Found a Lump, Now What? Should I Worry??

I have always heard that cancerous lumps in your breasts are non-painful so it does not sound like you should be overly worried, however, DO NOT ignore it. Just make an appointment with your GYN and she will determine if it needs to be checked further or not. If it does need more testing, the next step would be to get an utltrasound on the area that has the lump. Like I said, it does not sound like cancer but it is not something you want to ignore either. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

L....I had the same problem when I was 21. I was freaked out! I called my husband in a panic. I thought it was something horrible. Come to find out...they were just cysts...2 in one breast and 1 in another. They removed them (which was VERY painful - b/c you are awake for it), but the recovery was fine and I was just glad to get them out of my body. I wouldn't worry about it until after you have your test done.

First I agree with what has been said so far, but please let me add more to it since I'm an expert at this. No, I'm not a doctor, but both my Mom and I have experienced this.

Back in the very early 80's my Mom chose to have her breast tissue removed and replaced with silicone breasts because she had fibrocystic breasts. My Dad said she couldn't stand the pain anymore. Her doctor recommended silicone breasts so that she would never experience it again. In July 2002 she passed away at the age of 59. They only found cancer in her liver. They didn't have time to figure out where it came from or why. During all of those years, as far as I know, she never had them checked for leakage. That was my conclusion. My point in mentioning this is not directed at you, but to all women...DO NOT LET A DOCTOR TELL YOU THAT YOUR ONLY ANSWER IS TO REMOVE THE BREAST TISSUE TO GET RID OF FIBROCYSTIC BREAST. There is an easy solution and the doctor will not tell you, but I know the answer!

First, before I tell you, go ahead and get it checked out, but let me mention what's going to most likely happen just from my personal experience with this same problem that my Mom pasted down to me. First they will give you a mammography. Then they will say since they aren't sure, they will move you over to the sonogram room. Then they will say it's just a cyst. From this point it'll be up to you to have it drained or not. Having it drained plus another doctor bill is the fastest way to deal with the problem. You'll have huge relief in seconds. But now how can you totally avoid this expensive mess?

As mentioned before, caffine is the number one reason for a cyst. If you keep it down to one to two cups of coffee/glass of coke per week, you shouldn't have this problem. If you drink more than that, a cyst might appear. Now, how can I avoid cysts coming up at all? The answer is...

1MG OF FOLIC ACID PER DAY

Yes, that's it...that's the magic pill. How do I know this? By telling my previous OBGYN that I was seriously thinking about having children, the doctor prescribed 1mg of folic acid per day. He said it was to get me ready so to speak. Well, the first thing that I noticed was that within days all of my cysts started shrinking and eventually disappearing. Then the next thing that I noticed was that they didn't appear during my menstrual cycle. For the first time in years I was cyst free and for one whole year! After one year as the doctor was renewing my prescription, I told him about my huge discovery. I was so excited! But after I told him, he looked at me funny and totally blew me off. I couldn't believe it! I had the answer and he didn't want to share. Well, duh I should have have known. Anything to keep you out of the office is something that they aren't willing to share. There's no telling how much money I've spent on doctors and machines telling me what I have when I could have taken care of it myself for just pennies per day.

So again, go have yourself checked just in case, but from here on out, reduce your caffine intake and increase your folic acid to at least a minimum of 800mcg per day. I have found that 400mcg just isn't enough for me.

Sorry if this was long winded, but I think all women should be aware of the benefits that a higher dosage of folic acid can bring especially to women who have fibrocystic breasts.

At 40 it never hurts to have a dr. look at it. I had the same thing at 18. It was a fibrous cyst. Get on the CATS diet...limit or eliminate caffine, alcohol, tobacco and sugar. I had mine removed and it was benign. I have another one on the other side that we have watched for over 15 years...

No one can tell you what it is other than a doctor, a mamagram and then a sonagram or biopsy. My mother had several fibroid systic tumors and had surgery to remove them 3-4 times, but finally he said if she would quit caffiene all together they would go away. She did and they stopped and she went over 20 years without another one. On the other hand, I am a 13 1/2 year cancer survivor and didn't feel mine at all, but the mamagram saw it, etc. Go to your doctor soon and get it diagnosised. God is with you all the time if you ahev him as your personal Savior and trust Him, it will be OK. I am praying for you.

I would head on out and have it looked at. Breast cancer is not something to mess with and you have many little ones and bigger ones depending on you. There are several places nearby I can recommend who were awesome when I had a scare.

I'm not going to write about scary things but your health is a gift...oftentimes taken for granted. Dr. Elizabeth Jenkins facility in Richardson is wonderful and she is a survivor as well.

I was just in last Monday for another mammogram for the very same thing. Mine was. Cyst and they said the pAin was from one of the cysts bursting or leaking. I would still get it checked though. I am only 36 but my dr has me go every 6 months to get checked, in addition to the cysts which are usually harmless I have what they think is scarring. Better safe than sorry. Just a note though my insurance company won't pAy for mammograms because I'm under 40 and have no "risk factors" so be sure and check with your insurance co for what they cover. Good luck.

I went thru a breast cancer scare about 5-6 yrs ago. Some lumps are not cancerous. Mine were just cysts. And I must give God full credit for removing them. On 1 mammogram they were there...After much prayer...The next mammogram was only 2 months later and they were gone!!!Praise the Lord for my healing!! Go get your test and THEN take the next step-whatever that may be. Later, V.

No, you should not be worried, BUT YOU SHOULD BE SURE TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. No doctor can tell by exam so you may need a needle biopsy or whatever is the latest technology. That still doesn't mean you should be worried, but ignoring it is not a good option so I am glad you have already called the doctor.

Since it hurts I tend to think cyst or something clogged up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You should have this checked out because you never know. Google the I Want Foundation, these are personal friends of mine and they can direct you for a mammogram. I will keep you in my thoughts.

I agree with everyone else. Probably nothing to worry about -- but GET IT CHECKED! If you ultimately need a breast surgeon -- I really liked mine: Dr. Alison L Laidley MD ###-###-####. She is at Medical City. She performed my surgery (I had a cyst that was attached to a milk duct when I was 29. It was causing blood to leak from the nipple - and she opted for surgery to remove becuase of a family history of breast cancer). She did a great job on my surgery - which was a one day out pateint. You can barely see where she made the incision. She also did my mom's breast cancer removal and a surgery for my sister in law. All of us loved her. Good luck!

I had a similar scare in college - several painful umps. The nurse practicioner told me the pain was a good thing - it meant it most likely was NOT cancerous because cancerous lumps are not painful. I had fibrocystic condition of the breast - some just callit lumpy breasts. (o: I was told to eat more fiber, more produce especially and drink more water. It is now years later and I actually have not had the problem in years. Maybe it actually was related that my lovely college diet!bDefinitely get it cheked out thoug, if for no other reason than to give you some peace!

I found something similar about 6 years ago, and my doc said "if breast cancer were painful, nobody would die from it." She had a wonderful point. So just remember that, but go get it checked ou to make sure everything is ok. Mine was just very fibrous breasts. The mammogram as a 29 year old was hilarious. Had to do sonogram too because my breasts were, well, where they were supposed to be and "perky" which makes it hard to see things on the tests! Relax, go get the mammogram/sonogram, and you'll feel better.

Yes! Get it checked! I had a painful lump a couple of years ago and my OBGYN sent me for a sonogram. It was just a cyst and the radiologist suggested cutting out caffine. I did that and the pain went away. Good luck!

L.,

Usually lumps that are sore to touch are not cancer. It's the lumps that are fixed (don't roll around when manipulated)and have no pain that are worrisome. Most likely its a cyst or fibroid. Definitely get it checked out as it may have to be removed. Hope this eases your mind a bit.

I am not sure where you are, but Solis Women's Health is a wonderful place to get a mammogram. For family history reasons, I got my first mammogram at 32- that was a couple of years ago. this place is wonderful. Contrary to the latest reports, I believe in mammography- even at younger ages for people who suspect something. I would go and gt it checked out. http://www.solishealth.com/location_texas.html

Like everyone else has mentioned, I wouldn't worry, but I would continue with your plan to get it checked out. I also found out during my freshman year of college that I had breast tissue prone to fibroid cysts. That was after I had downed loads of caffeine pulling all-nighters during finals week! I was in soooo much pain! I couldn't even put my bra on. The lump was so big and my breast was so painful to touch. I spent six hours riding home trying my best to keep my shirt off of my breast (yeah, it was bad). My GYN (a D.O.) gave me info on what things to avoid. I find that items such as caffeine, peanut butter, chocolate, and even Aleve can trigger those lumps in my breasts. My co-worker was in your situation before and her doc ended up telling her the same thing. I still can have those items, just in small quantities and not very often.

Because every person is different, I really want to reiterate that you should continue to get checked out. Notice me and my coworker went to our doc first. But I did want to share my story only so you won't worry. Best of luck to you!

Probably a caffine knot, if u drink a lot of coffee or cokes with caffine. But I would go get checked anyway.