Hi Emily, 

A very warm welcome to our forum,

I can almost feel the panic in your post, so felt that I had to reply. Many women find that they get breast changes around 'that time of the month'. It is also common for some ladies to have naturally lumpy breasts. You have done the right thing in consulting your GP when you noticed these lumps and, I'm glad to hear that she didn't see anything to be alarmed about. 

For your own peace of mind I am glad to hear that, despite this, she has referred you to the breast clinic just to make absolutely certain. Please don't worry about the urgent referral. Your GP is perfectly right that you could be waiting for several months to be seen if she sent an ordinary referral. Instead, she has made an urgent referral to save you the anxiety of waiting so long to be seen. An urgent referral usually elicits an appointment within 2 weeks, although this can vary in some areas, with the current pandemic.

Only 1 person in every 8 referred to the clinic will receive a cancer diagnosis, so try to hang on to this fact along with the fact that your GP doesn't feel too concerned. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Hoping for good news.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Morning [@emilyok]‍ 

It is never easy waiting around and if you are already and anxious person this just seems to put you over the edge.

At 20, or indeed at any age feeling a lump of any kind can put you in a strange state of mind. We automatically think the worse and then go and read google to see if anyone else has put in the same symptoms to read their experiences, which of course doesn't help.They days just seem to drag by as your waiting for an appointment and finally speak to someone.

In my experience of different appointments there the team have always been supportive and friendly and you don't feel like your taking up their time or they are trying to hurry you to move onto the next appointment, so I hope you find this too.

Two years ago I had a cyst, in my right breast, whilst scanning they also found a fibroadenoma, which I had no idea about. But all was well, I did find each month it would get more painful in that area but ignored it, finally two years on I realised that I was feeling lumps and decided I needed to go back in and speak to someone to finally get it looked at, the nurse at the doctors she said she thought it felt lumpy and sent me for a referral and back I went for more imaging, my right breast was absolutely fine with nothing found in there, since then the pain I had been feeling in my right did stop.

I must add in my left they did find something - But I am 46 years old so considerably older than you....

But leading up to any appointment and then waiting around after for results can be the worse time and it isn't easy as you are feeling on edge and just want answers now so you feel at this point in Limbo and not knowing what to think and that makes your mind want to fill in the blanks. Its natural and normal to have these feelings and I can completely understand feeling anxious about what your going to hear. This is just something that as a women we face through our lives, Our breasts are quite important to us and our minds jump to the worse case scenario when we feel anything unnatural but there are so many things it could be. I would say try and do something each day to take your mind off it, but I know I struggle to do that so giving that advice to someone else is a bit hypocritical and condescending! Thankfully I have a very good and funny friend and often speak to him when I am feeling anxious as he always knows how to make me laugh and find the funny side in things, although there is then plenty of time that when your on your own or trying to sleep that the thoughts invade again. 

When you go to the appointment you will be seen by a consultant first who will feel both breast and then no doubt will send you down for an ultrasound, this all gets done at the same appointment so there is no back and forth and waiting for different appointments, and your not wheeled off to the main hospital to have the scans it is all done within the breast clinic with an all female team.

I wish I could put your mind at ease and tell you how to feel less anxious, unfortunately there is no quick fix, you know your mind is going to run wild until you have answers, which I hope you get very soon. But feel free to message me if you want to chat about anything or ask questions or just let of steam.

Good Luck, 

Hi!

I just want to thank you so much for responding to me, it's so nice to know there are such kind and caring people in this world!  The GP said what she could to reassure me but my health anxiety is making me jump to the worst case scenario even though deep down I know she just wanted to be certain that it's nothing bad.

I am just dreading this waiting period because it's only been a day and I can already feel my anxiety taking it's toll. Do you know how quickly you usually get your results after visiting the clinic? 

That is reassuring and I am so thankful that you took the time to respond to me and give me all of this information. 

Kind regards,

Emily :) x

Hi! 

I am so thankful that you have responded to my post, it's lovely to see people being so kind and empathetic even towards complete strangers! Yes I am honestly really struggling and it's only been a day, I don't know how I'm going to cope these next few weeks. Google really does not help, I've already jumped to worst case scenario! 

I am so sorry to hear about your bad news and I really wish you the best health and hope everything works out for the best! 

Thank you so much for giving me all of this information, it's a great help! Do you know if I will receive a mammogram when I visit the clinic due to my young age? And do you know how long it takes to get results usually? It's reassuring to know that the team attempt to get everything done quickly:)

The wait is horrible and I also wish there was a quick fix to this kind of anxiety, I keep seeking reassurance from others but no one can really give it to me except the people at the clinic. 

Thankyou so much! I really do mean it! 

Evening [@emilyok]‍ 

I have just gone and looked back at my calendar, I went to the breast Clinic on a Thursday and they then phoned me on the Wednesday with results.

Different hospitals and different testing may make the timings differ.

I don't think they would give you a mammogram at your age, based on what one of the young breast care nurses said to me.

So you will just have to wait to experience that joyful event!

I have two days to go for my appointment now, and it feels like a child counting down the days til Christmas, two sleeps till Christmas. They are so excited and everyday is too slow for them, unfortunately our appointments are nothing like Christmas but the days drag just as slow.

I even resorted to housework today to lose some time. I also decided to spend money on some more canvases to paint, although they are not going to turn up until after my appointment now. It is all made slower of course as staying in and keeping safe means you can't just go out and do what you want to kill time.

I'm glad some of the information I gave helped, just a shame that we can know and understand what your feeling because we all feel it too, but there's been no remedy for slowtimeitis 

Kay