Breast cancer worry- back here again

[cry]

So, after six months of being completely fine and thinking I'm over being anxious it's started all over again.

The past month or so I could feel myself getting more and more anxious and depressed about things and just worrying about my health. I watched stand up to cancer and saw a young girl with breast cancer, it was also breast cancer awareness month so I saw some stories from that of other young girls. I'm 24 so I know it would be unlikely but seeing the other young girls has made me think not impossible. My nan also had breast cancer in her forties.

On Monday this week I felt a lump in one breast that was sore to touch. Now I just keep noticing other things, like it looking slightly bigger and the skin looking slightly weird on top (there are stretch marks there so it looks like it's those making the kin look a bit odd) and feeling painful. It's so hard because when feeling like this it's hard to think logically and remember what it was like before, it could always have been like this and I'm only noticing and worrying now as I do check regularly.

I've made an appointment with my GP on Monday to get checked out just in case.

A lesson learnt from this that I guess it never truly goes away properly so even when I think I'm fine I'm going to avoid things that could potentially be a trigger :(

[Scaredlady]

Hi.

As you say yourself you're young and breast cancer amongst women of your age is indeed rare but I understand that you're worried.

Honestly though my breasts are lumpy a lot (and I'm sure most women would agree) especially around the time of the month and it's through benign nodules - totally harmless.

It would be uncommon for breast cancer to present with painful lumps, they are mostly painless. Non cancerous cysts on the breasts are common, so you see there are other possibilities to explain your situation.

I think also it's a subject that is playing on your mind because of "Stand Up To Cancer" and your anxiety is likely reacting to that internal fear.

You've dealt with anxious feelings before and survived, you can survive again.

Good Luck!

[Super_Freaked]

Get fully tested of course and then accept it fully if they say negative.

I know women can get swollen duct where the milk stuff goes and lots of other things, you would be 100x more likely to have some simple problem like that than breast cancer.

[HarrietVanger]

Breasts are naturally lumpy. I went through pretty much the same thing as you just a couple of months ago. I also couldn't tell if the lump had always been there or not. Of course the more I poked and felt for things the more concerned I got. After a couple of days I could swear I was lumpy all over!
My GP said it was nothing, just normal tissue. Apparently most worrisome lumps tend to be extremely firm and do not cause any pain BUT even if they are firm and painless the cause is more often than not something other than cancer. You're doing the right thing getting it checked out but you're very young, it should be nothing!

Also, do not avoid your fears - in the end it will just give them more power. Best of luck to you!