Hi Effio,

Am I right in saying that your GP hasn’t run any tests for you? Without doing this, nobody can rule out cancer completely. It might be worth seeing another GP in your practice for a second opinion. Although cancer is rare at your age, it does occasionally strike. It is also unusual to have pain with breast cancer. Some people have naturally lumpy breasts.

I am not a doctor, but I would certainly pursue this to rule out cancer altogether. Ask your GP’s receptionist for an urgent appointment. If you tell her why you need it, she will give you one. It is normal for GPs to give patients a telephone consultation first and, to make a face-to-face appointment if they feel that it is needed. Some GPs are referring patients straight to a breast clinic for testing, so don’t be too worried if this happens. We are living in strange times with this pandemic!

Do please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hello,

I have been given a breast clinic appointment for next week thursday, and I am happy they have given it to me so soon, but I am still so so anxious. I keep feeling pain in my back, neck and armpit (for the last 2 days) and I don't know if this is really in my head or pathological. I did have a panic attack because of it. 

The pain travels around my breast and isn't always there, it is just so so strange and I don't understand it. Besides, I keep feeling around my breast and I have found multiple very very small moveable lumps , where it hurts and then stops hurting. At first it was just in the upper outer quadrant but it is under my breast and in the inner quadrant too. The pain has gotten worse over two weeks, where I wasn't feeling any pain before. Can someone relate?

How is a breast exam carried out?

Hi Effio,

I hope that these extra lumps you’re finding might mean that you have naturally lumpy breasts and, that there is nothing untoward.

I am delighted to hear that you have been given a breast clinic appointment for next Thursday. The sooner you’re seen the less worry you’ll have. You will naturally be anxious at the moment and, you may still have another 1-2 weeks to wait to get the results of any tests.

Could your pain in your breast be due to the fact that you are constantly feeling your breasts and consequently making them sore? Try not to keep feeling them all the time. Maybe limit yourself to checking your breast once a month and stick to that? You may be right that this is really in your head, as many people find that this can happen. Unfortunately, you cannot tell whether your aches and pains are real or imaginary until they have been tested and you have been given the all clear.

When you attend the clinic, the consultant will discuss your symptoms with you. S/he will then ask you to strip the top half of your body and will just feel around your breasts very gently. If s/he feels that there is a need to explore further you may be sent for an ultrasound and possibly a biopsy. There is no pain whatsoever with the ultrasound. You will get some cold gel placed on your breasts and a probe will be moved over the area. This is what they use to show a baby’s progress during pregnancy and, this can show up any lesions present.

If they look at all suspicious, you may then be given a local anaesthetic before a needle is inserted to take a biopsy. This is usually sent away for analysis and takes 1 - 2 weeks for the results to come back. The results can show what type of breast cancer is present, if any and, can tell you the grade of cancer you’ve got. Older ladies also have a mammogram, but this is not usually carried out on someone of your age, because the breasts are usually too dense in younger people. Occasionally, further tests can be needed for some people. These are usually in the form of a CT or MRI scan. Don’t worry if they need to do this, as this is just a way of being absolutely certain of the diagnosis, if the ultrasound is not as clear as it should be.

The members of staff in these clinics are usually very pleasant and, will try their best to put you at your ease. Of all the people referred to the breast clinic only 1 person in 8 will get a positive diagnosis. This is just as much to rule out cancer as it is to diagnose it.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx