Hi all,

I Have been reading around here for the past while as a source of information, support and empathy and wanted to share my experience.

I’m 49 years old. Approx 4 week’s ago I suddenly developed a very tender left breast which in the course of 12 or so hours developed further and became hot, red, swollen and extremely painful.

next morning went to GP.  Was told it was a breast infection (never had anything like it in my life) and was prescribed 10 days of antibiotics.  They began to work after several days and the pain eased but a huge lump remained.

3 days after I’d completed the tabs (14 days since the onset of the infection) I returned to my GP and she referrred me to local breast clinic to be checked over.

Fortunately, I got an appointment the following week as they had a cancellation.

i was a bit nervous but still believed it was linked to the infection.  I had a consultation and physical exam with the consultant. I was then taken for a mammogram followed by an ultrasound and back to chat with consultant.

He admitted that the images hadn’t made up his mind as to what we were dealing with and said he’d need biopsies.  He took 5 - maybe because the lump was large.  I did find that part very uncomfortable but was glad to be being checked thoroughly.

Before I left the consultant said I should return to the clinic in 8 days time when results would be back and the meetings would have taken place.

I’m not sure if he was trying to prepare me for bad news but He also told me that he thought that the lump had a 3 in 5 chance of being cancerous (in his opinion) - this piece of information hit me like a train and for the next 8 days I was an anxious, tearful mess.  I was terrified.  When I asked if the lump could just be the aftermath of the infection he added that he wasn’t convinced that i’d had a breast infection in the first place...

I can’t explain very well what that waiting was like but you have all been in the same boat so you already know.

anyway - I came back here to let you all know that he was wrong and the 5 biopsies all came back clear of cancer, they still aren’t sure as to why I have a large, hard lump but it is slowly shrinking and I have to return to the clinic in 3 months time to see what’s what.

i just wanted to share this with anyone else who is in a similar situation, try not to overthink during the (agonising) wait for results - not easy I know - and not all lumps are cancer even when the expert suggests otherwise.

wishing everyone here health and happiness x