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I am freaked.
I am being tested for breast cancer. A few weeks ago I developed some bruising on one of my breasts, a few days before that my milk came back in. My right breast is in pain almost always now and it's getting worse. The doctor has said that he thinks the most probable answer is that my body is reacting to the hormone in my IUD, given my history with problems with the pill and my recent pregnancy my body is probably going haywire. However the bruising is concerning him. He doesn't want to order a mamogram just yet and wants me to have an ultrasound done. If they see anything on the ultrasound then I am going for the mamogram. I am nervous, and scared and the clinic I got the requisition for can't get me in for my ultrasound until the middle of February. I am calling the office back tomorrow to see if I need to see someone faster than that and guage his level of worry.
Re: I am freaked.
Wow, not that anyone needs this but you really didn't need one more thing to worry about.
((((HUGS))))
Hi Sammy Mae-
I'm an oncology nurse (with experience in solid tumors...i.e. breast cancer) so if you have specific questions leading up to your testing or afterwards- let me know & we can talk confidentially. To be honest at this point I would try not to panic too much (easier said than done I know). If it makes you feel better, I've had a number of lumps (sometimes painful) and I've had to go for a couple of ultrasounds. This is pretty "routine" in the radiology world and although I obviously don't know your full medical history (so I don't know how "at risk" you are) I would say that the most positive indicator to me is that a) you are very young for breast cancer - although not impossible as my best friend is a breast cancer survivor at 28 it is very uncommon to see women that are still menstruating/childbearing age that develop this disease; b) your doctor is being responsible in sending you for further testing but is indicating that they suspect it is a hormonal reaction; c) you haven't mentioned but I'm assuming you aren't showing any other physical symptoms (beyond pain & a lump) that are indicators of cancer. These symptoms can include:
Anyways, I don't want to overwhelm with information or be unrealistic in saying that a cancer diagnosis is impossible. All I can say is that it is unlikely at your age (the #1 risk factor for any & all cancer is advanced age).
If you want to talk more you can e-mail me @ apugh@desouzanurse.ca
Good luck & keep us posted!
Ashleigh
Ashleigh darling, are you on here too? I lurk very infrequently - crazy that you're here! (It's Chantal, by the way...)
I had to go for a breast ultrasound last month due to pain and a "mass" the doctor felt in my left breast. The tech was horrible and really freaked me out during the exam, but all ended well and I didn't have anything wrong. Apparently I have "prominent ducts", which makes sense since I was already pregnant when the exam was done but not when the pain started. Try not to worry too much, my doctor said the same thing that Ashleigh just said, that I have my youth on my side and I didn't have any other indicators for cancer. So stay positive - the fact that he thinks it's a hormonal reaction is actually good news. For me, we're still not sure what's causing the pain, and I still have it, so if it persists I have to go for further testing.
Ashleigh is da bomb, she's the sweetest person in the whole world, so please use her as a resource and email her with any questions you might have. I have a girl crush on Ashleigh because she's the shiz.
Thanks so much for that! The main concern right now is the bruising and the return of my breast milk. The fact that I don't have any other symptoms is good. I am not freaking too much (I just have my moments. But thank you for telling me that. I needed it!
Totally understandable, keep positive (and with that beautiful baby of yours I'm sure that is easy to do).
Take care, Ashleigh