Let me start by introducing myself a little bit. I have not posted on this board before. I am 21 years old. I have two step sons 8 and 6 and a son and a daughter of my own. My son is 18 months and my daughter was born 2 months ago.
Recently I was watching TV and since October is breast cancer awareness month there was quite the barage of comercials about self exams. I was sitting on the couch and felt myself up. I found something that felt weird in my right breast. I didnt think much of it. I kinda left it alone and didnt think about it. I was schedualed for my 6 week pp visit and had intended to ask about it but I forgot. (I have not been breastfeeding for weeks and weeks now).
Fast forward to Friday. I woke up and my right breast was SORE as none other. I dont really know how else to explain it but to say it sorta felt like I was engorged with breast milk (like the pain....not the feeling of a hard full breast) but again I have not been breastfeeding for weeks and weeks so this didnt make sense. I felt around and again felt something.
This is the best discription that I can come up with. I dont know the exact way to describe it but I will try my best. I have a large "mass" that goes like a 1/2 inch away from my nipple all the way around. The border around is not even all the way around. There are also at least two spots that are harder and have more shape to them. They are not very big...I would say about the size of a pea or so.
So the first thing in my head was to get online and do some research. I got online and found that nipple changes were sometimes a symptom...So I started thinking back about it. When I first got pregnant with my son my fiance pointed out that I had started to get what looked like pimples on my nipples...They are extremely bumpy and weird feeling. This has not gone away even for the 9 months that I was not pregnant between my two kids. I still have it. I have also noticed that on occasion I find that I am "leaking" very small amount of some sort of liquid that does not remind me of breast milk.
I would just like to know if these are things that should make me more or less concerned about it. I know I am young but my grandmother had breast cancer and my mom has not gone to get a mammogram so I dont know exactly how to assess my family history of risk. I am feeling like a hypochondiac. I have an appointment schedualled this week on weds.
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rovaries Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 5 |
Nov 2, 2009 10:04 pm
rovaries wrote:
the pimples are montgomery glands (of course check out pictures) i'm not sure those fully go away. the full milk feeling can happen even after weaning, my milk dried up when my daughter was 19 months old when i was 4 months pregnant with my son and i had days where i swore i had full breasts. are you squeezing the "liquid" out or is it dripping out? i had a friend who was still producing milk in small ammounts a year after she weaned. i was talk to your ob about any lumps to ease your mind and maybe even a lactation consultant even though you are done breastfeeding. |
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Mouser Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 141 |
Nov 4, 2009 03:25 pm
Mouser wrote:
Hi Tabytha -- Not sure i can help, but might it be an infection? My mother got mastitis *after* she stopped nursing me (and my sister, for that matter). You should talk with your OB and figure out what's going on! mouser - IDC 0.5 cm + DCIS 1 cm, 2007; Stage 1, grade 2, ER+PR-, Her-; lumpectomy, rads, letrozole. More calcs 2008; mastectomy.
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TabythaM Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 3 |
Nov 4, 2009 08:19 pm
TabythaM wrote:
Well I met with my midwife today and she did a breast exam. I was hoping that what I was feeling was normal and I just hadnt felt enough boobs to know what is normal or not....(sarcastic)... BUT she didnt...she found both the spots that I had found...she had me feel one side what she felt was normal and the other side did NOT feel like that. She wrote me orders to go get a breast ultrasound. She did not really say anything about the lumps like well it could be this or it could be that so I dont really know how to feel about it. I know it is really too early to worry but it still a little bit nerve wracking |
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PatMom Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 664 |
Nov 4, 2009 08:46 pm, edited Nov 4, 2009 08:47 PM
by PatMom
PatMom wrote:
The midwife, not being a doctor, is probably not "allowed" (frequently by state law) to give opinions on a possible diagnosis, so don't read anything into the fact that she didn't give you the reassurance you were looking for. Given your age, and the fact that you were recently pregnant and breastfeeding, it is probably related to that, and may very well be an infection, or a blockage of milk produced after you stopped nursing. Getting the ultrasound is a good first step in finding out what is going on. Most lumps (even 80% of suspicious ones) are not cancer, but whatever is causing yours doesn't seem to be resolving on its own, so you deserve to find out what they are, and what is causing them so your medical team can find the appropriate treatment for you. Hopefully that will turn out to be something really simple like warm compresses or a round of antibiotics. Until the time when someone comes up with a definitive "cure", we each have to cobble together what we believe will be the most effective treatment that we can live with, not merely survive.
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TabythaM Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 3 |
Nov 4, 2009 09:34 pm
TabythaM wrote:
Thank you very much for your reassurance. I talked to my grandmother who had a masectomy in 1988. She told me that the reason she had one was not for a lump. She had pagets. SO this makes me feel even less concerned about it. Maybe my fear of having a family history riddled with breast cancer was a little over estimated! I have my ultrasound on Friday and hopefully things will be taken care of quickly and I can get back on track to joining the Army in February!! |
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