Lots of small breast lumps

[HealthAnxietyspoilsme]

Hi.

I'm back and forth from the breast clinic with small breast lumps. I've been about 7 times now, the last time I went was July this year. They did a scan and it's normal lumpy brrast tissue.

As you can see by my user name health anxiety RULES in life.

Last night I had a feel and I can feel lots of lumps, about 6/7 if them in my right breast. This is the side that had the scan in July.

I'm 32.

What should I do?? Go back to GP?

I'm so fed up of all these lumps all the time. There isn't as many in my right breast.

Please help me as I honestly don't cope well with this, now I've had a feel and felt these lumps again I'll spiral with my mental health in a way thats castophopihic.

I'll add that I've got very small breasts and I can feel everything even with the slightest poke, so this does not help at all.

There isn't as many I'm my left breast then my right breast I mean**

I know the gp will have a feel and say "but you have just been referred..."

Have they given you a diagnosis or suggested something like Fibrocystic breasts or any correlation between these links and your cycle? If they haven't really give you any answers or advice I'd be pushing for some and I would go back to the Dr yes.

*lumps and your cycle

Np, they have just sad , normal lumpy breast tissue. I've been like this now for ten years.

Lumps that are wriggly, lumps that are not. They are there all cycle, some probably do come and go.

I do know what you are going through, years ago a lump was found in my breast, but after biopsy I was told by breast clinic that it was a fatty lump and unless I was experiencing any pain in breast to leave well alone and just have regular 3 yearly mammograms. It is a worry, but if you are extremely anxious, then GP may advise some therapies to help with your anxiety.

My (male) GP told me about 30 years ago, when I was in my 20s and panicking about a lump I'd found, that there is a "lot of variation in the consistency of women's breasts. Some are like bags of marbles, others are like bags of blancmange".

All was fine. But obviously it's worth persisting if you're concerned x

Yeah I think I'll just go back to gp, at least the balls rolling then...

It's so weird, in some positions my breast feel totally clear of lumps, then I lie down and I can feel lots. Its a really awful position to be always in! I feel like going back on the pill some days to see if it helps calm it down

Have you considered treatment for the real issue - the health anxiety?

I've been on tablets. I've had extended cognitive behaviour therapy...twice. Nothing works. I go from one issue health wise to the next. This tine last week I was seriously worried about ovarian cancer, now I'm back on my breasts. I just find it so hard to believe when I say "I've just had a scan, I've always had these kind of lumps, they're my normal. Watch and wait until next month"

I know to say all these things however they don't stop me checking them about 30 odd times in a day..

I completely understand where you’re coming from. I’m 30 and currently waiting for an appointment at the breast clinic for a yellowy coloured liquid coming from my left nipple.

I also have bad health anxiety and the gp saying I wouldn’t panic about it but it’s best to see what’s going on more for your reassurance. Which to someone logical would think right so this is highly unlikely to be anything to worry about. Not for someone with health anxiety. We jump to the worst case scenario even when there’s countless explanations otherwise.

so logically, you’ve been scanned and everything is fine and you just have lumpy tissue. How hard are you pressing? I noticed the gp pressed me very lightly and when I commented saying I press far harder she told me off and said don’t do that you’ll injure yourself!

as you say your small breasted you could possibly feeling muscle and fat rather than breast tissue.

also checking 30 times a day (I know I’ve been there and currently doing everything I can not to touch mine) won’t help. If anything it’s going to make you sore and inflamed.

from a health anxiety point of view I’m more than happy to listen and chat with you because I know exactly what it’s like.

Thanks Fluffy, I bet you are very worried. Hilversum as someone from the outside...I bet that the yellow liquid is something totally normal and it's reassuring what the GP said...but I know that it's you personally and that changed things from your perspective.

I'm at the GP at 1.20pm, just phoned them and got an appointment with a female GP.

And I dig in... I know its wrong. But my hands become shovels and spades and I end up feeling ribs which I have mistaken for lumps once. I know how you should feel them but to me, it's a flawed system and things can be missed???

Yes the logical side of me says it’s hormonal or something as there’s nothing else there but the irrational side of me says OMFG!!!

yes I also think this. I’m large chested so I always feel like there’s something that’s missed.

hopefully there will be a light switch on at some point and then we will be normal thinking people

(here’s to hoping)

Sorry you're feeling anxious. I also sometimes have bouts of worry.

However- how many times will you need to see the GP for reassurance? As you said- you go from one health scare to another. So it's your anxiety that needs treatment not "breast cancer/ovarian cancer" etc otherwise you will always be anxious.
Why don't you try a specialist oncologist to confirm? Will that reassure you more?

Hope you get the reassurance you need.

Specialist oncologist?

I'm off to goggle...

Fluffy, I'm very flat chested, so much so that I'm sure I could scratch my own back if I wanted to just by digging in my breast. I'm also a good BMI so I don't know if these lumps are just more obvious to me...

Least I'm at the GP this afternoon...

People shouldn't really be telling you to see a specialist oncologist. What a waste of time and money

Really concentrate on the health anxiety and pay for more specialised treatment for that maybe.

And leave your boobs alone: you'll do yourself an injury! The 'sane' logical part of your brain knows you don't have breast cancer. Listen to that side lore

Breasts can just be lumpy. I was always massively confused about how anyone could "find" a lump in their breast as mine are about 80% lump, until I discovered that isn't the case for everyone. Given you have lumpy breasts, do you think you need to just note down the date in your diary and decide to "live" with it for a couple of months, and see if you're still anxious then? The thing causing you anxiety might have changed by then, and you can then use that knowledge "I was anxious about this in the past but I made a decision to wait and see and it was fine" to make your thought cycles more productive. If you didn't have breast cancer in July you almost certainly don't have it in October, especially given you are in your thirties so the risk is lower anyway.

You need to focus on getting your health anxiety treated, and if the options so far haven't worked you need to push for more specialist treatment - of the anxiety.

Thank you everyone. I do feel a little better...because of this thread, because I've got GP appointment today (that massively adds to the anxiety) and because of the facts put to me in this thread.

I've just been to the gym and actually forgot to stop to check this thread which was a big deal for me as the reassurance is a big part. I do have a feel whilst I took a shower though and of I woukd have felt today - not last night I wouldn't have felt anything...but then I carried on prodding and felt grissel like lumps.

I’m sure you’re fine but it doesn’t help with anxiety. I always try to let the logical take over and then distract myself with anything I can.

im doing ok for now but yes waves of panic eat me alive.

hope you get on ok at the gp. Let us know what she says x

Had the appointment with a lovely GP. She asked to film me for her training on her Mobile! Just the conversation, not the examination. So I think I got her full attention for that proformance!!

She had a feel and said it feels like glandular breast tissue? I'm banning myself from Google for that one.

She hasn't referred me to the breast clinic...thank god.

Fluffy, I hope your discharge is nothing to worry about. I had a quick Google and as an outsider, it sounds nothing to worry about and its quite benign.

That’s amazing news.

try and distract yourself so you don’t go feeling around!

I think I’m 90% sure it’s something benign probably hormonal but obviously I’ll worry until I hear them say it.

Course you will...keep me updated on this thread.

Omg this is exactly me. I also have health anxiety and recently done CBT, it helped a bit but not all that much . I would go to the doctors constantly because I was always worried about every little thing. I am also small chested ( literally no boobs) I can also feel everything. I notice it more when I lay flat especially the inside area of my boobs (near cleavage) I never know if what I’m feeling is normal or not! I had a breast scan about 6 months ago as had a movable lump but turns out it was just fatty tissue.

my anxiety sky rocketed after both my mum and aunt both had breast cancer in the space of 7 years (both beat it thank god) so as you can imagine I was constantly checking mine and worrying.

I know exactly what you are going through, it’s horrible to live with!

Anyone still active on this thread??
I also have horrible health anxiety, I'm 30 and I'm in for a biopsy in 2 days on breast lump I found 6 months ago