Found a lump on my breast and now I'm terrified.

[Terrified81]

Last week I felt a small lump on the inside of my breast and it wasn't on the other breast so I assumed that it wasn't normal.
I'm ashamed to say I don't check my breasts normally and just took a random notion last week and felt it so I don't even know how long it's been there.
The doctor felt it also and I've now been transferred to a breast clinic.im absolutely terrified, I'm 45 , there's no history of breast cancer in my family. I'm a single mum with an 8 year old son who has ASD and is basically delayed for his age.
I'm in absolute bits, please tell me any good stories of finding a lump and it being ok or just general support,.I'm really scared.and imagining all sorts, dying and leaving my son behind to fend for himself etc

I found a lump, turned out to be a cyst. Best of luck to you and wishing you the same outcome as me x

I had some changes and found a small lump. Was referred on the 2ww pathway, had a mammogram and all was well. Nothing sinister found.

Op, I was found to have three lumps during a routine scan. I'm a single mum, ds was 13.

I had a rescan and biopsy, which proved to be malignant. I had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy, all between Oct21 and Apr 22. I'm back to normal now, healthy, working full time, running, cycling.

It was scary at times but the breastcare team were brilliant, and will support and guide if necessary.

Hopefully it'll be negative but even if it isn't, please try not to worry. You'll be fine. PM me if you want.

Wishing you well x

Thank you so much, honestly this is so helpful to me right now ❤️ 🙏 I'm so glad yous were ok.
The wait and the not knowing is brutal! I haven't told anyone, not even my boyfriend as don't want to worry him for nothing just in case

I've been referred urgently and it's supposed to be a 2 week wait but the doctor said it could be as long as 8 weeks. I'm in Northern Ireland

Hi OP,

I think I’ve been referred to the breast clinic three times in total now.

All fibroadenomas, and nothing to worry about. Although each time I convinced myself they felt different to the last and freaked out anyway! Always eventually disappeared on their own.

Try not to assume the worst.

I did have to get a mammogram last time as I was over 40. Not pleasant, but bearable.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. If you want to, of course.

@Meadowfinch thank you, I'm so pleased that you recovered. Can I ask, did you have to get a masectomy? I'm terrified of having to get one

@excelledyourself thank you, I'm glad you were ok..I've never heard of a fibroadenoma before but its so reassuring even to hear the name of something else that it could be

My mum had a mastectomy with constructive surgery. In a bikini (she holidayed a lot!) you would never have known, apart from the faint scar on her back.

Hi OP
I had a lump in the summer of 2020. Felt like a rock under the skin. It was cancer unfortunately but I had 6 chemo’s, a mastectomy and a reconstruction.

i am doing superb nearly six years on so it’s important to know that even the hardest news is temporary and you also would cope with it.

having said that, most lumps are benign so please please don’t panic. You’re getting it checked out and that’s always the best thing to do. Keep us all posted.

I'm hoping it's a breast cyst , it's smooth ,it's soft and movable , a bit like a water balloon texture.

@AuDHDqueen in so sorry you had to go through all that, you are so strong and I'm really pleased that you have recovered. Thank you so much for the reassurance

Thank you. And smooth and moveable sounds exactly like a cyst to me. Mine was rock hard and not moveable. Don’t panic! They are checking it out as a precaution.

I had a lump at 45, turned out to be a cyst. 80% of lumps seen at the breast screening clinic are not cancerous. So the odds are strongly in your favour.

Just show the GP, they'll refer you to clinic. Then they'll do physical exam, mammogram and ultrasound. If lump is suspect they do biopsy.

Please don't panic. It's not likely to be anything serious.

And if it is they can treat it, the sooner the better. I've many friends and family who've had BC and they're perfectly healthy decades later.

I found a lump this time last year and the waiting to be seen was horrendous, my anxiety was through the roof. I had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and in my case it was a fibroadenoma (also called a breast mouse because it tends to feel a bit mobile under the skin). They were pretty confident at the appt that that's what it was, but I have very dense breasts so they had to biopsy to be sure. I would take a friend with you to the appointment - the nurses were amazing but it's so hard to focus on all the info if you're scared, even when it's good news. Really hope you're seen soon xx

I don't think I'm going to tell my boyfriend, I've only been with him a year and I had a bit of a health scare last year so I don't want to scare him off.or have him worry needlessly and put stress on him that might not be needed. It doesn't help that I'm an anxious person and have health anxiety anyway..
Last year I had to get a Leep procedure for CIN 3 cells..I'm terrified of cancer, I always have been.

Have you got a friend you can tell? Just someone you can have a wobble on when the anxiety is bad and who could keep you company at the appt?

I had the same a few years ago, was around 45. I was seen at the hospital within a few weeks and told me right then and there it was just a cyst. It went away a few weeks later and has never come back. Only natural to worry but I think cysts are very common.

I think I will tell him close to the appointment date, again I don't want to worry my mum or sister by telling them I have a lump, my mum is a bit of a hypochondriac anyway and is elderly so I don't want her to worry..I'm not religious but I'm praying to God its just a cyst

Mine was moveable too which is apparently a good sign. I had a mammogram which confirmed it was a large cyst, they drained it for me and it hasn't come back. Good luck!

Do make sure you check in here then, I found reading threads like this really helped me get through the wait xx

I’ve been on the 2 week pathway twice with breast lumps, both turned out to be cysts. Mine felt like water balloons too!

This thread is helping me so much, I'm so glad I started it 💗

For anyone who was on the 2WW pathway, how long did you have to wait to be seen and do you get the results on the day?

I got seen within the 2 weeks, both times. My appt went like this

-consultation/examination with the Dr
-Mammorgam
-ultrasound
-Cyst drained (hardly hurt at all)
-Back to see Dr, who looked at images and confirmed a cyst
All in all, including a bit of waiting around, I was there for 2h

I’ve had friends who’ve had biopsies taken and had to wait for the results, but they were turned around quickly