Cancer Research UK main site

Teenagers breast lump

Broomf
Offline

Hi. Just over 3 months ago my 15 Yr old daughter found a large lump in her breast. Due to GPs limited appointments we found it difficult to arrange a face to face appointment. Eventually she was referred to the children's  hospital for further consultant assessment as the breast clinic would not accept her as a patient due to her age.The consultant measured the lump as 4cm and arranged an urgent scan which was rejected. With a lot of phonecalls from my self and husband we  finally have a scan arranged for next week. 

I'm at my witts end .....struggling to stay positive for my daughter when I'm so angry at the 3 month struggle to get here . Whilst talking about school and future to her ,her question to me was will I still be here.

Any advice or support on how I can reduce her fears as she's recently lost her Grandad to cancer and nan has been battling cancer .

Many thanks 

  • Offline

    Hi there ...firstly high 5 to you for not giving up ... I know first hand with my granddaughter who got told she was just needing iron and she was a normal lazy teen ... that went on for a year ... if only we'd pushed like you ... 

    Now the chance of your daughter having breast cancer is very very slim but not impossible... the odds are well in her favour ... but getting it examined hopefully will be a good out come ... it is only normal while you wait , to climb the walls with anxiety.... trust me we all did ...

    My first 4 call backs from mamorgrams over the years were benign ... they were hard some round and soft one was like a hard flat pebble ... all were fine ... so try and keep as busy as poss.... I know it's so hard ... try to stay positive for your daughter ... tell her how rare at her age... 

    You can always phone McMillan from Mon to Fri for support ... or our nurses on here same times .. so let us know how it goes ... bug vertual hug from one mum to another ... hold on in there ... Chrissie....

  • Offline

    Hello! I'm 18 and I've recently been referred urgently to the breast clinic. I also have a large very hard lump in my breast - probably bigger than 4cm - as well as recently armpit pain. (But today the GP said the armpits were normal and muskoskeletal.) 

    Not going to lie, I've been worried sick. Convinced I'm going to die at times.

    But it really helped me to know that the odds of cancer in a teenager are one in a million - one in a million!! They don't even have stats on it in the UK it's that rare. :happy:

    Far more likely to be a fibromadeoma (or whatever it's called) or a cyst. Try not to worry yet because it's *so rare.* I need to take this advice myself as well! 

    x

     

     

     

  • Offline in reply to Lucylou02

    Hope all goes well with yourself. Xx

  • Offline in reply to Broomf

    Thank you - hope everything goes well with your daughter too! I'm sure it will! :happy:

    My anxiety got to the point where point mental health stepped in and after going back and forth a bit, I was prescribed some anti anxiety meds. It doesn't 100% help but definitely should take the edge off! 

    Other than that, I know distracting yourself is really really difficult (basically impossible) when the anxiety is really bad, it may sound strange but going in the car on daily car rides has been helping me - I can't really focus / function properly because of the anxiety but going out and seeing life and everything just helps quite a bit. Especially with a bit of distracting music on too.

    I know it's not easy, I'm finding it really tough myself especially as I'm the worlds biggest worrier :grin: - and if that's how it is with your daughter maybe the crisis team could be able to help a bit, as they did with me,

    All the best! 

    xx

  • Offline in reply to Broomf

     

    Hi Broomf,

    A very warm welcome to the forum that nobody wants to join. I am so sorry to hear of your daughter's symptoms. I am so glad to hear that you and your husband have pushed for further investigation, although sorry to hear that you have had to.

    I agree with my good friend Chrissie, that the chances of this being cancer in someone so young are pretty slim, but sadly not impossible. I am not a doctor, but I have discovered that not all lumps are cancerous. Many turn out to be benign cysts or fibroadenoma. For your own peace of mind you need to investigate this and know for certain what it is.

    I am so sorry to hear about your loss. This is bound to make your poor daughter look at the worst case scenario.

    Breast cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer nowadays, so, even if you do have to face this, it is not the end of the world. I lost my mum to breast cancer an,d have had 2 bouts in the past 12 years, but I am still here and living a busy and fulfilled life.

    I do hope that all goes well for next week. Please keep in touch and let us know the outcome. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.