Hi

Please do not feel like you are wasting anyones time, the doctors and nurses at the breast clinic see lots of people with various lumps, I think that 8 out of 10 lumps are found to be harmless, however for the remainder of those people, it is really important that the lumps get checked as early as possible, to ensure prompt treatment.

I have history of breast cancer in my family (both my sister and mother died from it).  I am lucky in the fact that I am part of the family history screening programme and have an annual mammogram, which helps reassure me.  However, I have found a lump before, worried myself silly, had it checked at the clinic to be told that it was a fatty lump.  Yes, i felt a bit daft for a few minutes, but then I thought, 'i really dont care', better get it checked out early, than find out it was cancer further down the line, when you have a harder fight on your hands!

Good luck for your appointment, hopefully it will turn out to be harmless, dont ever feel guilty about taking care of yourself!

Marie

Hi Marie,

Thank you for your reply, and sorry to hear about your family too. It's such a cruel disease! 
 

that is true, and I might add I've never been made to feel this way by drs and nurses etc, I just feel so guilty but due to my mum's history the worry is always in back of my mind. I suppose it's always good to go and feel daft than not and it potentially become something much more sinister.   
 

how did you get Involved with the programme? My grandmother, mother and uncle on mums side have had cancer but I'm unsure if it's genetically linked. 
 

thank you 

Kat 

Hi Kat

After my sister died from breast cancer 13 years ago, i asked my gp to refer me for family history screening at the local breast clinic.  They needed details of all relatives that had had either breast or ovarian cancer.  In my case it was my sister, great grandmother, great aunt, and a first cousin & a second cousin at that time, they calculate your increased risk and if you have a high enough score, you get on the programme.  I get checked every year until I am 60, then revert back to the 3 year national screening.  2 years ago my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer also, sadly she died 2 weeks ago, so my score went up a bit higher!  I wasnt offered genetic testing as my sister died, they were more interested to test my first cousin who survived, that way, not only do they check for the Braca gene, they can do more research with a surviving cancer patient.

I think that all you can do, is be vigilant with checking yourself and if you do notice any difference, get it checked out asap as you are in this case.

You are not being paranoid, you are just being careful, which could well save your life one day!

Best wishes and fingers crossed for your appointment (it would be worth asking about the family history screening when you are there)

Feel free to come back to chat if you need to, I only found this forum a few months ago, but it helps to off load worries to people who know how you are feeling.

Marie

Hi please don't feel like you have wasted time the breast clinic are there for reassurance as well as treatment lve been going for 45 years my first breast surgery was after my daughter was born fortunately not cancerous, l have had loads of problems with my milk ducts, infections,  lymph node surgery ect over the years. I have an open appointment so l can make an appointment if l need to see them. 
They say that they can only give you a snapshot of the day that you are seen so return if anything changes. 
Do make a list of things that you need to ask, take someone with you as they hear more than we do from the doctor. The clinic can take a while so a book is not a bad idea. 
take care l hope it all fine 

Susie 

HI KBW95,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

You are certainly not wasting anyone's time. We are always advised to get any change in our breasts checked out. I too, lost my Mum and many other relatives to cancer. Unfortunately, although I had undergone a few routine mammograms, they did not pick up anything untoward. Thirteen years ago,  I found a lump, when I was having a shower, saw my GP and was referred to the breast clinic. I was diagnosed with stage 1, Pure Mucinous Cancer and had a lumpectomy. Six months later, I discovered a larger lump in my other breast. My surgeon thought that this was suspicious, but fortunately my biopsy proved otherwise. 

Mucinous cancer is one of the less aggressive cancers, so you can imagine my surprise, when I discovered another lump in my original breast, almost a year to the date of my lumpectomy. Unfortunately, this was a second primary cancer and I had a double mastectomy.  I am fortunate in that I still lead a busy and fulfilling life.  Diagnosis, treatments and after care have all improved tremendously throughout the years. There is just no comparison between the experience which my Mum and I had. As many as one in two now succumb to breast cancer, so doctors would much rather catch it early, than wait until it is in the later stages.

I now worry about fear of recurrence or spread, as well as family history. These are all factors that I have to put to the back of my mind, because I cannot let cancer overrule my life, but I am always on the alert for any changes. When is your appointment at the clinic? As you know, they are all very pleasant and understanding there and I sincerely hope that nothing untoward is found.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx