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Aussie11
12-06-11, 14:45
Well after 6 months of no health anxiety issues it's back again! I check my breasts regularly for lumps and I do have quite lumpy breasts, which doctors have said it just normal breast tissue in the past. Went to breast clinic 2 years ago for lump in same sort of area and they did ultrasound and all was fine. GP last checked back in September last year and she said was fine.

About a month ago I found new lumpy area in left breast and it feels like there is increased thickness there. The lumpy bits are not round, they are about 0.5 cm to 1 cm and sort of flat pieces of gristle. I wasn't too worried but planned to make appointment with GP to check it out anyway. However over the last month while I've been meaning to go to GP I have been having pain in left breast and the lumpy areas are sore when I prod them. Also my upper arm has also become sore and feels like lymph nodes are up a bit, not large, probably smaller than peas but firm and really tender. It feels like I'm bruised all up my inner upper arm, not directly in the armpit but all around it. The other side also hurts a little bit but nothing like left side. I feel achy elsewhere as well as if I'm getting sick, but never turns into cold or flu etc. The breast pain is not related to my period as has started week before last one and has continued for rest of the month. A GP previously thought I had fibromyalgia so not sure if this is related to that. Of course being HA sufferer though I've convinced myself I have breast cancer and it's spread to arm lymph nodes! I thought maybe by touching the area all the time I've actually made it worse and made the lymph nodes come up more but not sure if this is possible.

I'm going back home to Aus for 2 weeks in a couple of days and have booked an appointment with my doctor there for next weekend. Just really scared about what she will say or if I'm referred for ultrasound what they will find. I'm 32 years old, my mum's mum had breast cancer at about 60 y.o. and survived it, no other family history of it.

Has anyone else had this sort of thing? Everything you read says pain not common with breast cancer unless advanced, but that just makes the worry worse!

countrygirl
12-06-11, 17:16
You are doing the right thing in seeing a Dr for your peace of mind. Have you thought you might have an infection???? just a thought as this would give you the raised lymph nodes etc etc and is not uncommon in the breasts. Another reason to see a Dr.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Christers
12-06-11, 20:47
I had exactly the same problem a while back. I always suffer from breast pain from about 10-12 days prior to my period. But one day, i started to obsess about this (along with other health related fears). I poked and proded constantly and ALSO developed pain radiated to my shoulder. I was convinced that i had breast cancer that had spread. Went and had a full breast exam at docs and she said that one breast was slightly thicker than other ( which is normal), but no lumps anywhere. Soon after this, my arm pain and obsession with breast checking all day every day stopped (since then i've moved on to other obsessions: typical HA sufferer!). If i were you, i'd go get it checked, not because i think there's anything to worry about, but because it took a doctor to reassure me. I'm sure everything will be fine. Try and enjoy your trip back to Oz. Used to live there myself!

ElectricAlice
12-06-11, 22:16
So its normal for one breast to be thicker than the other? I have this too.

Aussie11
19-06-11, 15:22
Thanks for the replies. I went to doctor yesterday and she could feel the thickened area but also said she felt a lump separate to that but on same side. She referred me for ultrasound and put on there to have fine needle aspiration if needed once they ultrasound. She said it was definite lump but that she didn't think it felt like anything nasty. She wrote on referral that it was about 1cm and mobile. I can't actually feel which lump she's referring to as it all seems so lumpy anyway! I'm going for the scan tomorrow afternoon, and pretty scared! I know there's lots of benign things out there but mostly worried by fact I've had pain in arm as well and not sure if any benign conditions cause pain to radiate to arm, does anyone know? Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Aussie11
20-06-11, 16:52
Had scan today and they just said that I have very thick fibrous tissue in my left breast and they couldn't find definite lump the GP found. They did find cyst in separate spot but that was small so no issues. I didn't have to have biopsy after all so very relieved. Radiologist said it was probably just hormonal changes causing lumpiness and pain. So panic over on this one!