Discovered a lump - made appointment for Mammogram next week

General
1

Hi everyone - I am majorly depressed right now. The middle of every month, I do a breast exam and this morning I found a hard and painful lump on the outer part of my right breast. I am due for a Mammogram anyway, and so have an appointment next Tuesday - the 26th, at 7am. I am not that nervous but just very depressed and have an 'out of it feeling.' I go through enough as it is and now this. I can't seem to get to a level of peacefulness about my health. It's just ongoing and sometimes it gets hard to move forward.

The irony of all this, is that my close friend Cheri, who lives down the hall from me discovered a lump in HER breast about 2 weeks ago. She is due to have a biopsy soon. After discovering my own this morning, I went over to her apartment to visit and tell her what was going on. We both couldn't believe the timing of it all.

My stomache is a little upset right now and I couldn't eat my lunch. I have the tendency to lose a little weight when there is a change in my health that's not acceptable. I can't afford to lose as it is. I am trying to decide whether to tell my son, Jason or maybe wait until after the Mammogram?? He always wants me to tell him what's going on - but I tell him only if necessary. He does worry about me and sometimes it can disrupt his daily schedule - but he doesn't complain. So I am debating as to what to do about this. Love to all! Laurie

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Dear Laurie,

Oh so sorry to hear this. I hope that you can focus your attention in a positive direction, though I know this is upsetting. We all tend to have cystitis somewhere, so hopefully it is something as benign as a cyst.

We will all be keeping you in good thoughts and prayers for a good outcome and your good health. I have had this scare more than once. Let me see if I can find a link to what the surgeon told me I had.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastitis

He told me to cut down on caffeine intake and it should just disappear, and it did. He also said that wearing something on the tight side would ease the pain.

Please know that I am in no way trying to minimize the seriousness of this, just want to let you know that there is something else that it could be.

We are all here for you, my friend.

Love and hugs,

SK

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HI SK - thanks for responding. You are so sweet!! Yes, I am banking on the fact that it could be something else. There is no breast cancer on neither side of my parents - but there are other types of cancers. I am not a coffee drinker, but I do drink soda. I don't have much of it, but I am going to cut it out, per your suggestion and see what happens. I am aware of the possibility of a cyst or calcium deposit(s). Hopefully, this is all it is. Love, Laurie

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Hi Laurie,

HUGS!!! and more HUGS!!! to you right now! It's frightening when you find a lump. But something like 80 percent of lumps are benign. Those are very good odds in your favor. And if you catch something in the early stages, you also have great odds. Since you do a monthly check, you sound like you found this lump early on.

But I know you're rightly upset, as you should be. And your friend is too, as she should be. I guess one "good" part is that you both can support one another as you go to your biopsies.

I myself never told anyone when I had an abnormal mammogram and had to go for 2 follow up tests. I guess I figured it wasn't worth getting them upset (and me more upset) by telling them until I knew if something was wrong. I don't know if this is the right thing for you to do, since we all cope with these things differently. I tried to ignore all thoughts of it, as much as I could, until the test results were back. I guess I was afraid to panic.

If you can't eat, can you get down a Carnation Instant Breakfast shake? My mom had them while she had pneumonia and couldn't eat. They have a lot of vitamins in them, plus calories. That way you could still stay healthy, even if you can't eat. Chocolate is the best, in my opinion.

Again, still more HUGS!!! sent to you. You need them today.

Take care of yourself,

Petunia

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Hi Pet - good to hear from you! Yes, I do have high calorie drinks. I can get a month's supply for free at the 'Care Chest Center' near by. I am a client there. They have medical supplies and all kinds of things for low income people that are free. So, I am grateful. I drank two just a while ago. Chocolate! My favorite! LOL I always turn to this when I can't eat, as I said before, I can't afford to lose weight.

Have you every experienced the 'out of it' feeling before?? This happens to me when I don't get enough sleep or something negative weighs heavily on my mind. It's so weird too. I am there, but not there! (Smile). I accept your HUGS gratefully - especially today! Love, Laurie

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Hi Lovett - yes, my friend, Cheri (the one mentioned in my post) wants to come with me. I warned her my appointment was at 7am and her mouth kind of dropped! LOL But, she is perfectly okay with it. It will be good to have her there to have someone to talk to while waiting - which is torture for me when it's something I am worrying about. Isn't it always??? I agree with you, it does make my Fibro flare up a little -as it did this morning when I found the lump. But that's par for the course. Fibro doesn't discriminate and doesn't care WHAT you are going through! Hugs! Laurie

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oh Laurie i am very sorry i can only imangine how scared u r. my grandma died from breast cancer over 20 years ago because we didnt have the testing we do know. my sister is a breast cancer surviver. my sister has said that if u r going to get cancer breast cancer is one u would want to end up with. the reason is because they can remove all the cancer and u dont aalways have to do chemo or radiation. my sister just had ssurgery to remove the cancer and then they reconstructed her breast.

my sister has had scares with finding lumps but they have just been cysts. alot of times your dr may be able to tell what is what. waiting till next tuesday seems too long to not know anything. if u can go see your dr and see if they may be able to provide u with some relief till u have the mammogram.

i will be praying that everything is ok. if i were u i would not worry your son. there is a good chance that nothing is wrong and you r ok.

if u want i could see if my sister could talk to u about what she knows. let me know if there is anything i can do to help.

many hugs and prayers

stephanie

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My prayers are with you!

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Hi Laurie, oh boy I know this scary feeling, it’s actually terrifying, I had a mammogram that was abnormal 2 years ago, and it’s so scary, 2nd look they said no biopsy… The relief was tears & tears & more tears,
You are in my thoughts & prayers, please let us know
Keep positive thoughts, do what you feel is right about your son…
I’m so glad your have a friend close by that can offer support
Hugs & blessings
dee

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Dear Laurie,
I will be thinking of you as well. I agree with Stephanie that you should request to move up your mammogram appt. Most clinics save some same-day appointments for patients with urgent concerns. I found a small lump in my left breast about 10 years ago and I got in to see my OB/GYN the same day and got a mammogram the next morning. I also got an ultrasound because the lump didn’t show up on the mammo. I even saw a surgeon who was fabulous and answered all of my questions. Because I had lost my mother to breast cancer about six years earlier they were all great about listening to my fears and concerns. So I would go in sooner rather than later just for your own piece of mind. Then you can decide whether or not you want to talk to your son about it. (BTW-I still have my lump, I find it in the same spot every month and I call it my “BB in my boob.” LOL! So yours may just be a small cyst as well.)

I hope things go well for you Laurie. I do a lot of volunteering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and I always try to ecourage women to be strong advocates for themselves when it comes to their own health and especially questions about their health. If you can, bring someone with you to the appt that can be an extra set of ears. Sometimes when we’re anxious or nervous about something, we may not ‘hear’ everything that is being said. Please take care of yourself and stay positive! Post again when you find out more.

Gentle hugs,

Judy ~ aka littlejld ~

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HI Dee - didn't get to sleep till 6am this morning. Just work up - now 11:30pm. I have a horrible flare-up. I always pay the price when I can't sleep at night. A couple of other members of this site gave me some suggestions and I am going to call the nurse about them today. I wasn't up all night because I was worried about what's going on - it's just one of those things where I was WIDE awake and ready to party!! (Yeah....right!!). LOL Thank God this doesn't happen often! I always have that 'out of it feeling' too when I don't sleep or sleep too little. Thanks for your blessings and wonderful encouragement! Laurie

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Hi Marygrace - I wrote down your suggestions and will talk to the nurse today. Sometimes they are busy, but they are very good at calling me back if I have to leave a message. It has been a while since I have had a Mammogram though. I am embarrassed about this, It isn't like me to put off regular check-ups like this. I had a really bad experience a while back with a nurse and it frightened me a bit. I reported her and thankfully, she was fired. Had to go to court - the whole 9 years. Bad experience! But - a new beginning for me to start over and be diligent about my breast check-ups. Laurie

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Dear Laurie, I can sympathasize with "here we go again" thinking. I told a friend a few days ago, if it's not one thing then it's 1000.

A few years back the Dr. was pretty sure I had cervical cancer. This was a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. As I waited for the results of the biopsy, I found a verse in the Bible. Psalms 139:16. David wrote this Psalm. It says "Your eyes saw my unformed body, All the days ordained to me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This verse jumped off the page. It was a great comfort to me because it is saying, my days here on earth have been predetermined by my Creator and that's that! I am not in control, He is. Not an easy pill to swallow for a control freak. So after reading this I was at peace. The results of the biopsy were out of my hands. All the worrying in the world wasnt going to change things. I think I thought if I worried enough, it would come out well.

I think you've gotten some good advice from the messages and Im so glad you have some support. Having a friend there is a blessing. I was pretty much alone.

By the way, the biopsy came back negative.

You're in my thoughts and prayers, Sue

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Hey Laurie,

Praying for you! Chances are it is nothing serious, many are not. I think I heard if it is painful it tends to be benign but I don't know. I know it is hard not to worry but that will make you feel worse. What can you do to take care of yourself?


HUGS,

Susan (energy healing)

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Will be saying prayers for you to not stress out over this until you know the outcome. I’m sure others have said it too, that Fibro patients have a tendency to have cysts in our breast tissues. I’ve have 2 of them biopsied and that was exactly what they were - cysts. They were nice enough to do it right after the mamma gram and ultrasound so I didn’t have time to really think about it.

Don’t keep it from your son. He seems to really be your strength and you need him now. You don’t want him to feel that you hid something from him. Just remember your friends are here for you - keep us informed. many hugs~ Sandi

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So sorry to hear. Please keep us informed.

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Laurie,

Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you, girl! I think you're going to kick that lump's butt and come out of this just fine!

Hugs and doggies for comfort,

Petunia

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Oh Laurie, I am so sorry to hear this news. No wonder you are worried. Who wouldn't be. Living with a chronic illness or more than one means that we never get a break from concern about our health issues. I'm glad you have an appointment for a routine mammogram next week. As you routinely do a self breast examination every month whatever is the root of the lump must surely be in its early stage. Remember that the presence of the lump does not necessarily mean you have cancer. At least you have a place now to share your concerns and joys with people who will care about you and support you. As far as telling your son you commented that he worries about you and sometimes it can disrupt his daily schedule so I think I would wait until you have received the results from your mammogram before you talk to Jason.

Please keep us updated. You will be in my prayers. You are important to me and I care about you.

Love and gentle hugs

Rachel

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Hi Laurie, please don't worry :) I have had a similar lump, painful. The doc told me it was fibrous tissue, nothing to worry about. And cancer is not painful! I'm not a doc, just telling you what they told me. Never the less get it checked right away, for your own piece of mind. hugs, Charlie.

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Oh, Laurie! I am so sorry you are going through this! I am a breast cancer survivor a well as a fibromite. It sounds as if your body as well as your mind are both in shock. No one expects to find something, even though we check!

I had ductal cancer, and we knew something was wrong when I had my mammogram and, well, when they squeezed the plates, I squirted green stuff all over the technician. Ew... Embarrassed and scared simultaneously. Now I am cancer-free.

Try some Boost, Ensure, Glucerna, or other such nutritional drink to ease your stomach and keep the nutrition going.

You may have a specialized mammogram, a core biopsy, etc. Remember, they are just gathering information. There are cancerous lumps, yes, but aso benign ones, cysts, etc. Do you have a doctor guiding you? Do you feel comfortable with him/her?

Above all take it one step at a time. If you project results before you know for sure, it will make you crazy. (Spoken with frt-hand experience. :)

Some mothers would wait until you get some results before mentioning it to your son. Otherwise he might be scared unnecessarily. I had to tell my son while he was away at college, and his grades dropped from A's to C's because he was so worried.

You know your son best. If he lives at home and perceives changes in you, then you might share something like, I found a lump and the doctors are checking it out. I'm a bit scared right now, but I promise I'll let you know whatever you want. All you need do is ask, and I will tell you the truth.

Sweet, special hugs,

Susan (Scribelle)