3 cm lump in left breast
Hi there,
I'm Amanda - I'm 29 years old, mom of three. About a month ago I started losing weight, due to diet and exercise. Three weeks ago my husband noticed a pretty large lump in my left breast. We think we noticed it because I've lost weight - and wouldn't you know it, I lost it in my breasts first.
I went to the doctor and she said I have about a 3 cm lump and ordered a mammogram and sonogram. I will be going to my appointment for those proceedures on the 15th of this month.
I have to say... I'm pretty nervous. Can anyone tell me what it could be? It's smooth, doesn't really move much and feels firm. I don't have any pain associated with it, and no other symptoms to speak of - just the lump. I've been through a complete menstrual cycle - with no changes in the lump, so I don't think it has to do with that.
Any ideas? I'd really appreciate some feedback. I don't have too many people to talk to about this. I haven't really told my family yet.
Comments
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Hi Amanda, I don't really have any advice for you.. I'm just sitting here freaking out about my breast!
Sorry you have to wait til the 15th...at least you have an appointment set up though.
Hang in there!
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Hi Amanda, I'm so sorry to hear that you have this worry and that you have to wait until the 15th. Waiting is horrible - your imagination conjures up the worst possible thoughts. It could well be a fibroadenoma which I think is more common in younger than in older women. As you have probably read here and elsewhere - 80% of lumps are benign but when you are worrying, that probably doesn't help much. Please feel free to come here often and let off steam and please let us know how you go with your with your tests.
wbts - you didn't say why you are worried about your breast but I hope you can see a doctor soon and get the all-clear.
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Hi,
Your story sounds very similar to my story. About a month ago I found a new lump in my breast. I already had two lumps--probable fibroadenomas--that were being monitored via ultrasound. Fibroadenomas are benign lumps that commonly occur in women in their 20's and early 30's. They are smooth, round, mobile and Dr.'s can tell pretty well by exam what they are, b/c they feel different than cancer, but they always follow up with imaging studies and often a biopsy to confim.
Anyhow, I found this lump in my breast and freaked out because it was big--I would later learn 2 cm--and I had just been for my breast exam just a month before, so I was super freaked out--because nothing was found on exam.
Went to my gyn, he said it felt like fibroadenoma--just like my other two lumps. Went for ultrasound, they said the same thing. My Dr. asked me--did you recently lose weight? And yes, I did recently lose weight. He said that that's probably why I found the lump so suddenly--and it wasn't found on exam--because I lost about 6 pounds and it came off my breasts (which were tiny to begin with).
Anyhow, I went to my breast surgeon who recommended excisional biopsy, which I did, and it turned out to be another fibroadenoma.
So in my case, losing the weight led me to find the lump, which my Dr. said probably had been there for a long time, and only became apparent when I lost the breast tissue and was able to find it myself. But because it was a new finding and seemed to come out of nowhere, given that my last exam was so recent, my surgeon recommended a biopsy, and said that the excisional would be the better choice b/c if we did the core needle biopsy and it grew later on, we'd need to biopsy it again. I just wanted to be done with it, so I had it removed entirely.
Anyhow, hopefully yours is also a fibroadenoma, which is likely given that 80% of all breast biopsies turn out to be benign, and also because you're in the peak age group for fibroadenomas. My first two were discovered by my gyn when I was 30.
Hang in there! I've been there too!
Hugs!
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Kibbles - thank you so much for telling me your story! I really feel a lot better knowing that it is most likely a fibroadenoma.
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Hi mandymonkey,
I found a lump in December that was finally removed in March (talk about the waiting!!!). It was smooth, but was also long and big. It didn't move and for the most part didn't hurt (unless I messed with it too much). I went through several cycles and it never changed.
I had a mammogram and ultrasound done and it came back as BI-RAD 4 (suspicious for malignancy). I was preparing myself for the very real possibility that I was going to be diagnosed with cancer, and with the size of my lump (5 cm) I was pretty worried that it wouldn't be good.
When the core biopsy results came back, they were "benign, but concerning". WHAT??????? Are they kidding? Who is running this show, a man? They must be trying to KILL me! My husband just recently told me that he wanted to punch the surgeon throughout this whole thing! He was so mad at the amount of waiting we were made to do!!!! I, however, used that time to come to terms with the reality of the situation and to mull it over in my mind. I also tried to find support here and realized that I could do it if I had to, I just was hoping it wouldn't be the Stage IV that I feared it would be!
Well, after they took the lump out, I had to wait 10 days to go back for the final results. On that day, a strange calm came over me (I really think God works when we need him to....) and I spent the day at peace. We did get the results that we had hoped and prayed for and it turned out to be a benign intraductal papilloma. Now, I just have a rather large scar on my breast, an area where I am visually missing tissue, but I am cancer free and thankful!
Please, when you have the ultrasound and mammogram, listen to what they say, but if they tell you that it looks as if it is cancer, remember that many women have been told this and when the biopsy results come back they are benign! I am not sure if they do this to make sure that we come back for the biopsy (like I saw suggested on a post earlier) or if they really aren't aware of the emotional trauma they are putting us through, or ~ God forbid ~ if they just don't care! BE SURE TO HAVE A BIOPSY IF THAT IS WHAT THEY SUGGEST! Don't ignore that advise just because a great deal of women here have told you positive stories ~ but you don't have to automatically assume it is going to be cancer either!!!!!
Take care of yourself and your family and stay connected!
Kelly
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I would also like to add that I was given the choice between a core needle biopsy and an excisional biopsy. But my surgeon explained that b/c of the large size of my mass, the core needle might miss part of it, and thus the diagnosis might be incorrect, or if we did the core and it grew in 6 months, we'd have to re-biopsy. Plus if we did the core we'd need to monitor by ultrasound in 6 months, and every 6 months for 2 years to establish stability.
I decided all that was just too much to deal with, so I opted for the excisional biopsy. Even though it was daunting to have surgery (my first surgery) I'm glad I did it. It was fibroadenoma, it's out of there, and no more ultrasound monitoring to see if it's growing! Plus the surgery wasn't bad at all. I had no pain whatsoever.
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momo3esb - Thank you for that good advice. I will definitely listen carefully to the results and plan the next steps. I'm very glad to hear you've come through your experience positively. I am trying to wait patiently for Wednesday to get here. And I really hope I'll be able to speak with the radiologist that day about the results.0
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I'm going in for the mammogram and ultrasound tomorrow... I'm trying not to be nervous. For the most part I feel okay, I'm just ready to know something about this lump.
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Good luck Mandy!!! You will be ok...you will get your answers soon.
Keep us updated will ya!
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Mandy♥0 -
I'm back from the radiologist. They did an ultrasound, no mammogram needed. I have a fibroadenoma, it's a benign (not cancerous) breast tumor.
The one I have is about an inch long. I don't need to have it removed, it's not dangerous in any way. I will have another ultrasound in six months or so, just to see if it's grown. Fibroadenomas are thought to be caused by excess estrogen. If it grows much more, we may think about having it removed. But it's totally fine to stay in there.
I'm so very relieved. I got on my knees in the bathroom after the results and just thanked the Lord.
I was pretty scared. But I loved to hear the radiologist say the exact words I wanted to hear: "It's not cancer."And I praise God because we only had to pay half of what we originally were quoted! God has blessed us repeatedly through this whole situation. He blessed us with a closer bond between me and my husband, Scott - he really supported me and we were so much closer (not that we weren't already), God provided that extra money to have the doctor visit and ultrasound, and God blessed us with a lower price than originally quoted along with a favorable diagnosis! I am so thankful.
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Doing the happy dance for you, mandy♥0 -
Wonderful news! You are right, Mandy... God is good!
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mandy, so glad for you.
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Hi Mandy,
Glad to hear you got great news and that it's just a fibroadenoma. I'm 30 and my gyn discovered a fibro in one breast at my annual exam. I freaked out, b/c I had never had any kind of breast lump before. He sent me for ultrasound, the radiologist said fibroadenoma, and they also found a second one while they did the ultrasound that was non-palpable. They gave me two choices: have a biopsy to confirm or do monitoring every 6 months. I chose the monitoring, and was monitored for 1.5 years--the two fibroadenomas did not change in size at all (though they can grow and it's not cause for alam, it's just that they tend to biopsy any mass that shows growth, even though fibroadenomas can grow). Then I found a new lump in my own breast about a month ago, and went for the ultrasound, they said fibroadenoma again, but because this one just showed up all of a sudden, they wanted me to get it biopsied.
So my point is that it's entirely possible that your fibro won't grow at all and will be fine to leave in there, as I did for a year and a half, with ultrasound monitoring every 6 months. However, one of mine eventually did start causing me pain, though the pain went away after about 5 months. I also found that my larger fibroadenoma (about 1.5 cm) caused me cyclical pain--it would get tender in the week before my period.
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Hi my name is Irene I discovered a ping pong size lump in my left breast... My breast is tender to the touch and my nipple hurts and is sensitive. I had an indometral eblation done about 3 to 4 months ago and so I don't have periods. My breast has been hurting for quite some time now but was extremely painful last night so I checked it and felt the lump and it felt like I was getting stabbed in the breast. Any suggestions?
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Hi Kibbles,
I found a lump in my left breast I'm in my early 30s and never had one before and I'm so scared because it's 3 cm and I have a little one also under my armpit. My doctor recommended biopsy and other tests, but I'm really scared because it's so big and hopefully it's not cancer but I have to be prepared. I never heard of benign tumors in middle aged women like me but I hope the doctor can remove it completely. I just wanted to find out more if other women had this size of tumors and I found this forum on the internet. Any advise that you can give me as I prepare for this test would be appreciated.
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Hi all,
I am in a similar situation at the moment and trying not to worry too much. I randomly started losing weight without trying and have lost about 9 lbs in 2 months, and with that came me noticing a large (3.5cm), hard, and movable lump in my right breast. I went to get an ultrasound, as a mammo was not recommended since i'm only 20 and have never had one, and they gave it a BIRADS-4 rating. I wasn't expecting it to be anything, so for it to be labeled suspicious is pretty scary. I had a biopsy today, which came with complications in that the doctor had trouble "getting into" the lump so he ended up making 3 incisions and going in with the needle about 15 times. Needless to say I'm very bruised up, with multiple hematomas forming.
I find out in about 5 days (have to wait weekend + 2 business days) whether or not it's cancer. My family do not live in the country, and so I feel pretty alone going through this because my friends don't understand. Any support and advice on dealing with the anxiety would be appreciated. You're all so strong! -SJ
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thankyou friend to make me already join this website
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I'm pretty much the same as you Monaliz at the moment I'm going for mine on Monday and I'm really scared pls let me know what happen to your results only because I'm really scared and I'm 40yrs ol
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Kapisi - this is a 7 yr old Thread that has only been posted on 2 times (3 times counting you) since 2010. Both of the other ones have been from people who have not been back to the site since the day they posted.
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thank u Kicks I thought this page was still going sorr
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hi selijo
How did u go with your results...fingers cross and hope for the best...I'm going today for my biopsy with a birad4 and very scared...I have a complex cyst and it's pretty solid...I'm losing so much weight just from stressing not eating properly crying like hell...You know when you have kids it's so hard just thinking what's going to happen to the kids if I'm not around...My life is a mess right now...Goodluck everyone and God bl
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I went through this in April/May after I found out I was BRCA2 positive. All the test and waiting ant not sure of the results are horriable.
It freaked me out enough that I decided to have a nipple sparring mastecomy and move on with my life. My surgery is two components and I just got through the first. My next part is in October. I had a lift and reduction for the first part and the next part we'll be the tissue removal and implant. I'm so excited to be healed enough to back at barre.
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what was said?
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Could be just a cyst but have it checked good luck
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