Breast lump in 8 year old
On December 3rd Robyn (our 8 year old daughter) told me that her right breast hurt, upon examining it, I discovered a lump under her nipple around the size of a dime maybe a little smaller. This was around 11:30 pm on a Friday night. I called the health line who told me to see a Dr with in three days.
On Monday December 6th I called our drs office to get her seen but was unable to get an appointment so I went to Emergency with her. I never saw a dr but I did see a nurse practitioner.
The nurse practitioner noted the size , which was dime size, pretty much said to watch for signs of infection, fever, redness, swelling, any discharge from it, if it grew, etc. And if any of that happened to bring her back. And to also see our own dr so a regular eye could be kept on it.
Then she said it was possible that she was starting puberty changes. That the lump could go away and then she may get another one in the other side.
shes 8..... but of course they said it was still possible. and this nurse proceedes to tell me her daughter started her period when she was 9...
Anway fast forward a bit....
The lump has gotten bigger. So I called to make an appointment to see our own dr, but the earliest one I could get was December 29th.......but her secretary told me that our doctor was on walk-ins clinic on Tuesday December 14th. So I took her to walkins then.
My dr said "I am going to treat this as if it was my 8 year old daughter"
She checked it, and noted that it had grown since I first found it. The ititial lump is larger then dime sided now, and there is more of a lump growing towards her under arm on that side, diagonally its different from the initial lump. I also cannot tell for sure if the lump is tender or the tissue around it, its not extremely pain ful but it does hurt sometimes. she then ordered some blood tests. Just the normal stuff, ESR, CBC, kidney and liver profiles. She then told me that we may have to get a biopsy done of it, and see a surgen. And she said "I'm assuming if she has to go to the Childrens hospital, this won't be a problem"
Of course I said it wouldnt be a problem, we will go where ever we need to.
So we are quite nervous about this.
Her blood test results came back on December 15th and they were normal. And she was refered to get an ultrasound done to check mass size and to see exactly what it is.
In the meantime I was told to put a warm cloth on it 3 times a day for 20 minutes each time, incase there was an infection there, but the dr said she did not think there was an infection.
Our Dr also said that she does not think that it is breast tissue developing.
So now we are playing the waiting game.....waiting to get the appointment for the ultrasound.
Really hoping we can get one before Christmas and find out what it is, so we can quit worrying about it.
Im kinda think that it might be a cyst or something along those lines, Im not really concerned about breast cancer, but I wanted to know the symptoms and stuff, just for peace of mind I guess.
Thank you all
Kelly
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Kelly,
I can understand how worried you are. My 8 year old daughter recently told me that her nipple on one side was itching, so I checked it out and noticed that she has a lump underneath. I told myself not to worry, that she's probably just beginning puberty, but it still concerns me. I plan to take her to the pediatrician soon to have it checked out. I began menstruating at 9, but I hoped my daughter wouldn't until she was older. Her best friend began growing breasts last year at 7 years old.
I hope you get some answers soon and your daughter is just beginning puberty.
Cynthia
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I'm sure hoping it's nothing but do think you should continue as you are. Have you considered calling a breast surgeon to ask questions or advice? Perhaps Dana Farber? Although EXTREMELY uncommon, sometimes young children get breast cancer. There was a 10 year old who had it a couple years back. I think she lived in CA.
I will keep you all in my prayers and am wishing the best of luck to you and your family.
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when my youngest girl was that age she has a lump near her armpit (lymphnodes I think), turned out to be cat scratch fever, my son caught it also, had a marble like lump on his neck, hope your little girl is ok, saying prayers for your family
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sounds like pre-puberty "breast buds" which both my daughters had. You would expect developmental changes to occur simultaneously on both sides, but it doesn't always appear that way. Hormonal changes are not symetrical.
You are a good mom to be on top of this; and to teach your young daughter to pay attention to her body. Your doctor thinks this is something other than developing breast tissue; so I am glad you will follow medical advice.
My 20 yr old daughter has an enlarged lymph node in her breast; so we have my breast surgeon watching that. First the campus nurse practitioner ordered a mammo; most likely b/c my daughter made it sound like I had the heriditary kind of breast cancer ( I don't) so she saw my breast surgeon (took 6 wks for me to get her there. 20 yr olds have different agendas than their moms) and the bs has a "wait and see" attitude. He suggested that maybe she has an infection somewhere in her body that is causing the lymph node to swell. She is very run down with work and school so perhaps that is the cause; which would mean it was not necessarily related to the breast at all. to'ow is the one-month follow-up appt for my daughter.
A mammo would have unnecesarilly exposed her to x-ray at an early age IMHO.
I'm just sharing my story with you. I really don't pretend to know what's going on with your 8 yr old but I've heard some unusual presentations of "breast buds". I hope that's all your daughter has. there is a saying in medicine: sometimes when you hear hoofs it's a horse, not a zebra. So maybe this is just early breast development. But you are a good mom to look out for "zebras". sometimes an endocrinologist might be called in for such a case? Hormones control breast development.
I recall distinctly having the feeling that forks were being stuck in my nipples when I was 12. My grandma had me put warm compresses on them.
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Thank you all for the fast replies. We are keeping a close eye on it without stressing our daughter or making her scared, so we have been trying not to be overly worried around her and things like that, because I wouldn't want her to be stressed out over this.
Her paternal great-grandfather had a lump removed from his breast when he was a little boy, but unfortunately I do not know what the lump was, as he cannot remember and both his parents have since passed on. And I am unsure of what dr would have the records for it.
And since finding the lump we have also found out that my first cousin had a lump removed when she was about 14 (grade 9), it was removed because it was blocking a duct, but she cannot remember exactly what it was.
Hopefully it is pre puberty. I was 13 before i got my period, and my mother was 14...so I really was not expecting to have any changes this early. She does not show any other signs of puberty.
As I have said I'm not really freaking out that she has cancer or something, because I just don't feel like that is what it is, I feel much to calm for that.
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Hi - I don't have anything medical to add, just as the mom of a 12 year old girl, I am sending you a hug! I know you are worried. My daughter started developing around 9 and had her period at 10. Things start much sooner these days! She is already wearing a 32B bra and is thin, so looks very curvy for her age. Thankfully she is modest and doesn't follow fashion trends very much, so we're keeping things under wraps. :-)
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gibs; we'll be watching for the results of the u/s. eileen
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Thanks everyone, so far have not heard anything today, I am unsure of weather they are going to call with her appointment or send it in the mail, I really hoped ti get it done before Christmas, but I am not really that confident that it will be done then, I am thinking after Christmas.
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Hey Gibbs,
My 8 year old daughter also told me about a lump under her nipple...her's is in her left breast. I'm so concerned and worried about my sweet little girl.. We're going to the doctor this Saturday because my daughter wanted to wait until the female physician was in the office. Both my grandmothers died from breast cancer and my mother has found lumps in her breasts, but I had no idea that breast cancer was possible in such young children until reading these posts. I pray that both are daughters are just experiencing something normal..please keep us posted .
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Sorry I have not been back until now, We are still waiting on the appointment for the ultrasound, things are a little different here in canada with regards to getting appointments. Seeing things started back up after the Christmas holidays I really hope that we get that appointment soon.
We all ended up with a stomach virus during the holidays with the first one starting Christmas day, Robyn was actually the only one who did not get it.
The lump is still there, but there is a little less swelling, or there was when I checked it yesterday.
I will keep everyone posted on what happens.
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Thanks for the update. I think about you and your daughter often. Jewel, best of luck too. Let us know what happens with your daughter. I hope this is just some normal thing! XOXO
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Push push push. I pushed my way and was insanely persistant for all my appointments, surgeries. Hopefully you have absolutely nothing to worry about Good luck. Xo.
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My guess is that it is pre-puberty changes. Little boys can also have the swellings under the nipple during puberty as well. You are right to be concerned and getting it checked out. Please come back and let us know what you find out.
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Thanks everyone,, I will definitely come back to let everyone know what we find out.
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Robyn had her Ultrasound on Firday January 14th. By the time we got the appointment the lump was almost gone, but not all gone. Chirstmas time it was big enough that you could see it under her clothing. They took a bunch of pictures of her breast and now we just have to wait for the radiologist to read the pictures and do up a written report for our family doctor. I still am leaning towards thinking it was a cyst that is resolving itself. I will update when we hear from the doctor.
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Good luck! I've been thinking of you all!
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I hope all is well! I know you are worried. Hoping it was just a cyst, please let us know. Thoughts and prayers from the mom of a young girl to another!
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I see that this is well after the fact but this is especially for anyone who may visit this later. I understand that we all worry about our children and cancer affects so many people but let us not forget about when we were children. I recall being a little girl at the start of puberty, granted like many of us it was later than 8 but hormones in food and so forth has affected that, but my breasts were full of lumps. It was a result of puberty and hormones and this is literally where the mass of a breast comes from. Many of us still get lumps in our breasts during or before our menstrual cycle due to hormonal changes. This is not to say that mothers can't be mothers and be concerned for their children but ulcers, strokes, heart attacks, and aneurysms are on the rise becuase the more we have available to worry about the more we do worry about. Worry less pray more.
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I know this is an old post, but I was doing some research for my daughter. Our story is similar to yours. My daughter was 9 years old when she got really sick. She has a cyst under her nipple that got infected. Was in the hospital for 5 days. They tried to do a needle aspiration with no luck. This was so hard to watch my 9 year old go through! They put her on IV antibiotics and it went away. That was in 2011. In April of 2013, she had another one. Same breast, same spot. We caught it early and received more antibiotics. Now in October 2013, she has another one, same spot, same breast. This time, we got antibiotics and are going to a Breast Cancer Specialist. They don't believe it is cancer, but want to have it checked out. They say it is strange for an 11year old to have this 3 times in the same spot. So I, as a mother, am scared to death!0 -
Hey Kelly
I hope you get answers soon. My daughter is 8 also and just told me last night that her left breast was hurting so I examined it and there is a lump under her nipple I am so worried! I called and made her a doctors appointment I hope to get some answers!
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Natasha, that was pmcuttings only post.
Good luck with your daughter's appointment. It well may just be precocious puberty.
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When I was eight, I had the same thing happen to me. They were what we called "rosebuds" and it was just me starting puberty but my mom brought me to the doctors for peace of mind.
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Hi Mrs Kelly,
Warm greetings fr Rome Italy. I'm very grateful to you for your helpful info. about your daughter Robyn,I hope she's doing great now in GOD's grace! I'm looking for insights about a lump under my 9 y o daughter's breast and as a mother like you I'm worried. So I took to internet to know the possible reasons behind and I was somehow relieved by your post, that it could be a puberty sign (although I'm taking her to our family doctor after tomorrow-as today is Saturday.) The detailed experience of your actions really somehow calmed me down,and I'm always praying to our LORDGOD Almighty for HIS covering Blood of our LORD JESUS, over us moms and families.I Thank so much also the admins of this site,you are helping not only Americans nut people from all parts of the world.GOD BLESS you and us, all Tremendously in JESUS' Name Amen!
Best Blessings!
Jesusa
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Hi ,
I am going through exactly the same thing with my 9 year old daughter, Ashlene. Our doctor has suggested it could be a breast bud or a cyst. We are waiting for an Ultrasound scan. Our girls will be fine, by the grace of God. It's so difficult to remind ourselves not to panic, especially in front of them. Good luck to you all. God bless
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Hi my name is Hadassah,
I am writing from Namibia in Africa!
I was searching on the same issue with my 11year old daughter, she has a swollen gland or something under her breast, she says that it hurts and it also becomes really reddish around the area. She has not yet begun puberty, could this be it?
I have another daughter of 15 year old, her breasts developed well, but for the last year, the left side breast has not grown to near the other ones size?
Should I be worried?
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I am very surprised that no one here seems to remember their own breast development.
One breast bud often starts before the other.
They are very tender.
It seems like forever before the breast behind the buds develops.
Breasts are very often not the exact same size.
Please take a deep breath before you totally freak your daughters out. Be thankful that she came to you with her concern and do remember and share your own experience with her.
If it is really different than you remember, taking your daughter to a female doctor would definitely make it easier for her to ask questions, especially if she is the shy sort.
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i hope ur child is doing well and u guys will b in my nightly prayers
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This topic comes up quite often to pediatricians. Children will naturally develop, starting with the breast bud. With so much information in the press, internet, general discussion, many moms become terrified when they find these. Make sure to pass along this information to other moms whose daughters are the same age. This type of information should be out there more, but it is not. Hope your daughter is doing well.
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Just a general comment on this topic (this thread was started in 2010)
I have seen this many times over the years in young girls and boys. A pediatrician is the correct first doc to see about this. They are more familiar with it than most other docs or general radiologists. It is a response to hormone levels. If they feel the lump is not a breast bud, an ultrasound would then be necessary.
One word of caution in young girls. In years past these little lumps, which were actually the breast buds, were removed as a precaution and subsequently that breast completely failed to develop. A biopsy would almost certainly disturb its development to varying degrees.
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strangely my 9 year old daughter a few days ago was complaining that her nipple on the right side was hurting, I examined it and found a lump under the nipple, no redness or lumps anywhere else, checked under her arms etc for lymph nodes and nothing showing.
Took her to the doctor after waiting for a call back and was told to wait a few days to see if anything changes.
It still seems sore to touch and my daughter now has a sore throat and slightly swollen throat glands but that could be completely another thing.
Anyway will keep a thought and prayer for you and hope all is okay for both of our girls. Hoping it’s puberty and the change , (obviously don’t want her to grow up so fast but just don’t want her to be in pain etc).
Tracy
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