So...I found something...in my breast x_X
 

Hey guys...jeez seems like I'm just falling apart every other month...
Well a couple nights ago I was hanging out with James and I was feeling my right breast and I noticed a lump near and partially under the nipple. Of course it was like OH GOD. I called my mom up and asked if she had ever gotten lumps before and she said no...my sister neither. I made an appointment with the school doctor to get it checked out..or should I say felt out? But anywho I was wondering if any other of you ladies have had this happen to you? My mom started panicking saying she was going to come up like asap and I was like oh god please no mom etc. I assume it's a cyst or a calcium thingy...hopefully it will go away on its own. I'm 18 so I guess I wasn't anticipating this sort of thing...ever. The lump has been tender and I've been doing my best not to touch it as much as possible.

Stories...experiences...anything would be nice.
Thanks ladies!
:eek:

getting it checked out is the best thing you can do. You are at low risk, but that doesnt mean no risk. Ive had a few friends run into something comparable, no bad turnouts, but its always something different for each of them. And the same coudl be for you..

but yea, let your mom freak when you know for sure, and until then, keep her away. letting her hands on your chest will only make it harder for you (i hope that got a smile of sorts....?)

good luck

I had a lump last year, because my baby sister has breast cancer they decided to do a lumpectomy immediately. While I spent several weeks terrified it worked out ok, the lump was benign, it was a fat necrosis caused by a severe car wreck i'd been in 7 years earlier. It had started way deep in side and worked its way up to just above my nipple, it was a very hard thing about the size of a regular pencil eraser.

Actually its the best thing that could have happened to me because it finally led to me being able to have my breast reduction surgery (from a 44 F to a 40 C)

IF you end up having a lumpectomy, honestly there is nothing to it. I chose to have it done in the hosptial using a "twilight" cocktail...they said I would be awake but wouldnt care about crap lol I was having an allergy problem that day and they also gave me an injection of benadryl which knocked me on my ass and I slept thru the entire thing. My sister had a lumpectomy done with just a local and was able to drive herself home. So if you have to have one, try not to be totally terrified about the procedure, its waiting for the pathology to come back thats the hard part.

I hope you'll keep us up to date with whats going on, its possible it could be several things that arent serious at all.

Oh gosh sweetie *hug*

this can be really scary, but chances of Cancer in women our age is very rare.

I've found two lumps in my breast, the first one I had removed last year, on my right breast, just to the right of the nipple like what you've found, it was a benign cyst that really was causing pain and was very hard.

I found a second lump in October, saw a specialist, same deal. I'm having surgery to remove it in a couple weeks. Sometimes, benign lumps can be very painful, but that doesn't mean they are cancer.

Normally, the best course of action is to have these lumps removed through surgical procedures that vary. Mine was a little bit different than Shani's surgery. They wouldn't let me be awake during my surgery, it depends how deep inside the tissue the lump is I assume. But I want you to know, even if they have to put you to sleep for an hour or so, it's not a big deal and you'll wake up feeling just fine minus a painful lump :)

*BIG HUG*
It's a scary thing though, to find any kind of lump in the breast. Try to remain calm :icare:

keep us updated.

sweetpea

Would anyone be willing to share the experience of having one removed via lumpectomy?
Did it leave a scar? Yea..the last thing I want is my mother feeling me up...I'll leave that to James.

Well I thought I did share my experience with my lumpectomy?

Yes it did leave a tiny horizontal scar, but after a few months you really couldnt see it unless you looked for it. The procedure itself took about 15 minutes from start to finish, I was in preop and postop a lot longer than the operating room. I walked to the OR and laid down on the table and the next thing I knew I was waking up. I had the procedure on friday and was back to work on monday. It was sore for about a week, then after that I would have occasional twinges for about two months, but nothing at all unbearable. I promise there was really nothing to it. My sister, who had it done with a local only said it was pretty much the same thing, only it was done in the Dr's office and it took about 15 minutes from start to finish.

with both of us they used disolvable stitches...which was good, nothing to be removed.

I actually had my mom feel mine so she could compare with how my sisters felt, since my sister actually did have cancer

Alright...I know it sounds superficial asking about a scar but I already have a good sized on my hip from a biking accident, prefer to keep my boobies as unscathed as possible.
That doesn't sound like too bad of a scar...since mine feels like its at the top of the tissue hopefully it won't be too bad if thats the route I go.
Thanks Shani!

mine was less than an inch long if that helps, to begin with it shows up very well, but I can only see it now because I know where its supposed to be (it moved when I had my reduction surgery lol)

ghoast, lumps were common for me close to my menstral cycle and then they would disappear. By all means, always get any lump checked, and also know what my gyno told me: some women get "lumpy" merely as a part of her cycle. Take a deep breath, sweetheart, and keep positive as much as you can while waiting for your doctor's opinion.

I just would also like to add...there is nothing at all superficial about wondering about scars on your breasts :)

scars also depend on how your body heals. I have something called keloid (and there are varying degrees of this) but i over-scar essentially. It just means i have to tend to potential scarring things (stitches, scabs) closely to reduce the look of it. So keep that in mind as well, your body dictates your healing, and how you tend to it will also matter...


Not to scare you or anything....

this was the following list of things I had to do or not do before my reduction (notice I said reduction, not lumpectomy, much more scaring with a reduction lol) to reduce my the chance of not healing properly

no alcohol two weeks before the surgery and two weeks after

no medications except tylenol (notice NO anti inflammatories like advil, aleve) two weeks before, two weeks after

no vitamin supplements at all two weeks before, two weeks after

do not, I repeat do not (this was a biggie with my plastic surgeon) use vitamin e on the incisions

Alternate (each once a day) neosporin and pure cocoa butter on the incision lines

no smoking 3 weeks before, 2 weeks after (this one I failed at, I managed to totally quit for a week and a half before but then I caved)

everything above works at thinning the blood and keeping the right amount of oxygen from getting to the incision to help it heal properly.

Smoking is the only thing I failed at, I followed everything else to the letter, and Im happy to say that around my nipples you cannot tell they were completely cut around and moved up, and the incision lines underneath are really light....my PS was thrilled for how they looked at my almost 3 month check up last month.

Granted the incision for a lumpectomy is much smaller, but its still an incision that has to heal

I had a lumpectomy when I was 15. I was supposed to be awake for the procedure, but something happened and my doctor ended up putting me completely under; I don't remember anything from about 5 seconds after the anesthesia hit until I woke up in the recovery room. I had some mild pain for the first couple days after the surgery, but the worst thing was removing the stitches...and it seems that people are using dissolving ones more and more.
My scar is hardly even visible 14 years later, and I rarely even think about it or notice it. It is less than an inch long...and actually, I don't think anyone who has ever seen my boobs noticed it before I pointed it out.

Try not to worry. At your age, the likelihood of cancer is small...not non-existant, but small. Keep us updated. :)

I know this is slightly off subject but I'll be quick...
Thanks for sharing your story Shanifaye. My mother and grandmother both had fibrocystic breasts but never had breast cancer. No one in my families on both sides have every had it. But my mom and grandmother both ended up having multiple lumpectomies because their mamograms showed the fibrous tissue to appear as lumps that could be cancerous. I am supposed to have my first mammogram this year or next according to my old Dr (dunno what my new one will say but I'm not going to ASK for it :p ) and I've been dreading it. I really don't want any more scars on my torso. It's bad enough looking down and seeing 4 of them already along with my pregnancy stretchmarks that refuse to go away after 7 years.

As for your situation ghoastgirl. I've had many but they dissipate after my period. They're usually quite tender prior to my period. It's par for the course for me and since they go away my Dr has always said they were no big deal. Good luck hon.

Shani - I wish I knew all that. i heard Vitamin E from everyone and their mother, and the supplements was definitely something unexpected. Thanks for the input

*now back to your regular scheduled thread*

Hey guys...went to the doctor today. She has advised me to get an ultrasound and then of course my insurance doesn't cover it here in Lubbock because Lubbock sucks ass...so then my moms talking about flying me home and having me deal with this there. UGH I don't want my parents by me when this is happening...that's just weird to me.
So...Thursday I'm scheduled for an Ultrasound at a hospital on campus...going to run close to $300.00 without insurance paying any of it...
Gotta wait for my moms approval before I go to the visit. She's call the insurance company to see if they can make some special arrangements for us.
So..I guess I won't know anything until Thursday.

*hug* hang in there. I'll keep you in my thoughts for thursday.

also, when I had my sonogram... the lady who was doing it said "Oh, this doesn't look good...." Which had me totally freaking out. Once the doctor came in and looked at it, he diagnosed it correctly, so if they individual who's doing the sonogram says something negative, just ignore them, they don't know enough to offer their opinion and like in my case, can sometimes be unprofessional.

*big hug* hang in there.

sweetpea

Well Thursday came and went and then I came and went to Austin for Jugglefest and I forgot to update...they found several smaller lumps in the same breast and I'm going to discuss the ultrasound results with a doctor sometime this week.
Hopefully it goes well.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments :)

thanks for the update Ggirl, I was wondering. I'm glad to hear that they are addressing it. Do keep us posted *HUG* :icare:

Good luck with everything Ghoastgirl, hopefully it's something minor.

Just to add an experience, when I went for a checkup last week my doctor said that I had some lumps in both of my breasts but that it was probably because my period was due a couple days later and some women get lumpy around their periods. She didn't worry about it and she's a good doctor so I trust her. I'm guessing this isn't the case for you though.

Hey guys, it's been a while since I've updated. The ultrasound found several cysts which I expected, although they still want me to go see a surgeon. Personally I'd rather just leave it alone and keep an eye on it. So folks, looks like it should be alright, thanks for the support and kind thoughts, yet again as I continue to fall apart :)

*hugs* well, that's good to hear!! :thumbsup:

If they are painful, I would recommend having the lump removed, the surgery itself isn't a huge deal. I just had my second lump removed last friday and I was up and about after just a couple days, so if you go that route, it's not anything to be alarmed about :)

sweetpea

I dont have a lump but when my breasts get sore before my period there is like a clear sticky liquid that comes out if you squeze them... Not sure but my moms do it too does anyone else do this ?

I have a cyst right now under my right breast, freaked me out at first..had a mamogram, they said no cancer, but it still scares me...

Hey ghoastgirl1, sorry I never commented here before, I hand«t seen this. Sorry to hear about the cysts, but hopefully you can still get away with not having anything done. I think you should still just have a consultation with that surgeon, to be on the safe side...

I guess I'm lucky, I have lots of friends who tell me about this sort of lumps in their breasts but I have never had anything.

Good luck with this :icare: