Hi Lucyapple,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am not a doctor, but I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer. Can I ask what age you are? Sometimes, younger people find it difficult to get the doctor to take them seriously, as it is more common to get cancer later in life. It is possible that the shooting pains may be cyclical - watch and see if this happens near or on your period. As far as I understand, it is normal to feel changes at this time of the month. It is also unusual to have pain with early cancer. Not all lumps are cancerous either. Of all the people who attend the breast clinic, only 20% will get a cancer diagnosis. Other lumps turn out to be benign cysts or fibroadenoma. If your lump is oozing at times, this should be investigated. Can you see another GP in your practice or ask to be referred to the breast clinic? Again, this may not be anything untoward, but, if it were me, I'd rather get it checked out.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine,

I am 25 and feel as though they have said things related to age when I’ve had previous appointments. I am going to try and contact them again tomorrow. Thank you for replying - You have made me feel a bit better it’s just worrying that something is being missed & my brain automatically goes to breast cancer! Xx 

Hi Lucyapple,

Younger people often feel dismissed, which can be quite frustrating. Sometimes, we just have to stand our ground and insist on having a scan. 

Please let us know how you get on.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Lucyapple and thank you for your post.

I’m sorry to read about your situation and can appreciate that unexplained symptoms can prey on your mind.

We are sometimes contacted by people who feel that their doctor is not taking their symptoms seriously and they ask us what they can do. But I’m afraid that we are rather limited in what we can say and do, because as you probably know it is not possible to have tests or investigations, or to see a specialist without a GP's referral. All we can really do is to advise you to go back and discuss things with your GP again, or you can ask to see another doctor in the practice.

The Patient's Association has some useful information on how to make the most out of a GP appointment  which I hope will be helpful.

It may be helpful to say that the majority of women who develop lumps in their breast or armpits are benign (non- cancer) . Most lumps that ooze are due to an abcess or infection. You can explain to your doctor that you are worried about the risk of  cancer and see what their advice is. You can also ask if you need to have any further tests. If they say no, ask them to explain why not. You can ask how long should you wait to see if your symptoms improve. It is useful to do this as it does put the onus on the doctor to see you again if things do not improve. They may consider doing further tests over time if this is needed. It's often a process of elimination to find out the cause of someone's symptoms.

You may be able to seek advice from the 111 service.  A trained adviser can give you advice or connect you to a healthcare professional for further help.

In the meantime you may find Anxiety UK and Every Mind Matters useful websites with tips and advice on how to reduce your anxiety in these situations.

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.

Kind regards

Tina