Hello Hannah and thank you for your post.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for your breast.

I can appreciate that this could be a worry for you but having a thickened area does not mean that you necessarily have cancer. How long you will wait will depend on the type of referral your GP sent and how many people are waiting to be seen. We know that many  appointments are taking longer because of the backlog of people waiting to be seen and a shortage of health professionals working in the NHS. If you are concerned you may want to let your GP know about when your appointment is, although this may not change how long you will wait. 

You may find that other women will come back to you with their own situation and this may be of some help however please bear in mind that we are all different and doing this cannot tell you what is the matter.

I hope you have people around you to support you. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care,

Caroline 

Ok I'm going to stick my neck out here and say what I would say to a close friend of relative - if you are worried try and find a way to get an appointment even consider going privately if you can.most private hospitals have a breast screening service. Or ask your GP to refer you for a mammogram. It could save you months of worry waiting. 
 

though I am not an expert I do think there are significant delays in access to assessment just now and no one wants months of worry waiting 

hope you get on ok