Worried and waiting

Hello and welcome.  There is no wrong place to post or no wrong question to ask on this site.  

Sadly, we can't diagnosis or even give probability based off symptoms,  The majority of women who respond on here have stuck around because sometime over the preceding weeks/months/years they've had a cancer diagnosis.  Many, like myself, are diagnosed after routine screening.  I had no lump, no pain, no puckering skin, nipple discharge etc.  just same old looking breasts.  Others diagnosed after discovering lumps etc themselves   

You are doing the right thing being breast aware and seeking medical advice.  It's fine to wait till Tuesday to see GP.  There could be a number of reasons for the pain.  Depending on your age you should ask if an ultrasound is appropriate test as younger breasts tend to be denser.  I went at 40 after finding a lump in my armpit and had mammogram and ultrasound as my breasts were dense then.  There was nothing wrong.  I was diagnosed in 2015 and every year when my annual mammogram due I get breast pain, or at least I notice it more.  It's anxiety and while waiting fir the appointment to drop through door you become more breast aware so notice every twinge yet in year 3 they asked me if I had knocked my good breast - I'm a G cup they get knocked a lot.  I couldn't recall so they couldn't be certain they were seeing a bruise on mammogram & ultrasound so did a biopsy.  It was a bruise,

Thank you for the response. I am 40, and that’s why I had my first Mammo last year. I do have very dense breasts. They didn’t see anything that made them think an ultrasound would be necessary. The whole dense breast is what makes me so concerned that something was missed. I am certain my doctor will send me for an ultra sound. This just has been a hard month, as my parents was diagnosed with incurable cancer (not breast). This has increased my anxiety levels as well. I definitely tend to go straight to the worst possible prognosis. I know several people that have had breast cancer and they have all had pain, which is why this pain that happens when squeezed or jumping is so worrisome to me. Thank you for taking time to respond! 

I had a 3-D mammogram done, instead of the normal one. Not sure if that makes a difference or not in detection. 

Hi, as Grogg has said, we can't diagnose here in the chat site, but you will find people are very willing to share their experiences and provide support. Getting this checked with your GP is a logical first step and if they think it's something more serious, then I am sure they will refer you. If that happens, the NHS standards mean you should be seen within 2 weeks.

For me personally, the waiting for results was really difficult, so I tried hard to keep myself busy with other things.  Sorry to hear about your parents, it sounds like a difficult time for you right now.  I hope you have support from friends and family to help x

Thanks for the reply. I spoke with my doctor and she said she thinks it’s from bumping into it. However, a few days later, I found a long skinny lump area that moves all around. But, it’s the same on the other breast, but not as pronounced. I reached out and she said it sounds like what happens around your period and that it’s completely normal. Said if it wasn’t better in a few weeks to call back. I felt slightly relieved but I am still having the pain in my armpit.  I do not feel ANY swollen areas or lumps.  Would breast cancer thats spread to lymph nodes on armpit have a lump or swollen area? I just worry that due to my dense breast, the mammogram missed something last year. Any experience with the armpit pain and/or not having lumps? Thanks!

To be honest, you can have breast cancer that doesn’t produce a lump or show up on scans. It happened to me. But such cancers are usually early and do eventually reveal themselves. It’s also possible to injure your chest wall or armpits and get benign swelling and pain, especially round your periods. Your doctors advice seems sensible. - wait two weeks and see if the problem resolves which it will if it’s hormonal. If there’s still a problem an ultrasound scan would be good - for the lymph nodes, and maybe a mammogram if you haven’t had one.

The reason I don’t want to be blaze is because whilst this doesn’t sound much like my experience of breast cancer, that exact scenario was how my dads lymphoma was diagnosed. He had his lump for 6 months before it was scanned however, and the delay ultimately made no difference (he’s in remission now). It’s probably not that, and I know it’s scary but “wait and see” really is a good strategy sometimes. In the meantime be aware of your symptoms but try not to be too anxious - even if it did turn out to be something concerning, the vast majority of breast cancers (and lymphomas) are eminently treatable. And the pain would suggest injury rather than cancer because most cancer is painless.

Do go back to your doctor as many times as you need to if things don’t resolve or if you notice anything else concerning. Do keep in touch so we know how you get on

Thanks. I keep reminding myself that as long as it hasn’t spread, it’s pretty treatable. It seems as if my armpit pain is more when I move my arm around. Not sure if that would be more injury related, or BC related. I will give it a few more days and then contact my doctor. 

Have you had a Covid vaccination recently? Only that activates the immune system which can cause lymph node swelling and pain. I just remembered that!

It’s been almost 2 months since I had one. And this just started. I don’t feel any swelling or lumps in the armpit area either. 

My breast started to feel better, and the arm pit pain diminished quite a bit. I have an appt on Friday with my doctor. She said after an exam, she would know what imaging I need done. However, this afternoon, I started to get a stabbing pain in my breast that lasted for about a minute and then stopped. I’ve felt it a few more times since then. Does BC pain normally get better and then come back? Any experience with that? I still have a lump towards the top of my breast, that is easily felt, but it’s also on the left breast in the same spot. Any advice or guidance?