I’m 24 years old and have always had issues with my left breast. It’s always been slightly bigger than the other one. About a month and a half a go, I went to my Gp after finding a lumpy bit of tissue behind my left nipple. He said he wouldn’t worry but refferred me to the breast clinic just to be on the safe side. I went and told them I was also having a lot of pain in that breast. I explained my right one was fine. I told them I waited til after my period to see if it was hormonal but nothing changed. They did an ultrasound of behind the nipple and said it was nothing to worry about, just a bit of excess tissue. The pain went for a while but now it’s back. The Gp gave me antibiotics incase of infection and told me that the breast clinic know what they’re doing and some women can experience this. The pain is still here. It’s not terrible, just uncomfortable. I have been wearing tight sport bras and put it down to that but wondered why it only affected one breast.
I have googled and its telling me I’ve got breast cancer and reading other people’s forums makes me so scared. I don’t know what to do. Please help. I also have really bad anxiety, never suffered with health anxiety until now. I smoke and I’m convinced I’m going to die. It’s the worst feeling in the world.
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SLV94
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Hi! I'm sorry to hear about all you've been through in the last while. You've been very thorough in consulting with your Gp twice & the breast centre. Well done. I was wondering how long it's been since you started taking the antibiotics. They usually take a few days to kick in. I'm guessing it's been a while since you started them so one would think if the problem was an infection you wouldn't still be feeling discomfort.
If it was me, I would book another appointment with my doctor. Tell him you finished the antibiotics and the pain hasn't changed. Tell him that this is making you very anxious and you need to be completely reassured that this is definitely not cancer. I'm not sure what your doctor will do for you but he sounds like he is a good listener & is providing good care. I think another ultrasound wouldn't hurt. Even if it just confirms the results from the last one.
I have a 20 year old daughter who has social anxiety so I can imagine how scary this must be for you. You are being very smart to keep looking for answers. Although you may want to cut back on google. It can really freak a girl out!! Now, as for you being a smoker. Of course you know it's not good for you but did you know smoking is Not considered a risk factor for breast cancer? So please reassure yourself that you did not cause this...whatever it is. I don't know what the statistics are for women in their early 20's but it has to be extremely low. So you definitely have that in your favour.
You mentioned wearing tight sports bras. Are you still wearing them? I think trying a softer bra with less compression would be a good idea. If your one breast is larger & your bra fits your other breast better it's possible that the larger breast getting smooshed too much! As for the discomfort...have you tried a chilled gel pack? Even the soft, flexible kind you put in coolers work. You can put one in a t-shirt so it's more comfortable.
You can be proud of yourself for being pro-active. Experiencing anxiety makes situations like this much harder. I believe you will get to the bottom of this. I have a really good feeling that things will work out. You are a healthy young woman. Please let us know how things are progressing. We are here for you. You are doing great!
When you buckle your seat belt, does the strap go across your right breast, or between your breasts? After my nipple biopsy left it sore, I realized that the seat belt was aggravating the soreness, and got a clip that guides the strap between my breasts. Also, watch for changes in that nipple that can indicate the specialist missed something - if the skin is dry and cracked, or if there is any discharge or bleeding - that's how I learned I had DCIS.
I had the same thing. Was told for a year by doctors that I was fine. Turns out I did have breast cancer. Please follow your gut. Go and get a biopsy. That is the only way you will know for sure if the lump is cancerous. No one told me this and since I waited it went into 1 of my lymph nodes. I needed a double mastectomy, chemo and radiation because of it. Good luck stay strong!
You definitely need to follow your gut and be your own advocate. Because you are young, some doctors may be quicker to dismiss breast cancer. Is there a history in your family? Not that means much these days, but if there is, you want to know.
Ask if you have dense breast tissue as it is harder to detect. Also, I read on another forum, that something behind the nipple is also more difficult to detect. An MRI could tell you and insist on a biopsy. Keep pushing and if you don’t get anywhere, go to another institution. Larger, research centers are best. What city are you in?
Update....I clicked on your screen name and see you are in the UK. I’m in New York and am not sure how different/difficult the health system is there for you. I saw you also posted the same question on Breast Cancer Haven, which is based in the UK. While all the information here is great (SHARE is US based), perhaps you can also get the name of another good breast center near your home from someone on that site. Keep pushing as you have with your other health concerns regarding period issues. Be well and Dr. Google is not good.
Hi, I'm sorry that you're dealing with this, it's great that you are being so proactive and following your instinct to get this checked. If you're not comfortable with what you've been told, you can always get a second opinion from a different breast center.
Please keep in mind that our breasts are not symmetrical and it's normal for one to be slightly larger than the other. That being said, you want to watch for changes, redness, nipple discharge and inflammation. Chances are that the doctors are correct and it's just fatty tissue, but always listen to your body.
You could also ask if they can do a mammogram. You may have to push for it because of your age, but you can request it and this way your doctor will have a baseline mammogram to review in the future. This will give doctors the ability to tell you if you have dense breast tissue. You may have to ask, because not all state require doctors to y=give you this information.
Please stay off google, there is more bad information on there than good.
Although cancer in general is considered a disease of aging, young people do develop cancer occasionally. Younger women who do have breast cancer do tend to have more aggressive cancer cells than we older women do, so if the discomfort and apparent size of whatever it is in your left breast have been stable, that is a hopeful sign that it is not cancer. Is is possible that your sleeping position creates pressure on the left breast? or something else about your activities, clothing, how you move? If you are examining that breast daily, that might impact its comfort. I'm just trying to brain storm about what else could be behind this discomfort. And I don't even know if that is what you were hoping for! I can tell you that I have metastatic breast cancer and have never had discomfort from it. Obviously I had some pain following biopsies and lumpectomies. But the breast with the cancer never hurt or was even tender. I hope you will find a way to be at peace about this.
How are you doing and are you still having symptoms of pain in your breast? If so, are there other symptoms like that breast being warmer than the other, having a different texture, possibly being pink or red, and though most breasts are different sizes, the one in question would be swollen? These are symptoms of a Inflammatory Breast Cancer. I had it 15 years ago, but at the time I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I just had terrible pain in my breast and thought it was in fire. It was also near the time for my period to start so cramps were bad and all the factors together led me to call the doctor.
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