I have been to see my GP today after 2 weeks of continual pain in my breasts with some nipple discharge. She got me to lay down and informed me they are really lumpy and asked if this is normal for me, which it's not.  I'm adopted but do know my birth mothers mum died of breast cancer which added a few more alarm bells to my head. She told me she will be writing to the breast surgeon to get me an appointment so now I'm worrying. What is the average timescale between referral and appointment?  Am I panicking too early? 
Emily x

Hi Emily,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry to hear that your GP has felt it necessary to refer you to the breast clinic. Try not to let this worry you, as only 1 person in every 8 referred will get a cancer diagnosis. You don't say what age you are, but many young women also have naturally lumpy breasts.

You will usually be seen at the clinic within 2 weeks from referral. Panic won't change your outcome, so try to stay calm.  You will find that keeping busy will help to pass the time as your're waiting.

You may have some tests taken when you are at the clinic and it usually takes 1-2 weeks to get the results of these back. It is not usually until this stage that you can be sure that all is clear.

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

Keeping my fingers crossed for good news.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Alster, 

I visited my GP on the Friday and she then referred me to the Breast clinic & had the appointment booked for exactly 2 weeks later. So it was all done quickly. I hope you can get a referral sooner, the waiting is the worst. Good luck x 
 

I had my appointment yesterday and they have said it's a cyst, I just have to keep a check on it and make sure it doesn't change at all. They were all very kind & reassuring there. It took about an hour with the ultrasound and consultation. 

I'm glad it's all over with now and I can stop worrying. 

Bramble xx 

Hi Bramble,

I am delighted to hear that this turned out to be a cyst. I hope that this sets your mind to rest and that you can now return to enjoying time with your family, without any worries.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hello, 

I have noticed some symptoms in my left breast. I went to my doctor on Monday, was told that it was likely just a cyst, but was referred to a breast clinic. I received a call today and have an appointment tomorrow. Is this speed concerning, or am I just fortunate in being able to be seen quickly? 
 

Thank you! 

Hi Lilteej,

A very warm welcome to our forum. Please don't worry about how quickly you're being seen. All people referred to the breast clinic usually have to be seen within two weeks.  You have been fortunate to get your appointment sooner rather than later. This can happen when the clinic has a cancellation to fill. It doesn't signify anything sinister, but it does save a lot of additional time worrying.

I hope that all goes well for you tomorrow and that it does turn out to be a cyst. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, 

Thank you so much for your kind and reassuring response. I have read through all of the posts in this thread and this community is so fortunate to have someone so supportive and caring. I will update you when I know more. Best wishes! 
 

lilteej 

Hi Lilteej,

Thank you very much for your kind comments. I have had such tremendous support from this forum throughout the past 12 years that I am happy to give what little I can back.

I look forward to your update. CanI ask where you found the 63% statistic?

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi everyone

Hope everyone's doing okay.

I was referred to the breast clinic today under 'urgent suspected cancer'. I'm 22 which I know is very young for breast cancer but I have a lot of family history and my mum first had it when she was 25. She then had a very rare form of skin cancer in her nipple when she was 36 which they think was as a result of the radiation treatment she had for the first cancer. She had breast cancer again when she was 45. She's currently almost 60 and has been fine for years but we are waiting on biopsy results for a lump on her shoulder where the radiation scars are. My maternal aunt also had breast cancer as well as a host of other cancers (I think it was liver cancer that she sadly died from a few years back). My dad also died of cancer when i was 18 (unknown primary cause cancer) after a very short illness (a month).

A couple years back I was refered for what I thought was a lump and it turned out to just be a bit of lumpy breast tissue and that was all ok. This time it isn't a lump. I went to the GP today and saw a nurse practicioner. I've had a kind of sore on my breast near the nipple for about 4 months that hasnt' healed and is a bit inflamed and scaly. She didn't seem overly concerned at the appointment but said she wanted to refer me but wasn't sure where (breast clinic or dermatogoly) and the systems were down so she would call me later. Got the call this afternoon and she said she had spoken to a collegue and they wanted to refer me to the breast clinic. She said i'd hear within 2 weeks. I saw on my records on the NHS app that it's been done under the urgent suspected cancer which has freaked me out. She didn't seem overly concerned at the appointment but she also didn't know what it was and i think I'm now reading into things but she seemed overly nice and caring on the phone which made me think she might think its something bad. 

Sorry for the long post, just feeling quite lost. Haven't told my mum because I dont want to stress her when she's waiting for biopsy results. Told my boyfriend but didn't tell him about the suspected cancer bit because i didn't want to stress him out

Hi Fh001,

A very warm welcome to our forum, although I'm sorry to hear of your concerns. Please don't concern yourself about a 2 week urgent referral. This is normal for the breast clinic. You have done the right thing by getting this investigated and, I hope that it turns out to be nothing untoward again.

It is always an increased worry when there is a family history of cancer. I am pretty sure that the nurse would have said if she had suspected anything, as they tend to tell things as they find them. I hope that your mum's biopsy results come back soon, as it sounds as if she has had a tough cancer journey so far.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi all unfortunately find my self here and have read through the whole thread which is so reassuring. 
my story is I found a lump in my left armpit around 6 weeks ago. Was really run down so blamed it on that. However at the weekend I found a lump in my left breast so contacted gp who was lovely & examined me this morning. I was really expecting to be in and out and told I was being silly. However she found a "mass" in my right breast ans seemed pretty concerned. She has done a refferal but I have been knocked side ways. Didn't want to not comment so here I am. I hope you are all well xx

Hi Jolamine

thank you so much for your message. 
 

my appointment is on Monday morning. They had some slots on Friday they suggested I take but I'm going away on Friday for a weekend away with my boyfriend so said I couldn't do them. Not sure if this was the right thing to do as worried I'll now be stressing over the weekend. 
 

they said the appointment will only be 15 mins and will be an examination and if they think I need more tests I'll probably have to come back on another day and there's a slim chance I could have them the same day. Is this normal? When I had a referral previously it was at a different hospital but they did everything (just exam and ultrasound in the end) in the same day. I'm worried this will just drag it out even more and I'll have to take more time off work (I've told my boss I have a hospital appt so will work from home but not sure how long the appt will last). 
 

I keep yo-yo-ing between "it's absolutely fine there's no way it's cancer" and "I definitely have cancer". Finding it really hard to focus and feel so anxious and tearful. If it wasn't for my mum having breast cancer when she was 25 I wouldn't be so worried. I was referred last year for testing for the BRCA gene but we put it on hold because of Covid. 
 

I feel like I'm now imagining things like an aching pain in my breast (which I know isn't usually a symptom). I also feel like maybe I'm just wasting their time and it's nothing. 

Hi Jolamine

thank you so much for your message. 
 

my appointment is on Monday morning. They had some slots on Friday they suggested I take but I'm going away on Friday for a weekend away with my boyfriend so said I couldn't do them. Not sure if this was the right thing to do as worried I'll now be stressing over the weekend. 
 

they said the appointment will only be 15 mins and will be an examination and if they think I need more tests I'll probably have to come back on another day and there's a slim chance I could have them the same day. Is this normal? When I had a referral previously it was at a different hospital but they did everything (just exam and ultrasound in the end) in the same day. I'm worried this will just drag it out even more and I'll have to take more time off work (I've told my boss I have a hospital appt so will work from home but not sure how long the appt will last). 
 

I keep yo-yo-ing between "it's absolutely fine there's no way it's cancer" and "I definitely have cancer". Finding it really hard to focus and feel so anxious and tearful. If it wasn't for my mum having breast cancer when she was 25 I wouldn't be so worried. I was referred last year for testing for the BRCA gene but we put it on hold because of Covid. 
 

I feel like I'm now imagining things like an aching pain in my breast (which I know isn't usually a symptom). I also feel like maybe I'm just wasting their time and it's nothing. 

Hi Fh001,

I am glad to hear that you don't have much longer to wait, as I know how stressful this can be. It is unusual for the clinic to limit your appointment to just 15 minutes. All of my referrals in the past 12 years have had all preliminary tests on the same day and, I am usually there for 3-4 hours. Possibly, your hospital is trying to catch up on a Covid backlog.

Unfortunately, the way you are feeling is perfectly normal. We nearly find that our emotions are all over the place, we become very tearful and, we then start to think the worst. Fortunately, this seldom comes to pass. Even if you did get a cancer diagnosis, this is one of the most treatable forms of cancer nowadays. I lost my mum to breast cancer and, I have had 2 bouts in the past 12 years myself, but still lead a busy and fulfilled life.

Please let us know how things go on Monday. In the meantime, try to put it to the back of your mind and enjoy your weekend away.

Kind regards,

jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

thank you so much for replying and for your kindness xx

im quite worried because I've now found what look like a dent or indentation in the same breast. It's quite small, maybe an inch, and is on the underside of my breast. I've also notice that breast seems larger than the other and like it's maybe swollen. I think maybe im freaking myself out over nothing but anytime I look up breast indentation or dent it comes back as cancer. My appointment is tomorrow morning and I've written down everything I've noticed so I make sure I mention everything but I'm so worried that it is gonna be cancer. I'm only 22 which I know is young but my mum was only 25. 
 

xx

Hi Fh001,

It sounds as if you are now doing what most of us do and, noticing things that are perfectly normal and have been with you for years. Most of us have one breaast larger than the other, but if you've noticed swelling, it is possible that there could be an infection, which could be easily cleared.

I know just how hard it is when there is already a family history of breast cancer and, appreciate why you feel so worried when your mum was diagnosed so young. Try to stop looking things up until you know what you are dealing with, as you are only scaring yourself further.

I sincerely hope that all goes well tomorrow. You will find things easier to cope with once you know what you are up against.

Don't forget to let us know how you get on.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, had the appointment and was okay. She immediately said the 'spot' on my breast that I was referred to was in fact just a spot and should go away over time. She wasn't worried at all about that. She said she felt a ridge around the place I noticed the ident. She wasn't particularly worried about it but will refer me for an ultrasound in the next couple of weeks as there were no more scanning slots that day. Feeling a lot better! Would've been nice to have the ultrasound the same day as I was there but that can't be helped it seems!

Hi,

I'm new here. I've just got my referral to the breast clinic for next week. Bascially I took my bra off on Saturday and saw a few droplets of dried blood on it. 

I immediately freaked out and called the 111 service who set the ball in motion and my GP arranged an appointment today. 

I'm only 30, my grandmother had breast cancer in her 70s but they said at the time it was caused by age and she was cured, I don't have a lump or any skin changes (that I've noticed) other than my boobs look slightly smaller because I've lost weight (on purpose) lately. I spoke to my sister who is a junior doctor and she says the two week urgent referral is standard but I still feel like I have a deadly disease. 

I'm freaking out because I have had lifelong health anxiety and a whole host of mental health problems. On Friday I finally got the right diagnosis after 12 years of pyschiatrists, medication and breakdowns and things were finally looking up. I am worried that because when my luck starts to turn and I start to feel happier things always tend to come along and ruin it. I am worried that this is the other shoe dropping. 

Hi Fh001,

Many thanks for the update. I am glad to hear that all seems to have gone well for you. What a pity that you couldn't get your ultrasound at the same time, but hopefully this will come through soon.

Please let us know when you get your appointment. I am glad to hear that you feel a lot better already and, sincerely hope that your scan doesn't find anything untoward.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

It's a very worrying time waiting. I do hope hour appointment comes around quickly for you.xx

Hi Laurah,

You'll be glad that your appointment is almost here. I shall be thinking of you tomorrow and hope that it all goes well for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Champagneproblems,

A very warm welcome to our forum. I am sorry to hear about your fears, but you are doing the rght thing in getting your symptoms investigated. Your breasts will look slightly smaller if you've lost some weight.

This is a difficult time for all of us, as there are so many unknowns. You will feel better once you know what the problem is and you start to address it. The two week referral time is normal, but it can feel like forever when you are waiting to be seen. I am glad to hear that you have finally managed to get the right diagnosis for your mental health problems and, hope that it won't be long before you know where you stand with your breasts.

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

Jolamine xx

Hi everyone, just got my appointment letter today for breast clinic after a referral.by my gp, got an estimated 2/3 cm lump in my breast, the wait is 2 weeks, I was ok until I got my appointment and now everything is going through my head, my son had testicular cancer and won the battle but finding out I go to the same.part of hospital as he did is scaring me, how can I switch off and stop worrying, my gp said sit tight, easier said than done x