I had stage 2 grade 3 cancer in my left breast starting in 2019 and finished treatment in May 2020. Treatment included chemo, lumpectomy, radiotherapy and hormone injections however I was told I was cancer free last Feb.
Over 2020 I felt the odd lump and my nipple had a itchy dry patch that would come and go so I has a mammogram and ultrasound in August last year. They said that was clear.
I then felt a lump in Oct, again I had a mammogram which was clear.
I must admit over the last 2 years I've panicked everytime I felt something so after the Mammogram in Oct I told myself to stop thinking about my boob and whilst I checked for lumps each month after my periods I tried to forget about cancer!
I had a nice Christmas not thinking about my boob and all well until last week!
My left breast has shrunk...I mean it's really reduced in size. I've gone from a DD to a C/D cup almost overnight and has been like it for a week...Even my husband commented and he's not observant at all.
I have no pain, can't feel any lumps but standing in front of the mirror it's very obvious.
Of course and I know you shouldn't but I Dr Googled it and I've read about cancer that is close to the breast wall can cause the breast to reduce in size as it pulls the breast in. It also doesn't always show up in a mammogram and best to ask for a CT scan.
Just worried incase they think I'm being paranoid as I've had 2 mammograms last year with nothing to show on them. I haven't been in contact with my macmillan nurse for about 6 months and feel cheeky calling her out of the blue and she'll probably think "oh not her again" and I can't get a face to face appointment with my doctor for 3 weeks.
Am I being paranoid, is breast shrinkage normal? Should I wait another couple of days for my period to stop and see if they change again?
The fact that you may or may not be paranoid does not mean that you are wrong about the breast. I would stop worrying about paranoia or what your Macmillan nurse would think, and advocate for yourself.
Great on being told you are cancer-free and excellent about all the past clear tests, but you are absolutely right to monitor closely. While I am hoping this too will end up being nothing to do with cancer, I want to encourage you to talk to your team again or to your Macmillan nurse. No true professional should ever think badly of you for bringing up legitimate concerns and if they do they should be told better. What you are describing is indeed a legitimate concern and should be looked into as if nothing else had ever come up before. This is new.
Which doctor is it that you cannot see for 3 weeks, GP or oncology?
Sod what people think . Phone your BCN and get some appointments booked .
Its very easy for “other people” to dismiss our worries.
What ever , try actually having f…. Cancer .
All the best
Penny xxxx
Completely agree with the others - get yourself checked out. I recently felt a lump near my scar tissue and had it checked out. The ultrasound person said that it was scar tissue and that it was quite common for women to think they had another lump - but she said to me to ALWAYS get any concerns checked out.
Hi , sorry you’re having such an anxious time, the only ‘cure’ is to get checked out at the breast clinic. You’re not being paranoid or cheeky, just rightly concerned that there’s been a change in your breast. I have self referred at least once a year (in between annual monitoring) since my diagnosis just over 3 years ago. I hate doing it but they’ve never made me feel that I’m fussing unnecessarily. It’s been reassuring each time to be checked out and told that nothing seems amiss. Due to Covid they do not automatically offer a face to face appointment at the annual mammogram but I ask for one as well as a physical examination. I don’t love being poked and prodded (and it’s actually quite painful on my affected breast) but I don’t want anything missed. So far so good!
I’m sure it’s more likely that all is ok with you too but you won’t know until it’s checked out. So please phone them and get an appointment, I wouldn’t bother with your GP as I reckon they’d refer you anyway as a precaution.
Good luck with it all, let us know how it goes. Love and hugs, HFxx
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