoma (non cancerous tumour in the brain). I may be referred to a different department after blood tests next Monday morning.

Just wanted to add some encouragement for anyone in their wait and doesn't know what to expect (sorry if loads of others have said similar already) -- I had my appointment at the clinic today. 29 years old, found a 2.5 cm lump in one breast.

I wasn't too worried until I got there and had an initial manual examination and the doc said he couldn't really tell either way, as it wasn't as clearly defined as he would expect a cyst to be.. So that was a little scary. He said I was a '3' on the 1-5 of 'nothing to bad' scale.

I then had to wait for an ultrasound, and the lady who did that was so lovely and reassuring. She checked it and said it looked like a perfectly fine cyst (weirdly snowman shaped it looked to me!) so they decided to drain it right there and then.

I had a local anaesthetic, as though I were having a tooth out, and they drained it. I'm AWFUL with medical things, as in faint and get sick etc. but I was okay and just counted things on the wall while they got on with it!

Thankfully the fluid wasn't suspicious and they said that was that, I just need to have a follow up in 4 weeks to check it hasn't come back.

Thank you Mayihavesomecakeplease, that is very reassuring. Although my sister had described what would happen, your description of events helps massively x

Emily thinking of you and hoping you got good news.

Hoping you’re ok EmilyrosiEl? X

Thank you Vi and Cambalamb! I had an ultrasound, which showed benign inflammation (unknown cause but not cancer) and thickening of some of the tissue on my right breast so no cancer. I am shocked as I was convinced it was IBC but so relieved!

Oh also just to say don't read into the long waits between seeing the consultant, having the ultrasound (or mammo) and then discussing the results with the consultant as it just always takes forever and doesn't mean anything!

Whoop! Whoop! Over the moon for you!!!

So pleased for you. 😊

Fantastic news

Brilliant news - so happy for you Emily! Seems this thread is bringing everyone luck! What are you doing to celebrate?

Thank you Cambalamb, Vi37, Fluffy, Thingywhatsit and other two-week-wait-pals!

I am wishing everyone the best for the next couple of days/weeks. Vi37 I am really hoping things turn out ok on Friday and will be thinking of you.

To celebrate I have been eating properly at last (I even ate a cake!) and I will sleep a bit better tonight. The fortnight of worrying is exhausting and I'm thinking of you all.
xxxxxx

That's brilliant news Emily. Celebratory cake is definitely necessary!

We all need to bear in mind what our thoughts and anxiety can do to our perspective. I think the 2 week wait causes a lot of the anguish because we have time to flit between optimism and the darkest thoughts. If we just went and found out immediately we would all be better off. When I was lucky enough t have partial private care, that was the case for me. I had GP visit and private appointment on the same day. I was still terrified but it was only 1 day. Fast forward 10 years and on the NHS 2 week wait, I suffered much more. Be kind to yourselves but remember that lots of the anguish is the fear in our heads and not the likely reality.

Thank you StarDanced, I hope you're coping OK tonight?

You're so right Cambalamb! my thoughts have now turned to questioning why I have deep tissue inflammation and thickened tissue- the consultant didn't really explain it or say what might have caused it. I'm not going to start worrying again!

Did they suggest anything going forward Emily? Taking ibuprofen over a few days maybe? I've seen other threads where people have had old scar tissue that has caused thickening from a knock to the breast.