Hi Jay,

Welcome to our forum. I am sorry to hear about your breast worries. There are many different reasons for breast lumps, most of which are benign. Some women just have lumpy breasts, others may have mastitis, cysts, inflammation and, a host of other complaints. It is not long since you stopped feeding your daughter and, it could also be to do with that.

Your GP was not just trying to placate you. The lumps to worry about are usually pretty hard and obvious, so I sincerely hope that she is right and you can put your mind to rest. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 9 years and am still living a full life. Where cancer used to be a death sentence, breast cancer in particular, is more often a disease that people live with now.

Do you find that you keep feeling the lump and underarm since you discovered it? Try not to, as you can only make matters worse by doing this. It is not at all unusual to find your emotions all over the place at this time. Don't worry about crying. This is a good stress-reliever.

It normally takes about 2 weeks to be seen at the breast clinic. I hope that it all goes well. The consultant will possibly do some routine tests, then you will have to return 1-2 weeks later for the result of these tests. These results are the only way that a doctor can diagnose cancer.  

Fingers crossed that it will be good news for you.

Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi JayM, 

Firstly congratulations on becoming a mum to a beautiful daughter but sorry to hear what you've been going through and I hope you get your appointment soon. I'm no expert but I know when I was younger and breastfeeding I had quite a few lumps and I was told they were milk ducts. It's natural to get scared with something like this but as you say your daughter can probably sense that so try to stay as calm and positive as you can for her sake and enjoy her,  they grow up far too quickly! I'm hoping that it'll be a good outcome for you with nothing to worry about take care,

kind regards 

Tracy 

*** UPDATE ***

Hello again. Thank you for taking the time to respond, your replies were very comforting. I just wanted to update you and say that I had my appointment with the specialist today and everything was fine. I ended up having an ultrasound and it turned out to be a cyst (most likely caused from breastfeeding). Which they drained there and then and I got the all clear and no further appointments necessary.

I hope everyone else on this forum and those who may read this post when googling because they’re worried, end up being clear of everything too.

Just a bit of reassurance, I went today to the breast clinic and it was PACKED! I was so early because I was so nervous and I sat for ages watching people come in and out (men and women actually). And not one of them had bad news. Most people were in there for a few minutes and came out and told reception that it was nothing, some had scans like me and came out and I overheard them telling their partners it was fine. Some had biopsies but didn’t seemed concerned but honestly so many people were there and they were fine so I guess that statistic of 90% of referrals end up being nothing so I hope that puts anyone’s mind at ease who may be waiting.

Good luck to everyone and I wish you all the health and happiness x

I'm so happy to read this!

Hi Mark,

Welcome to our forum, although I'm sorry to hear why you've joined us. Many people don't realise that men can get breast cancer as well as women. I am not a doctor, but I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 11 years.

It certainly sounds as if it would be wise for you to see your GP as soon as you can. When you call the receptionist, please tell her that you need an urgent appointment. You may need to tell her what your symptoms are. Once she knows this, she should fit you in with an appointment as soon as she can.

If your GP suspects anything untoward, you will be referred to the breast clinic. It is impossible for anyone to predict the outcome of this. If you attend the breast clinic, you will have some scans done and possibly a biopsy taken. The scans show up the lesions and the biopsy can tell you if your lumps are cancerous. Pain under your arm is more often than not associated with your lymph nodes. If these are infected, you may also have some other scans to ensure that there has been no cancer spread to other organs.

If you are referred, please don't panic. This is as much to deal out anything suspicious, as it is to diagnose something untoward. I sincerely hope that this is nothing to worry about.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx