Hi Lauren,

A very warm welcome to our forum. 

Most breast cancers occur in older people. I expect that s/he is not too worried because of your age, but sadly there is no guarantee. We are always advised to get any breast lumps checked out, so you need to tell your GP that you need to be seen. If your GP feel that there might be a possibility of something sinister, they will refer you to the breast clinic to get checked out. It usually takes about 2 weeks from the date of referral to get an appointment. 

Try not to consult 'Dr Google', as the information there is aimed at the most spectacular cases and will terrify you for no good reason.

There is no way to tell what these lumps are until you have had an ultrasound and/or a biopsy. If you need a biopsy, it can take another 1-2 weeks to get the results of this. This is the only way to be certain whether or not there is any cancer present.

I am sorry to hear that you are feeling so scared, but I can uderstand why. I was in a similar position to you 13 years ago. I  had lost my mum, to cancer and had just found a lump im my breast. My GP referred me to the breast clinic on the urgent pathway. I had two young teenage children at the time and was convinced that this was the end for me. I had a lumpectomy, followed by Tamoxifen for a year.

Six months after surgery I found a larger lump in my other breast. My surgeon was pretty sure that this was another cancer. Fortunately, biopsy proved otherwise. Almost a year to the date of my first surgery, I discovered another lump in my original breast. This time I wasn't so lucky and it was another primary. I had a double mastectomy, folowed by Letrozole for 6 and a half years. My surgeon was happy to do the double, because he felt that my other breast was possibly pre-cancerous.

In the interim, I have seeen my children leave school, go to university, graduate, find gainful employment, marry and give me two beautiful granddaughters. I feel so fortunate and still lead a busy and fulfilling life.

Diagnosis, treatment and after care for breast cancer has improved tremendously in the years since my mum had cancer. There is just no comparison between the experience that we have both had. Not all lumps are cancerous. Many turn out to be cysts or fibroadenoma. It is a fact that only 2 people out of every 10, who attend the breast clinic, will receive a cancer diagnosis, so here's hoping that you will be one of the lucky ones! 

I sincerely hope that your GP pays more attention to you this time. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Lauren-o,

Thanks for your update. I'm glad to hear that the young doctor you saw today was able to reassure you that these lumps look normal. I have one on my arm, which was investigated about 10 years ago and I was told that it is just a lipoma, or a fatty lump. It is still there, but I don't worry about it now. Obviously, if I did notice any change, I would get it seen again.

It's good to hear that you don't have too long to wait for your scan now. I sincerely hope that this reaches the same conclusion as your doctor did today.

I look forward to your next update and am hoping for good news.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx