Living With "Normal" Breast Lumps, Bumps & Ridges

Hi there

 

I wondered if I could ask for people's advice please on living with lumps and bumps that have been checked and are "normal".

 

I suffer with anxiety and my husband often tells me I'm a hypochondriac. I jump right to thee worst case scenario. My anxiety is horrid lately and it heavily linked to my recent/current breast concern.

 

About 3 months ago I felt firm tissue in my right breast above the nipple area. It hasn't changed since then as far as I can tell and to describe it I'd say it was like a ridge? A firm ridge that sort of pops up and down slightly as I push my fingers up and down over it. It is completely painless. I went to the doctors as I also had armpit pain.

 

They felt nothing concerning but asked for me back in a month to double check. When I went back the pain was gone and they still felt nothing concerning but referred me for a scan for my mental wellbeing. I went for an ultrasound and they said there my breast looks completely normal and all she saw was normal healthy breast tissue. She explained that sometimes we just get firm lumpy bumpy tissue as we get older. I can feel a slight tiny ridge in the other breast in a slightly different place but it is much smaller. I can feel the same popping firm bump in another different area of the left breast but again smaller. All this she said is normal firm fatty tissue, muscle or glands and it completely normal and looks normal. The ridge that seems massive to me apparently is totally fine, two doctors and an ultrasound scan said so.

 

You think this would ease my mind, that I'd be able to feel my breast and the ridge in my right breast and be all "It's normal its all fine" right? Wrong!

 

I am just as obsessive as before. I check them daily. Feeling the large ridge in the right and then poking and jabbing at the left until I find some form of firm bump in there. I then repeat like a mantra "Doctors both said I feel normal and the scan looked normal and healthy. I have ridges and firm bumps in both breasts they are just bigger in the right but doctors said they both look and feel completely normal".

 

I feel like a headcase. I am an obsessive breast checker despite doctors telling me my lumpy bumpy breasts feel and look normal. Does anyone out there have any experience with "Normal" firm lumps and bumps they are told are completely fine but you can easily feel and so you are checking them every damn day, often multiple times?

 

Any advice would be welcome xx

  • Hi,

    i can totally understand you but let me assured you that if your doctor is saying its normal and also scsn came back good YOU dont need to worry my love...just relax..

    i felt a lump on the top of my  right hand side breast in feb and because of this covid situation I thought Ok..i will contact to GP later when this situation will be over but in june i felt a bit uncomfortableness in the lump and i called GP ..he was so kind and concerned and referred me straight to emergency scan..on the scan day they did momogram,scan and biopsy. and the result was made me horrified i hada breast cancer with stage one but as my breast was so firm so they wanted to do MRI...in MRI they found more lumps but they were normal lumps like you mentioned about yours...they did all other stages so quick...and with in one month they did my surgery...bless them...and now i am on tablets and radiotherapy. 

    So my meant to  given you all these details is that if if God forbid you would have any danger..they would actively work...i hope my long message will.make you a bit relax....takecare..love

     

  • Hi there

     

    Thankyou for replying to my post. I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to message back, I didn't receive a notification and so missed your message.

     

    I'm so so sorry you had a positive breast cancer diagnosis. How are you doing now? How is treatment going? I'm glad they acted swiftly for you.

     

    Yes your message did ease me a little thankyou. I feel that if there was a lump then they would have felt it or seen it on the ultrasound scan and if there was a concern they would have acted on it.

     

    In both my physical examination and my ultrasound scan they said my breasts look and feel normal and all they see is normal healthy breast tissue. Yet because I can feel this firm bump/ridge in my right upper breast I worry. I have to feel the left and find the same ridge (which is there but is much smaller) and remind myself that professionals said everything looks and feels fine and I have the same bump in the left breast too just a lot smaller.

  • Hi StephyJo. I'm also a Stephy. I just wanted to say that you're not alone. Your situation sounds almost identical to mine. I had a lump checked and scanned and they tell me it's lumpy tissue, but I am paying to go back privately to have a further diagnosis. 
     

    I think the problem with there being so much in the news and on social media about checking your boobs and self awareness that for those of us who suffer with anxiety (especially health anxiety like me) it really makes us worry about every little thing. 
     

    I feel your pain and wish I could give better advice, but I guess the advice to us both is we have to trust in the doctors and also believe that the odds of us having breast cancer are less than the odds of us not. Also that we have done all that we can to get checked. 
     

    I see you post was quite a while ago. So I hope you are doing okay now and are feeling better about things. Take care and sending very best wishes and hugs xxxx

  • I totally understand where your coming from! My partner and family also telling me that I have hipocondriaco because I'm absolutely obsessed with my healthy and if I start with the littlest thing say a head ache I automatically think the worse (tumours) etc! I have lumpy breasts, from about the age of 17 I have felt hard painless lumps in my breasts, I've been for ultrasound scans and I've been under the breast unit at my local hospital for as long as I can remember and they tell me everything is fine but it doesn't stop you worrying does it!x 

  • Omg....... reading all these messages, 

    this is my first time on here and posting, I've just been diagnosed with health anxiety and it's a relief that I'm not going crazy, I too have the same issue, very lumpy breast convinced all the time it's something serious, I'm 46 and actually going for a mammogram tonight I pay for it as I lost my mum to breast cancer 26 years ago, I've had 4 clear ones but it doesn't stop me from feeling totally scared about the next one,there's not a day they I don't check myself and think I can feel lumps, it's so exhausting worrying all the time, 

    I guess we all have to try and be kind to ourselves but it's not easy x