Breast lump has grown waiting for BC asking for experiences

Hey everyone, I found a breast lump a few weeks ago went gp after it didn't go away and have been referred to the breast clinic under the 2 week pathway and have my appointment on the 14th, my lump can be felt like underneath my areola the gp said it felt nodular, its very hard and not so much a round lump, my question is I have been trying not to touch it and had a feel today and it feels a bit bigger, easier to find without pushing down as much and just feels a bit different, could this be a good thing that it's a cyst or fibroadenoma if it has grown a bit in the past few weeks? Or has anyone had a cancerous lump that has grown or felt different in a couple weeks time? And has anyone had a cancerous lump so close or under their areola, I'm dreading if they need to take a biopsy I know you get numbed but ahh 

Thank you

  • The 3 week wait from when I saw my gp to when I had my appointment today it was like it was all I could think about haha I read so many stories on here! 

    All she said was keep an eye on it and come back if it doesn't go away so I'm guessing it's supposed to go I'm not sure, I kind of wish it was a cyst or fibroadenoma so I had a proper answer and not still have it at the back of my mind 

  • Ugh it really is like that isn’t it!!! I find myself searching it on tik tok to watch everyone’s videos especially those that seem to have similar symptoms but it’s just causing me to be convinced that it is something sinister when in reality it probably isn’t! 

    And yeah I can understand that. At least you would know what is causing it etc. My doctor has told me that I’ll probably have a cyst or it’ll be fibroadenoma due to my age. But I think they say that to most people in our age group! 

  • Oh yes I fell into the tiktok hole too haha! I'd completely convinced myself I had cancer even though I knew it was very unlikely, its so difficult I hope the wait for you goes quickly to find out what's going on! 

    Yeah my gp didn't even mention cyst or fibroadenoma which worried me more it wasn't until i did research I realised its more likely to be one of them, and now it's neither and I'm more confused haha  

  • Hahaha sounds like we all have the same universal experience! And thank you!! I appreciate it. 

    I bet!! I hope yours goes soon so you can have a peace of mind!! The last thing you need is for it to be present, but knowing it’s not something sinister hopefully makes you feel a bit better about it!

  • Aw no problem lovely! Please update if you would like to after your appointment 

    Thank you 

  • Yes definitely I will! It’s been nice to speak to someone that has experienced it and knows how I feel! Thank you 

  • Hey Katie, was your mark itchy? What was the shape of it? I have some redness on the crease line under my left breast and faded redness on the crease line of my right breast. I don’t wear Bras often but I do tend to sweat a lot from under the breast so I don’t know if it could be due to that. Ever since The doctors confirmed they felt something on my left breast that’s around 1cm on Tuesday I’ve just been crying a lot and now I’ve been more so worrying about IBC because of the discolouration under the crease line and the stretch mark lines I have on the side of my left that you could feel when you raise your hands. I have it on the right too but I don’t know it just doesn’t feel as prominent. I don’t know if it could be just the thick veins. Ugh I’m such a mess, I’ve been crying so much I just want to be told that everything is good and that I have nothing to worry about at all. I just want to feel at ease and continue to live my life. 

  • Hey! I was worrying about IBC as well but more so because of the fact that there's not always a lump present with that type of cancer (since I currently do not have a lump). I wouldn't say my mark is itchy. It first appeared like a purple circle on my left breast, kind of above my nipple. I've had it for months now but I didn't think anything of it due to having no lump. But the circle has gotten bigger and the discolouration has spread under my nipple. Mine looks like more of a purple bruise. I only went to the doctor about it because it aches a lot now and the pain started to happen in my left armpit which turns out to be swollen lymph nodes. I was given antibiotics to treat it as a breast infection (due to my age) but they haven't helped hence me being referred to the breast clinic. I can emphasise with you on what you're saying. We're in a really troubling time right now and all we can focus on is researching it and convincing ourselves we've got cancer! But most of the time it isn't cancer and I guess we have to remind ourselves with that fact. I know its hard because I cant seem to stop looking it up. How old are you? I am 24 and I know my doctor said it is more likely to be a cyst. I know I'm not the best to provide any reassurance because we're in the same situation but I guess we have to let the fact that the odds are in our favour reassure us. You will get to experience life and all the fun that comes with it :) 

  • Thank you for responding! I’ve literally been crying so much about IBC and how much it’s been worrying me, the reason from what I have read is that IBC tends to effect Black Women more and for those under the age of 40 even though it is rare. I’m a 23 year old Black Woman so this coupled with the fact that my grandmother also had BC (not the IBC form from what I know) has worried me so much. 

    I had 2 doctors feel my breasts and for the left breast they felt something they said it’s around 1cm, around the outskirts of the areola. I was just an emotional wreck since Tuesday after they confirmed it and they basically referred me to the Breast Clinic and I received my letter yesterday to contact them if I don’t hear anything by the 16th and more than likely I’ll have to wait 2 weeks to be seen. It’s going to be such a worrying wait but I really am hoping the best for me and you. 

    I think maybe the antibiotics weren’t working because they prescribed you something different ? It could be that you might need stronger antibiotics because I do think it could be an infection. 

    You have an appointment soon right? 

  • I just remembered some advice for both of your appointments, write down all the worries and issues you have either on your notes app or paper because in the moment you may forget to mention certain things you want reassurance for, thinking of you both