Referred to breast clinic! Panicked!

[Carys]

Ems everyone's opinion and help is just as valid as everyone elses' (i.e. mine isn't more important lol), after all you have been through the fear process far more recently than I have, so understand it with more focus.


So, the pain in the shoulder and back isn't on both sides, it is on one side? I was asking about your size, as you know shoulder and back pain can be a problem with women with larger breast sizes, and ill fitting bras.


I was just looking up a stat for you - in your particular age range it is 1 case per 100,000 women diagnosed annually. I know this probably won't help you too much to even hear this, as anyone on this site who has anxiety will think they could be that 1 in 100,000, infact they may well take the further mental leap and think they certainly ARE the 1 person in 100,000. There are those who say 'it won't be me' and those who say 'it will be me'. Of course, it is always possible you could be that 1 in 1000,000 woman - lets not pretend it doesn't happen - but at this point all you can do is be hopeful and wait that horrible wait for Thursday. No amount of fear or panic will change anything, it will just give you the most awful intervening few days. Easy to say isn't it


Edited to add: my statistic is wrong here, put right in a later post.

[Anxiety121]

@Carys it's on one side mostly but also moves around a little the other side and then to the middle of my back

Is it one in every 100.000 I read somewhere it's 1 in every 256 or something by the age of 29 to 30 and that sent me a shock of lifetime. It is true no matter what the statistic risk a person suffering from HA manages to make themselves or sees them selves as that 1. It's horrible.

---------- Post added at 19:37 ---------- Previous post was at 19:34 ----------

Carys is way way more knowledgeable than me on this subject but I would say that after I got the referral to the clinic my breast ached lots more and the aching got worse during the whole process making me think it was psychological or tension related. I also found myself pressing and prodding to see if it had miraculously disappeared which in turn made my breast tender and achy. I could be very wrong but it doesn’t ache anymore! Maybe your so focused on that side of your body and possibly been holding yourself more tensely causing the ache?

I don't know if it's my head or not, cause before I went to the doctors it was my mid back that was aching a bit and now my whole upper back. Have I made it worse by stiffing myself up intentionally, the mind is a powerful tool for sure.

---------- Post added at 19:39 ---------- Previous post was at 19:37 ----------

@Anxiety121 You'll be ok! We all were scared about our referrals, but got through or will get through them.

Regarding the pains, I tend to agree with Emls and Carys in that it's probably unrelated to your breast. I think mine is probably to do with posture - I find that I lean more to that side when I'm sitting which puts more pressure and strain on that area. And I only notice it when I'm sitting, it goes away when I lie down or when I'm moving about. So try and think of logical reasons as to why you are getting pains in your back and shoulder, and consider how the pain is presenting. It's most likely to do with the muscles but I know it doesn't always stop those thoughts creeping in. We just need to fight them with sensible thoughts.

But I made the mistake and I think you did too, of Googling that symptom and then the seed was planted

I've managed to stay of google regarding my back pain cause I know it would send me into a frenzy, I read a little somewhere about shoulder pain and the big 'C' and that was enough to send my brain to chaos.

[Carys]

Is it one in every 100.000 I read somewhere it's 1 in every 256 or something by the age of 29 to 30 and that sent me a shock of lifetime. It is true no matter what the statistic risk a person suffering from HA manages to make themselves or sees them selves as that 1. It's horrible.

Oh my goodness no no no, 1 in 256 people doesn't exist in any age-group! That really would be an ultra terrifying statistic.



The data on cancer research UK is from 2015 (so could be marginally different in 2019) but the largest age range that are diagnosed is the 65-69 year olds and there were 7,672 cases per 100,000. OK, I've downloaded the data properly and you are right I got it wrong, I was looking at the wrong side of the graph..... In the 20-24 age range it is 31 cases per 100,000 and to 29 years old it becomes around 200 cases per 100,000. I apologise for being inaccurate earlier! However, chances still very very low compared to your 1 in 256 people ! ANyway, as we all said earlier, stats don't really help much when you are faced with scary symptoms and fears.



I know this is going to be a frightening and upsetting wait for you, we will all be here to listen and support as we can. I am really hoping that come Thursday you get a really clear postive answer from the clinic, knowing things are ok. I'm really not sure about the one-sided pain then, which has moved around a bit, but do make sure you mention everything to them that is concerning you.

[Anxiety121]

@Carys Thank you so much, already everyone over here have been so supportive. Thank you ever so much everyone.

I think more then anything I'm worried about this moving pain around my back

[Anxiety121]

So my appointment is tomorrow and I'm absolutely terrified, I don't think I'll be sleeping today, even at work it's constantly at the back of my head:(

[Carys]

Hiyer




Honestly, nothing I can say will remove your feelings of terror, its just one of those things you have to get through as best you can, knowing you are doing the right and necessary thing. Really hoping you get a good clear positive answer tomorrow.

[WhereIsMyMind]

Good luck for tomorrow, Anxiety121. Soon it will hopefully all be over, and you can breathe a sigh of relief!

[Anxiety121]

Hiyer




Honestly, nothing I can say will remove your feelings of terror, its just one of those things you have to get through as best you can, knowing you are doing the right and necessary thing. Really hoping you get a good clear positive answer tomorrow.

Completely dreading it and feel so down. Thank you for your reassuring words.

---------- Post added at 20:31 ---------- Previous post was at 20:29 ----------

Good luck for tomorrow, Anxiety121. Soon it will hopefully all be over, and you can breathe a sigh of relief!

Good luck to you too!!! Hope you come out of there smiling! Let's hope we can both breath a sign of relief.

[Emls78]

Good luck tomorrow ladies. You’ll both be in my thoughts xx

[Anxiety121]

Got the all clear, she said it was most likely glandular tissue as the ultrasound didn't show anything. I'm so happy but at the same time I feel like they hardly did the ultrasound properly just where I pointed for like 5 seconds and done. My HA is thinking did they even check properly.