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[flo69]

So the doctor saw and felt the lump, she said I missed a big chunk of it when I said it was only 2cm, the other bit feels a totally different texture, I didn't know it was part of it.

She's referred me as possible cancer, her face was stone.

She recommended I phone the hospital in about a week to make sure they got the referral. She said the waits aren't good, but they might be able to give me a rough idea where I am on the list.

Then she asked if I was still on HRT, I said I couldn't tolerate normal HRT in any way, I hated it, which is why I'm on tibolone instead. She had a quick check through the notes, saw I'm not on oestrogen and left it alone, 

She didn't know what tests they would do, she mentioned they might ultrasound it, which has me thinking ultrasound direct might be worth a go, I could make an appointment then if the NHS are quicker I could cancel it.

It's been really sore after all the poking about

[CLKD]

So stop poking?  Well done on getting the appt., do ring the Hospital first so that you remain in the NHS system.  If U get a result from another source U will still be on a waiting list for any treatment that may be necessary.

Get an idea about the waiting lists is important: also could U go along at short notice should some1 cancel? 

   who will go along with U to the appts.? 

[Mary G]

Sorry to hear that but I would definitely book a private breast scan immediately if you can afford it.  I have a mammogram every two years  immediately followed by breast ultrasound which picks up more than a mammogram.  I have breast ultrasound every year.  It's extremely quick and results are immediate unless you need a biopsy but they can rule out cysts and other benign conditions immediately.

Breast specialists I've spoken to vary on opinion but generally speaking, mammograms are better at picking up calcification but ultrasound is needed immediately after a mammogram because things can be missed.  It sounds like you could have a breast injury because something that size would have been picked up on the mammogram.

[flo69]

I'm in shock, I owe the NHS an apology, they have already given me an appointment for a mere 17 days after my referral!

It is a bit scary that they bumped me to the top of the list but it's hurting so I can't forget about it if I tried, it's causing a lot of stress to me, so I'm glad they have.

The referral has the only suggested diagnosis as breast cancer. I went and got the letter to go private, but no need now.

A 2cm lump in the right breast following on from an injury in a 55 yo postmeno woman who bleeds five days every month in a regular cycle only if I take hormones. My monthly bleed is late by over two weeks now. That is very rare for me. Is that because my own hormones are doing the next stage thing? I went through "menopause" four years ago. Or could I actually be ill?

My right arm went numb like plastic exactly four weeks ago, GP said go to A&E if it gets worse but lets hope it gets better instead. It slowly has felt less weird every day, but still isn't right. Could the nerves in my right arm (thumb side of the arm only) be pinched by swelling from my right breast? Is that possible?

So I've just over 2 weeks to twiddle my thumbs and watch this thing get bigger by the day, or is that my imagination?

I've been visiting my Dad most days on the brand new cancer ward, we live closeby, it was hard to walk though there yesterday, which has four corridor beds always in use as well as the 24 rooms. If I end up there I hope I get a room, the corridor beds don't even have a tv or charging point, I've felt sorry for those people for weeks now.

[CLKD]

It could be several factors.  Is a bleed usual on Tibolone? 

Stop prodding the area.  U will imagine that the lump is getting bigger. 

Make a list of your concerns to take to the appt. with you and ask the questions.  Write down the answers.

Did the GP examine your arm 4 weeks ago?  The nerves may well have been impacted by the injury or could be a consequence of the swelling - put on the list to ask.  It's a worry, all this waiting!

How is your Dad?

[flo69]

Thanks for asking, my dad is doing about as well as possible for his situatuion and we're all glad he looks like he might see another summer, or the springtime at least, he's not in pain.

I spoke on the phone to a private GP about my numb arm, like plastic, he said go to A&E if it gets any worse at all, it didn't. He advised me to see my NHS GP in person at the time, but the first question the NHS receptionists ask is, "is it an emergency?" to which I said no because I'd already spoken to the private GP. Throughout December they were too busy to see me, I wasn't offered a face to face appointment until I said "breast lump" then everything has moved like lightening ever since.

I'm a bit annoyed they leave us patients to triage ourselves, it seems lazy of them not to ask at least a few questions about the non-emergency, I've no medical training, all I know is if it's an emergency I go to A&E, I phoned the GP because it wasn't an emergency imo. Regardless, they were only speaking to the self reported emergencies.

I've a period-like bleed almost every month with tibolone, it's usual. I've all my days of bleeding marked on calendars because I found the doctors wouldn't believe me otherwise.

Honestly, I'm not poking at it, just feeling to see if it went away yet.

[CLKD]

We get asked at our Practice if it's an emergency if so seen within 24 hours.  Otherwise it's a 3ish weeks wait  . Tnx for the update on your Dad.

[Katherine]

I do sympathise with you. I had a mammogram in my thirties due to a lump that turned out to be a cyst, but they pressed the machine down on my collarbone as well as my breast and I thought it was going to break. Luckily it didn't. I did cry out but they just carried on as I think they thought it was just my breast getting squished. They must have looked at the image and realised as they came out into the waiting room to check I was ok. I can't give you any advice as my knowledge is limited on this one but I hope you get sorted soon.

[flo69]

I do sympathise with you. I had a mammogram in my thirties due to a lump that turned out to be a cyst, but they pressed the machine down on my collarbone as well as my breast and I thought it was going to break. Luckily it didn't. I did cry out but they just carried on as I think they thought it was just my breast getting squished. They must have looked at the image and realised as they came out into the waiting room to check I was ok. I can't give you any advice as my knowledge is limited on this one but I hope you get sorted soon.

Thank you Katherine, it's good to know I'm not the only one who think those machines need to improve, or their radiographers! I think I'm too scared to put my breast in one now theres a painful lump in the middle of it. It's so painful when there's no lump, unless this lump was already starting then in September and that's why the test hurt me so much. The test result came back as no abnormalities seen.
Then it came on the news there's to be an investigation into the number of misread breast scans, it all has me wondering if it was starting then, whatever it is. My comfort is that I check my breasts in bed quite a lot and it was only in December I couldn't get my right one to cooperate with me flattening it out, not a lump at that stage, but something was off that wasn't that way before.

[CLKD]

Headlines sell papers!

How long ago where these investigations were done and in which Health Authority.

As for checking in bed: the advice is to stand in front of a mirror ....... so that the chest and breast 'hang' naturally.  Once a month should be adequate though I can't remember which 'time of month' would be best.

[joziel]

Flo, I really wouldn't worry - I would assume that the lump is an injury caused by the mammogram. It sounds to me like nerve damage, it sounded like that when you described it in your first post and when you said your arm was going numb, that sounds even more like nerve damage.

When nerves get damaged they can take a while to heal again and there can be some neuropathy in the meantime. I'd try to put that top of your list of probable causes at the moment.... I have had nerve damage in my neck and also around a nerve in my hip which got crushed when I slept in a tight belt in an attempt to fix some lower back pain (didn't work!!). It took many months for those nerves to heal.

I really don't want to get mammograms done. I am almost 47, so not quite old enough yet on the NHS. I had a weird lumpiness in my breast when I was about 35 and got referred to the breast clinic. They said they didn't do mammograms on women under the age of 40 or maybe 36, I can't remember - because younger women tend to have dense breasts so they can't see much anyway - but they do ultrasounds instead. I was very relieved not to need a mammogram. The ultrasound was fine. They said I was good to go and it was nothing.

I really hoped that by the time I hit 50, they would have created a more humane way of checking breasts than crushing them between plates. When apparently this can just cause cancer cells to spread, if there are any. I cannot believe this is still standard. There is a new test available in the US called QT Imaging. You lie on a scanner bed with holes in the chest area and are gently lowered into water which is used to image the breasts. No radiation, no crushing of boobs.... and results are better than a mammogram and MRI combined. I am seriously thinking about combining visits to family in the US with these breast scans to avoid mammograms Here is someone getting it done:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEYSJdoyIWG/?igsh=ZXI4cW9na2s2ZnUw

[CLKD]

However more women than is realised develop breast disease in their 20s ......... 

R U taking any pain relief flo69?

[flo69]

However more women than is realised develop breast disease in their 20s ......... 

R U taking any pain relief flo69?

Pain relief is problematic, the GP told me to take the painkillers I can get. None offered.

A friend gave me a pack of pregabalin, which is a better painkiller than morphine imo, plus a bit of that too. I guess they'll take over the pain relief when they get around to me at the hospital, I've enough to last until the appointment. I had 0.5mg clonazepam for sleep last night as well, that one is becoming too frequent, I'm sure I've had some of that four times this week.

In the past week alone it has changed from an indistinct lumpy mass, to a distinct lump, to a lump now pulling in my nipple.

I can see both the lump to the outside of the breast and also the nipple turning in, I can see it from across the room in the mirror. There was nothing visible last weekend, I was still deciding whether or not it was anything to tell my GP last weekend.

I feel it all the time now and it's grown to 3 or 4 cm now by my measuring, the GP put 2cm on the referral, correct at the time, last Monday. It's a painful tug when I move, even to type. When I don't move the pain recedes to a dragging weight pulling on the surrounding skin.

Five days waited, twelve days to go. I'm so scared.

I think I'll phone again on Monday to tell them how fast it's changing, see what they say. Probably they'll say the wait must go on.

[CLKD]

Over the counter pain relief is adequate, 1 shouldn't take opiates unless under supervision  .  Where R U getting morphine from?

MayB take photos on your phone? 

[flo69]

Over the counter pain relief is adequate, 1 shouldn't take opiates unless under supervision  .  Where R U getting morphine from?

MayB take photos on your phone?

OK, this is perhaps not allowed on the forum, we'll find out I'm sure!
I accidentally got dependant on morphine around the time my dad was diagnosed and it became a daily habit only recently, I don't know whether it's better to get clean before my appointment?
My plan was to quit new year, I often do the same thing at new year.
But this year, the new year brought me a lump.
Now, quitting can't happen, because that would temporaily put my body under extreme stress which might help the possible cancer
So I'll still be taking morphine when I get to my appointment, it's only a little bit.
do I tell them?
or should I keep it to myself?
The pregablin I could choose not to take and within three days I'd feel back to normal, it's much easier to manage, but I've decided to keep taking them instead of the gabapentin I'm prescribed because pregablin works so well they might change my prescription over, who knows?

The only fly in the ointment is getting a continuous supply of morphine, like you referred to, it's not freely available.