Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Hi Jags
thanks for bringing up Holi, it was new to me and looks very jolly.
glad you are over your illness, hopefully we are all coming to better health now.
Take care, love
Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your latest post. I shall write more tomorrow, as this has been a busy day.
I have a Directors' meeting on Monday and I have quite a lot to get through.
You must be glad that the dental appointment and the orthopaedic one is not behind you.
I have got list of foods containing these bioactive compounds and I shal start posting some tomorrow. It is easier to remember to eat the foods containing these than to remember all the different names of the compounds.
I do hope some more of our group will pop in.
As I have said many times before, that anyone from anywhere in the world can post here.
Take care and have a good enjoyable weekend.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello viewfinder,
Thank you for your kind words. I can hardly believe that I am going towards fourteen years since diagnosis. I do not know where the years have gone.
Thank you for kind words about the thread. It has been a very enriching experience and so many interesting people have posted here. It is the people posting that make the thread the success that it is. Thank you for your contributions.
Have a good weekend.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
It is Friday again and we have the weekend in front of us. I do hope that here in Exmouth we shall have some nice Spring weather.
I do hope that some of you will pop in to say hello.
Happy weekend to Val, adagio, 53Nancy, Kath, HelenLouise, Cocooncat, Susie, Gill (please let us know how you are), Flora (please let us know how you and your mum are getting on), Marias (abrazos from all of us) and Hanieh.
Many thanks to Jags 56 for popping in.
Thank you for those of you who have posted this week.
Have a good weekend.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Mary,
"our dept. of ed...is another huge bureaucracy."
That's an understatement! How much money is wasted. I think they should cut all the departments by 10-15% but I don't think they have the guest.
"Our very small Post Office was flying a very tattered flag a few weeks ago, I commented on it. She had asked her Boss Postmaster for a new one, and the request was slowly making its' way up the bureaucratic ladder. in the meantime, a veteran came by, saw the old one, was appalled and immediately went and got a new one. And hung it up."
This makes me think of two things: how grossley bloated the bureaucracy AND I wonder if we did more things for ourselves if so much government wouldn't be needed. Sometimes I think people want government to do what they could do for themselves in some cases. Hats off to the veteran.
Hi Sylvia,
I look forward to your list of foods containing bioactive compounds. It's very much appreciated.
Everyone have a lovely weekend. I hope your weather is as nice as it (finally) is in our area.
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hello everyone, im in the UK.I'm new on the site and hope I'm writing in the correct place. I need some advice of what I can do next, I feel neglected, ignored and at such a loss it's breaking me down. For around 10 months now I've been having pain, itchiness, sore spots, redness, dry nipple, cuts, swelling, heat and more symptoms on my left breast. The pain has been constant same with most of the other symptoms and nothing I've tried (every pain med possible & creams) ease it at all. I've been to the breast clinic and doctors many times and they've found thickened tissue, prominent lymph nodes and a lipoma that's tiny and wouldn't be causing this, they agreed with that. I've never been offered any other tests, I have a big lump in my armpit that feels swollen and I can barely move my arm, I feel inflammation around my breast, armpit, arm and shoulder daily the pain is horrendous. I'm so concerned about ibc and my gut continues to tell me something seriously wrong, I just don't feel well at all, aside from the breast area I've been tired often, constant headaches and bone pain.. I just really don't feel okay. They won't do any further tests and keep telling me it's normal, but burning breast pain for 10 months along with the other symptoms isn't normal. I don't know what else to do or where to go , I'm scared for my son being without his mum if they don't find this I'm so heartbroken, I'm sorry if I come across rude as you guys are really facing this, I respect each of you you're strong powerful people, I just have no where else to turn. I'm so worried, I'm upset and I'm in so much pain. They won't do further tests is there anything else I can do? Tonight I've come up with a small blister like rash which is red with loads of spots on it and itches like crazy and my minds going overboard, I just want answers
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Hello Worriedasworriedcanbe,
I have just opened up the computer and found your post. First of all I want to say welcome on behalf of our group and you are especially welcome by me as a fellow Brit.
I do hope we shall be able to help and make you feel lees neglected and ignored.
I have read what you have been going through for about ten months and can understand your concern.
With all the symptoms that you have described, there has to be something with the left breast that is not quite right.
You have said that you have been to the breast clinic and to the doctor's many times and that they have found thickened tissue, prominent lymph nodes and a tiny lipoma.
You have said that having been to the breast clinic, you have not been offered any other tests. At the breast clinic did you have a mammogram and an ultrasound? With all your symptoms I would have thought that you would have been referred by your GP to the breast clinic for a mammogram and an ultrasound.
With all that you have said, if that were me, I would just go straight to the A & E Department of your nearest hospital, where they will have to deal with all your symptoms and do whatever tests are necessary. You know your body better than anyone else and you should go with your gut feeling. My uncle was being given the runaround some years ago now by his GP and I told him to go to A & E, which he did and there was a serious problem that was being ignored.
We are not doctors here but with your breast problems continuing for ten months something needs to be done.
You need to find out what is wrong with your breast. Having problems, feeling unwell and not getting anywhere and worrying about what might be wrong, is worse than not getting a diagnosis. Once you know the diagnosis, you will start to feel much calmer and you will be able to face whatever you have to. You will be able to do this, like we have all done on the thread and you will come out at the end of it all. You have motivation because of your young son.
Do you have anyone close that can go to the A & E with you and give you strong support?
You must get answers to everything that is going on. We are here for you.
Please do not wait any longer.
Where are you in the UK? I ask this because we know that the NHS has lots of problems and we keep reading about patients not being seen on time and that there are lots od delays with treatment etc. It looks as though the best hospitals are in London. The Royal Marsden is one of the best.
Please stay with us and let us know how you get on. We can support you.
Take care.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello again Worriedasworriedcanbe,
I have just been reading your other posts to make sure that I have not missed any information. Having read these I see that you have been to a dermatologist privately and a breast clinic privately and have got nowhere. Have you seen your own NHS GP and asked for a referral to your NHS hospital, breast clinic or breast consultant? If it were me and with all that you are suffering I would still go straight to the A & E now and get some treatment and answers. With your GP there may be bureaucracy and delay and usually you have to wait two weeks or more for a referral. At the A & E they will have to deal with you.
I do hope this helps. Please let us know what else we can do.
Take care.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Worriedasworriedcanbe,
I just wanted to say that I am sorry all you are going through and hope you get answers to your health problems soon.
I am not from the UK so don't understand your health care system. But what Sylvia wrote is no doubt sound advice and you can't go wrong following her suggestions.
You will get a lot of much needed support in these forums. I wish you well!
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Hello everyone,
Here is a list of foods with sulforaphanes that I found on the Broccolisproutshop website.
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Bok Choy
- Kale
- Collards
- Chinese Broccoli
- Broccoli Raab
- Kohlrabi
- Mustard
- Turnip
- Radish
- Watercress
http://www.broccolisproutshop.com/nutrition/list-of-14-sulforaphane-foods/
We all know the importance in our diets of cruciferous vegetables (vegetables of the cabbage family). With vegetables such as mustard, turnip etc. I assume they mean the leafy tops. I eat regular amounts of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and bok choy.
If you want more details please look at the website.
World's healthiest foods rich in Choline.
I got this from The World's Healthiest Foods website, whfoods.org.
- Shrimp
- Eggs
- Scallops
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Tuna
- Cod
- Salmon
- Beef
- Collard Greens
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=50
Genistein
Total Isoflavone, Daidzein and Genistein Aglycone content of selected foods.
Soy protein concentrate, aqueous washed
Miso
Soy beans, boiled
Tempeh
Soy beans, dry roasted
Soy milk
Tofu yogurt
Tofu
Soy beans, green, boiled (Edamame)
The richest source is soy protein concentrate, aqueous washed.
I must say that I do not know what exactly soy protein concentrate is.
I do have miso, tempeh, and some soy beans in my regular diet and I also have Alpro unsweetened soy milk.
I cannot find the website for this at the moment.
Foods high in EGCG.
I got this information from an article, entitled What Foods Have High EGCG, by Don Amerman and it was updated August 2017.
I already knew something about this because I have been drinking green tea daily for nearly fourteen years.
If you read the article it will give you details about this potent anti-oxidant.
The main benefits are found in tea. Green tea, oolong and black tea are mentioned. Green tea has the highest level of EGCG and the article says this is because the leaves for brewing green tea are unfermented and thus less oxidised.
EGCG is also found in carob flour and nuts and fruit contain measurable amounts.
I found the article very interesting.
https://healthfully.com/545111-what-foods-have-high-egcg.html
L-theanine.
I got this from an article entitled L-theanine: The Amino Acid That Combats Anxiety and Sleep Issues by Jillian Levy, CHHC, July 24, 2018.
Please read this article to get more details.
As far as getting it in our diet, the greatest sources are green, black and white teas. The article says that most people do not drink very large quantities on a daily basis that L-theanine supplements can be beneficial.
I do not know anything about these supplements.
Finally, there are the vitamins A & D.
20 Foods High in Vitamin A.
Beef Liver
Lamb's liver
Liver sausage
Cod liver oil
King mackerel
Salmon
Blue fin tuna
Goose liver pate
Goat's cheese
Butter
Of the other ten, seven are cheeses from cows plus hard boiled eggs, trout and caviar.
By far the highest amount of vitamin A is in beef liver. This is something I do not eat as I do not eat any poultry, meat or dairy products, but I do eat fish.
10 Vegetables High in Provitamin A.
Your body can produce vitamin A from carotenoids found in plants.
These carotenoids include beta-carotine and alpha-carotine which are collectively known as provitamin A.
About 45% of people carry a genetic mutation that reduces their ability to convert pro-vitamin A into vitamin A. Depending upon your genetics the following vegetables might provide less vitamin A than indicated.
Sweet potato
Winter squash
Kale
Collards
Turnip greens
Carrots
Swiss chard (raw)
Spinach (raw)
Romaine lettuce (raw)
I did not know about the genetic problem and I do not know how you would know. I do eat plenty of the above vegetables, especially sweet potato which seems to be the highest.
In our shops here I do not see collards or turnip greens and only occasionally Swiss chard.
If you go to the website you will find more details about how much per serving these vegetables provide.
This article was written by Atli Amarson PhD on April 19th 2017. Please have a read of this article for more details about the importance of vitamin A.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-vitamin-a
Finally, pro-vitamin A in fruit.
Vitamin A is generally more abundant in fruit than in vegetables.
Mango
Cantaloupe
Pink or red grapefruit
Watermelon
Papaya
Apricot
Tangerine
Nectarine
Guava
Passion fruit
What all this comes down to is eat a mixed diet.
Top vitamin D foods and their five major benefits.
Sunlight
Cod liver oil
Wild-caught salmon
Tuna fish
Fortified milk
Sardines
Beef liver
Eggs
Fortified cereal
Caviar
Mushrooms
Vitamin D is available in two different forms. Vitamin D3 can be found in animal based foods such as fish, while vitamin D2 is found in other sources such as mushrooms. Vitamin D3 is the form most often used in supplements and multivitamins because it has been found to be more effective at increasing serum levels of vitamin D.
I take 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day.
Sunshine is very important for getting D3 so in countries where we do not get much sunshine we probably need to take supplements.
According to this article the benefits of vitamin D foods are:
May aid in weight management
Boost brain health
May help prevent cancer formation
Strengthens bones
May improve immune system
I do remember reading about some patients with breast cancer are found to be deficient in vitamin D.
Symptoms of deficiency include:
Weakness
Chronic fatigue
Depression
Trouble sleeping
Anxiety
Weak or broken bones
Weakened immune system
Inflammation and swelling
It is possible to get your vitamin D level measured through your GP.
I got this article from Rachael Link MS RD June 8th 2018
https://draxe.com/top-10-vitamin-d-rich-foods/
Best wishes
Sylvia
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thank you so much firstly for your reply, actually made me smile that someone cares to listen, unlike these doctors
I’ve spent so long fighting and feel so neglected by doctors, so seeing your post was really nice. I have been to the A&E twice I’m in Essex so I was at Basildon hospital my closest and they did nothing but tell me I had to go back to my doctors of which I did got sent to the same breast clinic as thank you so much firstly for your reply, actually made me smile that someone seems to care, I've spent so long fighting and feel so neglected by doctors, so seeing your post was really nice. I have been to the A&E twice I'm in Essex so I was at Basildon hospital my closest and they did nothing but tell me I had to go back to my doctors of which I did got sent to the same breast clinic as they said they can't send me elsewhere apart from my local one. I get the same treatment everytime and leave in tears because I have no answers. I've read about royal marsden and emailed them to ask how I could get in and I need a referral of which my doctor won't do I'm at a loss. I even tried a hospital in London who referred me to a breast clinic up there but I just got the same thing. I've had several ultrasounds and some of which have missed my lipoma and I only got told last minute after it being seen on old scans that I actually had it, I was clueless. Now my underarm is so puffy and sore and they said they see prominent lymph nodes but can't tell me why and say it's normal but this is anything but normal. I've tried so many places, I've tried, paid out loads in private and still nothing, they make me feel crazy but I know my breasts I know when somethings wrong, I've had a child years ago I remember the hormonal pain in my breast from that and this is nothing like it, I have that gut feeling and I know somethings wrong I really don't know where else to go. X0 -
Thank you so much for the response and I hope you’re well. Yeah she gave me great advice just a shame I’ve tried most of the options
I’m so lost. But hopefully I’ll get the answers soon thank you x0 -
Thanks so much Sylvia for the list. I will begin to digest it after the weekend.
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Worriedasworriedcanbe,
If you've done everything Sylvia recommended, is there not an ombudsman or agency outside of the health system than can advocate for you?
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what are those? Sorry if I sound silly. I’m calling a place Monday that deals with concerns and issues with the NHS healthcare but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to help. Other than that I don’t feel I have any options
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Hello Worriedasworriedcanbe,
I have just read your post and I just cannot believe all that you have been through and tried to do without getting any satisfactory response. It seems to me that you are being tossed around between your GP and Basildon hospital and after all this time have got nowhere. I know there is a lot of bureaucracy in the NHS and that the usual procedure for any problem is to the GP, who then refers you to a consultant at the hospital if your problem is not one that the GP can treat. If a GP will not refer you and cannot treat you, you have the right to get a second opinion. I do not know if you have tried getting a second opinion.
Has your on GP ever given you a diagnosis of what is wrong? Has your GP ever given you any treatment for the problems you have? If your GP cannot give you a diagnosis, and did refer you to Basildon Hospital, why is it they cannot come up with a diagnosis? Surely they must have some idea of what is wrong with you. Surely you cannot be left by your GP and your local hospital not knowing what is wrong with you. If they cannot deal with you surely you have the right to a second opinion by another GP and another hospital.
Of course we are not doctors here, but we are here to support anyone with breast cancer, as we have all been through it and so can help and support others through it. You need a definite diagnosis of what is going on with you.
I cannot see what else you can do but insist on a second opinion. Please let us know how you get on and remember that there can be lots of problems with breasts that are non-cancerous.
Take care.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Worriedasworriedcanbe,
You don't sound silly. As I mentioned, I don't know anything about the UK healthcare system or agencies (except when I read comments in this forum from people who use it). I was just wondering if there are places you can go for help or advice like, hopefully, the place that deals with healthcare concerns and issues where you are going Monday.
If they can't help, ask them who they would suggest? When I deal with agencies in the US, I always take notes, write down times, places, names, phone numbers, etc. because I would never remember on my own. Plus I write down my questions before I go to the agency.
I pray you get some answers Monday.
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Hi Sylvia and all,
I finished Xeloda last Tuesday and am scheduled for re-staging scans mid April. In the interim I have some nodules under the skin and below my scar line, so biopsy next Wednesday. Hopeful it will be some sort of fibroid. Just the usual waiting game now. Aside from being tired I am well. Enjoying our home and garden.I read the thread on a regular basis and love the chat and information about staying healthy and well.
Thanks to you all for jeep in the conversation going.
Will update when I know more. Till then stay wel everyone.
Helen xxxx
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they just keep telling me that sometimes pain happens without a cause, but I can’t understand that or accept that for such horrible symptoms and pain it’s just too much. I’ve been for various opinions and I don’t get any answers, I know by now people would say a doctor would have picked something up but I just have that gut feeling and I can’t understand constant pain in only one side for this long it just doesn’t sit right with me. Thank you for being so supportive, I really just don't know what else I can do, my family and friends are at as much as a loss as I am because we just don't know anymore, it's really ruined my life, I can't go out, I had to give up my job because of the pain and constant worry, I'm pushing people away because I can't cope with it and no matter how much I cry or express that to doctors and breast specialists they just don't seem to understand
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thank you ever so much, I keep hoping for answers. I have called quite a few places but just get ‘’go to your GP’’ and I feel alone and back to square one because I’ve tried so so much and my doctors have been good in sending me to the breast clinic it just sucks they can’t send me to another or i cant get answers there
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hi worriedas worriedcanbe
i wanted to chime in and say hi, and add that your story is very odd. you say symptoms have been ongoing for 10 months, you have been to more than one doctor, and yet nothing has been found. i noticed you have posted on other threads and been advised to go to a dermatologist and to have hormones checked. have you done these things?
other than that, i am at a loss. i feel bad for you and offer my moral support. i hope you get some answers soon. Sylvia, as a fellow Brit, knows the Health System there and gave you good advice too.
Mary
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hello and thank you for responding. Yes I’ve been to several and they didn’t tell me at one ultrasound I had a lipoma and only told me the second time I went although they found it the time before, but it’s tiny and nothing to worry about and wouldn’t cause these symptoms (they said that too) they said the pain can just be there without reason but I don’t feel okay believing that with so much pain. The derm I saw sent me to a private breast specialist where they did an ultrasound and completely missed the lipoma and thickening but then I went for another ultrasound at the same place that had found them and they mentioned it, so I'm pretty worried as to why it's being missed sometimes. I will be calling to get my hormone levels checked, I wasn't sure how they'd do that and don't believe hormones could cause this much pain, but I guess I can only rule it out. Thank you for responding x
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Hi Sylvia
Still going about things one-handed, although i am using right hand and wrist more. still doing my at-home exercises and next week I start therapy at a therapy center. i am allowed to take pillow sling off if resting, but back on for moving about and sleeping. the forbidden movements now are lifting arm up, or out, or using upper arm muscles in any way.
this process has put my BC worries on back burner for now. Figuring out how to do simple things keeps me quite busy. Still no words from Gill? I do hope she is recovering by now. Also I hope all those with flu, viruses and other nasty things have recovered.
We have definitely moved to Spring weather, quite welcome. i pray we have a long Spring and don't move to hot weather too soon.
Thanks for posting all the food info, i like having reminders, kohlrabi is a fave and havent had it in a while. Many other faves on the list too. i wish my digestive system tolerated broccoli better, but good to know there are many other veggies with sulphoraphanes. Lots of links to go over in your post!
chugging along, talk later
Love, Mary
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your latest post. I was glad to know you are making good progress with your arm. It sounds as though it is quite complicated making sure you do not do certain things with your arm. I am still doing my exercises with my lymphoedema but sometimes get quite bored with them. It is good that your exercises take your mind off breast cancer.
Like you, I like kohlrabi and used to buy it quite often in Canada. It is not so common here but I am lucky to have a traditional greengrocery store in Exmouth where I can get things that are not in the supermarket.
I do hope everyone in our group is doing their very best with a healthy diet and this emphasis on green vegetables.
Like you, I am glad that we are officially into Spring and that we do not get drought and long hot summers.
I do hope we hear from Gill soon. She has been so ill. I am sure she will get back in touch as soon as she can.
I do hope too that we shall hear from Marias and Hanieh.
I am not sure what to do next to help Worriedasworriedcanbe. I have been looking up breast pain in my big BMA medical book and breast pain for all sorts of reasons is quite common, apparently, so I shall try to post exactly what it says later today. It does say that lipomas are harmless and slow growing, but can be removed for cosmetic reasons. You will not get that on the NHS I would think.
I must go now as I have to get myself psyched up for a directors' meeting today. It is unbelievable the variety of information I carry around in my head, what with one thing and another!
Take care.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Helenlouise,
It was good to hear from you and thank you for letting us know that you have finished your Xeloda. I do hope you get good news from your re-staging scans in mid April and also good news from the biopsy about some nodules under the skin below your scar line, due next Wednesday. Please keep us up-to-date.
As you know, we are all familiar with the waiting game with these breast cancer journeys.
You are right to focus on enjoying your home and garden.
I was so glad to read that you read the thread on a regular basis and that you enjoy the chat and information about staying healthy and well.
Thinking of you and sending love and best wishes to you in Australia.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Susie and Flora,
I was wondering what you think is going on with Worriedasworriedcanbe with reference to her doctors and hospital and the way she is being treated. I am asking you because we are all fellow Brits and know how our NHS works, or does not!
I do hope you are both well.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia and Worriedasworriedcanbe,
What has happened to you sounds really strange.If my understanding is right-that you have had ultrasounds and mammograms, and nothing sinister has been revealed - then I guess you can feel somewhat assured that your problems are not down to breast cancer, but the doctors should be investigating what is causing them. I don't understand why they are not looking further into this.
The only other thing I can suggest is paying for an MRI of the breast region (or preferably persuading the doctor to get you one on the NHS). Although ultrasounds are pretty accurate as far as I understand things, occasionally problems are missed on them, but revealed by an MRI, which looks in more detail at the soft tissue.
I'm sorry you are having such problems with this, and hope you get to the bottom of it.
Sylvia, I'm glad you are feeling better now. So (finally) am I , but it's taken be 7 weeks to feel about 80 percent myself-what a horrible virus!
Mary- I wish you an uneventful recovery from your shoulder/arm surgery. I'm glad the spring has arrived for you-it has here as well. The sunshine and light evenings help so much in dispelling gloom..
My mother has now finished her chemo! She is now having vitamin D injections and dental check-ups to prepare her for the biophosphanate injections. Sylvia, yes, this is now standard treatment for breast cancer-studies have found that women who have these injections are 1-2% less likely to have breast cancer spread to the bone and/or spread at all. I feel a bit nervous about them, as I know they can on occasion cause jaw necrosis, but Dr L has reassured us that small amounts, such as are administered to people like my mum, are highly unlikely to have this effect.
She is feeling very tired, and obviously still generally weird, from the chemo , and has been told this is likely to continue for at least 3 months - possibly up to a year. And, as mentioned before, she is wondering how to navigate the future with the possibility of the cancer returning. At the moment, she is feeling so weird everywhere that she doesn't know how she would be able to spot any "new"symptoms. But I guess she can always have scans if she is worried.
I've noticed that Gill hasn't posted here recently. She has had such a torrid time with the pacliotaxol and the infections that I hope her absence is because she is 100% focused on gradually, gradually recovering from these vicissitudes, and that forums are not-and shouldn't be-a priority.
Gill, if you are reading this, no need to post, but please know that we are thinking about you.
Thanks for the info about food, Sylvia. Now my mum and I are emerging from our respective fogs, we are keen to put energy into improving our diets and including lots of the foods you mention.
Flora x
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Hello Worriedasworriedcanbe,
I hope the following information that I copied from my big BMA book will be of some help.
"Breast pain
Breast pain is an extremely common problem. In most women, the pain is cyclical, varying in response to the hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle. This cyclical pain is usually most severe before periods and tends to affect both breasts.
Cyclical breast pain affects as many as 1 in 2 women and is commonly a long-term problem. Women who experience cyclical breast pain frequently also have generalized breast lumpiness, which tends to become worse before a period. The pain may be aggravated by stress, caffeine in certain drinks, and smoking.
In some women, breast pain is not related to menstruation. Possible causes of non-cyclical breast pain include muscle strain or a breast cyst. It may also be due to inflammation of, or an abcess in, the breast tissue caused by an infection or engorgement of the breasts with milk after childbirth. Sometimes the cause of breast pain is not known. Only very rarely is it due to breast cancer. If you have large breasts, you are more likely to suffer from both cyclical and non-cyclical breast pain.
What might the doctor do?
Your doctor will ask you about your breast pain to see if there is a pattern. He or she will examine your breasts to look for an underlying cause, such as a breast cyst, or any tender areas in the surrounding muscles. If it is apparent from the consultation and examination that you do not have an underlying disorder, your doctor may ask you to keep a record of when you experience breast pain to help to confirm that the pain is cyclical. If your doctor suspects that an underlying disorder may be causing the pain, he or she will probably refer you to a breast clinic for mammography and/or ultrasound scanning to look for any abnormalities in the breast tissue.
Mild cyclical pain does not normally require treatment. However, in about 1 in 10 women, the pain is so severe that it can interfere with everyday life. In such cases, your doctor may prescribe danazol, a drug that reduces the effects of female sex hormones acting on the breast. Although this drug is effective in relieving pain, it can have side effects, such as acne and weight gain. Cyclical breast pain tends to diminish following the menopause. If you are taking hormone replacement therapy, the pain may continue after the menopause, but it often improves after a few months.
If your breast pain is non-cyclical, the cause will be treated if necessary. Cysts are usually drained, and antibiotics can be used to treat infection. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help to relieve muscle pain.
What can I do?
Breast pain may be eased by wearing a bra that supports your breast properly. If your breasts are heavy and the pain is severe, you may need to wear a bra at night. Pain may be relieved by cutting down on caffeine, stopping smoking, practising relaxation exercises to help control stress, and losing weight to reduce the size of the breasts.
Various complementary remedies have been advocated for the treatment of cyclical breast pain, but there is no conclusive evidence that they effective."
Thinking of you.
Sylvia xxxx
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thank you so much for this, I’ve tried majority of the methods and I also wanted to be prescribed the Danazol as I read about it on a breast pain leaflet but of course when mentioning it to my doctor he just totally brushed it off, like I need something to try for the pain if they're saying it's not serious but yet they never let me, it's like I can't get anywhere with it. I've read those before and mine is non cyclic it's everyday and constant, I want to request an MRI on my breast, can I ask my GP? Thank you again for the info, means so much. Hope you're okay xx
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Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it. I’ve had several ultrasounds but each time I’m told different on the findings but they don’t seem worried. Can I request a breast MRI from my GP? I looked for one private but none seem to do the breast region.
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