Thank you. The bath idea sounds lovely although not very possible with the tiny ones... maybe I will persuade my husband to give me half an hour tomorrow at some point... The kids keep me very busy but are the main reason I'm so worried. I obviously keep doing all the "what if?" thinking and getting upset about ruining their lives.

Hi mamabird, sorry you find yourself in the position but we are all here to listen and help, and we’ll done on reading the entire thread haha :)

I am 38 and have 2 young children too so I totally understand where you are coming from. 

I found the waiting the hardest, once I new it was easier. It’s easy for us to sit here and give advice on what to do and what not to do but the reality is that we all worry and stress p out the pending outcome, but what’s nice is that we are here to talk whenever you need to and hopefully it makes the wait a little easier being able to talk to people going through similar.

hopefully your appointment will show nothing suspicious but it’s important you are getting it checked. 

hopefully you won’t have long to wait for your appointment.

sending lots of love xxx

Fab news, now time to chill and de-stress xxx

Hi Mamabird,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry to hear about your symptoms and the worry that this is causing you. Not all lumps are cancerous. Many turn out to be benign cysts, or due to fibrous or hormonal changes. It is a fact that only 20% of the people who attend the breast clinic, will receive a cancer diagnosis. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in my right breast. Both of these lumps were on the underside and near the mid-line of my breast. These occurred within a year of one another. I had lost my mum to secondary breast cancer, which had spread to her liver, lungs, bone and brain, so I was naturally terrified when I was diagnosed. I also had 2 young teenage children and I worried about their future. 

Cancer treatments have made great advances since my mum's day and there was just no comparison between the diagnosis, treatment and after care, which we both experienced. Instead of dying with cancer, many people are now living with it. I am 14 years cancer free and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life.

You should normally get your appointment within 2 weeks from the date of referral. Most of us get annoyed by our partner's positivity at this stage, but I'm sure that it is well-meant. 

I see that you have been given some excellent advice from Sandpiper, about coping strategies. I would also add to steer clear of consulting "Dr Google". Much of the information here is aimed at the more spectacular cases, which are not applicable to you and will only serve to scare you further, without giving you any answers.

I do hope that your appointment comes through soon and 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

Thank you Jolamine and Lebell, nice to know there are people who get it! I spoke to my mum this evening in the end. She said she remembered having a similar thing around my age so hopefully it's the same thing. I'll keep you guys posted... xxx

Hi Mumabird,

I am glad to hear that you have now spoken to your mum and I'm sure that she will be a great support for you. I'm sure that it will also be very helpful having a retired GP in your corner, as you travel this journey. Here's hoping that your have the same problem as your mum had all those years ago and that it's nothing to be concerned about.

Do please keep us posted.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Spider so happy you got good news xx 

Welcome mama bird 

good luck for your appointment xxx 

Hi Mamabird and everyone on this forum.

I too have been reading over the whole thread and send my love to all of you on your journeys  xxx

I have had a weird rectangular almost lump above my right nipple area for a couple of months. It’s about 3 cm across. The skin is puckered around it and so went to the GP today. I asked her whether it could be stretch marks as I am losing quite a lot of weight at the moment but she said that it wasn’t that. It’s been since my weight has dropped (unintentionally) that you can visibly see the lump as my boobs have pretty much disappeared. 
she said she was concerned about the puckering and my weight and so have been referred. About 30 mins after the appt, I got a text to say “further to our appt, please stop your HRT immediately”  Can I ask, is this normal? I’m 47 and a lone parent carer to my son who is disabled and also my mother, when he is at school. I have no support and am trying desperately not to consult Dr Google, as I know where all paths lead there.

I am in Surrey and was told they no longer do an urgent or non urgent referral to the breast clinic. They see everyone within 2 weeks? 
I’m sorry to gatecrash the post! 
I guess it’s the waiting for an appt that is doing my nut in. 
From reading here, I can see that you all have been through it or are going through the wait. How to stay sane? 
lots of love to you all xxx