Hello Worried30s and thanks for your post,

I am sorry to hear that you are worried about your breasts.

There are many benign (not cancer) breast conditions that women can get particularly in your 30's.

Blocked milk ducts can happen in your 30's but it is more common as women get older.

Lumpy breasts are common so try not to overthink it for now. I would take the prescribed antibiotics and if the redness continues or if you have any further concerns then do go back and see your GP again.

I am sure that if your GP felt you needed further investigations they would refer you to a breast clinic.

I do hope that it all settles down soon.

You are very welcome to ring and chat through any of this with one of the nurses on the helpline. The number to ring is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.

All the best,

Catherine

Hello Worried30s and thanks for your post,

I am sorry to hear that you are worried about your breasts.

There are many benign (not cancer) breast conditions that women can get particularly in your 30's.

Blocked milk ducts can happen in your 30's but it is more common as women get older.

Lumpy breasts are common so try not to overthink it for now. I would take the prescribed antibiotics and if the redness continues or if you have any further concerns then do go back and see your GP again.

I am sure that if your GP felt you needed further investigations they would refer you to a breast clinic.

I do hope that it all settles down soon.

You are very welcome to ring and chat through any of this with one of the nurses on the helpline. The number to ring is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.

All the best,

Catherine

Thank you for replying,I'm just struggling with it.in my head I'm already seeing myself having chemo and preparing for the worse :( the doctor I feel didn't really do a thorough examination.he had me sitting on a bed with my arm down and just prodded the side but barely,told me what he thought and gave me the antibiotics. I can feel 2 lumps,one when you brush your fingers lightly over the skin and one harder gravel like one basically underneath the top one but under the nipple.the top one feels hard but smooth ish,to me anyway.i don't have nipple discharge per say but if I squeeze it then pus comes out like when you squeeze a pimple in your face.i just can't help wondering what antibiotics are going to do to two hard lumps :( they finish Friday then I will be going back to the gp.im on flucloxacillin and they have wrecked my digestive system.sorry for the rant.

Hello again and thanks for getting back in touch

We appreciate what an anxious time this is for you. Sit tight for now until the end of the week and then go back and see if you can see a different doctor.

I am sure if there is no change they will refer you to the breast unit for further checks.

I hope you know more soon and that everything will be okay for you.

Take care

Naomi

Just an update,I have an appointment again with gp tomorrow.i have 1 day left of antibiotics and feel they have done nothing except give me stomach issues :( tried to get an appointment today but no luck so have one tomorrow.

Hi Worried,

I am sorry to hear that you haven't noticed any change with the antibiotics. I hope that you manage to get a referral to the breast clinic tomorrow. Do please let us know how you get on and remember that we are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Just got back from the gp he's put in a 2 week referral to breast clinic,he feels 2 firm moveable lumps upper quadrant and one he feels is fixed lower under nipple.when will this torture end!

Hello, and thank you for coming back to us.

It is good that you will be reviewed in the breast clinic.

They will assess you and decide if there is anything to investigate further.

Take care, and hopefully you will know more soon.

Sarah.

Just had a call from the hospital for an appointment 3 weeks today,I thought it was a 2ww? I'm freaking out with all this waiting for answers :(

Hello, and thank you for updating us about your breast appointment.

The 2WW referral (which is now called an urgent referral) is about the expected time frame to hear about appointments to be seen more quickly. For many reasons, everyone referred to be seen within a 2-week time frame would be incredibly difficult.

Managing your mental health between now and the appointment needs to be the priority. Mind, the mental health charity, has information on managing anxiety.

Only a small percentage of women who are referred to the breast care unit have a cancer diagnosis, so try to keep an open mind about why these lumps have appeared. But I appreciate it is difficult.

Take care,

Sarah

So you don't think the extra weeks wait is too bad? In terms of what potentially could be found?an extra week is not likely to make a difference is what I keep trying to rationalise 

Hi Worried,

I am glad to hear that you have been referred to the breast clinic. The 2 week referral, usually means that you get an appointment within 2 weeks from the date of referral, but the actual date of the appointment can be two or three weeks in advance. As our cancer Nurse, Sarah, has said, only 20% of people who attend the breast clinic get a cancer diagnosis - the other 80% have conditions like benign cysts, fibroadenoma, get the "all clear", etc. Most of us get delays in appointment times throughout our cancer pathway, but the doctors seem content with this, and tell us that it doesn't impact on outcomes.

Please keep in touch and let us know when your appointment comes through.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx