Breast Cancer Symptoms - a comprehensive list from those w/bc
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The only pain I had was tenderness a few weeks before my surgery, which came almost 3 months after I found my lump.
The only thing I can really look back on and wonder about was that I always had an annoying dark hair right at the edge of the areola. I occasionally kept an eye on it because I had heard that changes in that can be a sign of cancer or some other problem. Well, about a year before my dx it went gray. I figured it was just part of getting old. Then it disappeared, but I didn't realize it until my dx. The tumor was pretty much right smack underneath. I have to admit, now that I've had a bmx, I sort of miss that lousy old hair.
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Dx with IDC at age 40 - no family history or pain however had gone to the gyno since I was having night sweats that you could set a clock by. Literally 3 a.m. every night. Went to be tested for possible menopause even though it appeared a bit early. Was told I was likely peri-menopause and given my script for my baseline/first mammy. My tumor was found deep inside my dense breast during a digital mammogram. Had an immediate ultrasound & the radiologist did not try to conceal her concern. Basically knew it was cancer before the biopsy....Funny thing, now on hormone therapy since I am ER + but no longer have night sweats.... Go figure...
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When I was about 20 I found a golf ball size lump in my breast at 9 0'clock. It would start to hurt before my period and the pain would ease in a few days. I did go to a dr and he drained some fluid and told me is was nothing. It was so long ago I can't even remember what he said it was. Proberbly was nothing at the time. The lump continued to come and go for years. It never came up suspicious on mamo's. I just sort of ignored it. I gave up caffine and it did stop the pain and i was rx'ed dieretics which also helped. I started to be perimeno about 3 years ago and the lump appeared and never went away. It was a normal change??so I thought, til the skin started to dimple around the lump. I still assumed it was just that B9 lump that was there for 30 years and I was just getting older. I went to my pcp for a physical and he peeked at my clevage and noticed the dimpling and sent me for a mamo. It had been 6 years since I had a mamo. Nieve and stupid. I got a US and a biopsy right away and...........IDC. I never even suspected, or expected that DX. If my pcp didn't take a look see I don't think I would have had that mamo.
Is it possible that it turned to DCIS 10 or 20 years ago and then became invasive because I ignored the recommendation for yearly mamos? I think so. And those sugar carvings I had for 5 or so years were feeding the CA the whole time. I miss my cake and cookies.
Don't ignore breast changes or pain!
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IF YOU OR ANY ONE HAS ANY BLOOD CLOTS THATS THE SIGN OF METASTAIC DISEASE IN THE BODY
SECRET NO ONE KNOWS
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Discharge. Just a drop or two, just on the left, not all the time, but it was there. I am hypothyroid with Hashimoto's and breast discharge is a symptom of that too, so BC never crossed my mind. AFter all, my mammos were normal. Clean mammo in Fall 2009. Missed my fall 2010 mammo because of partial hysterectomy - just put it off. Kept getting friendly reminder letters from the Women's Center telling me how many months it had been since my last one. Finally made an appointment for after my vacation last summer - July 2011. Whoops. 1.7 cm. Once I knew it was there I could feel it. No pain.
Just found discharge from the right side a few days ago. SOOOOO pretending I did not see that.
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MadPeacock, we will allow you a few days of shock, then your friends will be on you to be checked thoroughly, you know that.... we love you.
Bela, thank you for the info on blood clots and mets disease and cancer.......
Bevin - I did start a new thread yesterday because I soooo agree w you, this myth needs dispelled, I have heard it from my med team which I have replaced for the bc part, scary stuff.
Does Breast Cancer Hurt? the truth from those w bc
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/83/topic/784732?page=1#idx_2
I am relieved so many are sharing, keep passing it along so we can help women see all the concise stories in one place, they are all over the net and bc.org but broken stories, so I feel this really helps. Thank you for helping.
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Momine,
It is a strange thing to crave sweets like we both did. After I was diagnosed, I read several articles and many more postings (both here and on other forums) about people having an intense sugar craving prior to a cancer diagnosis. The speculation seems to be that, at least for some, there might really be something to the idea that cancer requires sugar in order to keep growing. While I know that many do not agree and it may not hold true for everyone, I firmly believe that was the case for me. I had never in my life experienced such cravings and I truly believe that it was a result of cancer being present in my body.
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LintRollerDerby: Now that I think about it, the entire last summer before I was dx, we were eating ice cream or some kind of dessert almost every night and we never did that before. When I went to the store, I just couldn't seem to resist bringing something sweet home.
It was really tough to wean ourselves off the sweet stuff after dx, but knew it was important to get as much sugar as possible out of the diet. Now that I've had the surgery, I don't have the cravings any longer, but my diet also eliminates cravings, so it's hard to tell.
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Lintroller, I may also have noticed because I don't usually eat sweets. I was afraid that I had the beginnings of diabetes.
Also, by the time of DX, my fasting glucose was 95. It is considered normal, but mine used to be in the mid-80s and upper 90s is the very high end of normal. During treatment it hovered in the upper 90s, hitting 100 a few times. 3 months PFC, it is still up there. I restrict carbs, eat virtually no sugar and my BMI is around 19 after losing about 20 pounds in the last year, so it seems odd to me. But even when I was 20 pounds heavier, my BMI was still well within healthy range at about 22. In the last week I have started exercising again, for the time being just some long walks, but I am determined to get that blood sugar down.
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One symptom only: A lump.
Other than that, had rarely felt better in my life.
Anyone reading this disparate constellation of experiences would wonder whether we were talking about one disease or many. Hopefully the day will come when scientists realize that "bc" is many diseases.
Interesting to read about others' fatigue and memory loss. You wonder whether different receptors were at work - perhaps neurotransmitters? Who knows.
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Kaara and Momine:
I think there really is something to the sugar cravings in some people prior to diagnosis. It was just so utterly out of character for me and something that I've never been remotely interested in. I was worried that it was some sort of pre-diabetic condition, but it all seemed to make sense shortly after diagnosis when I read something that talked about this and mentioned it was controversial among both oncologists and cancer patients. Cancer is such a heterogenous group of diseases, so it makes sense that there isn't a one-size-fits-all symptom that everyone will experience. I feel so strongly that my sugar cravings were because of cancer that I don't think anyone would ever be able to convince me otherwise. I woke dreaming of sweets and ate more sugar in those 6-8 weeks that I had in probably the previous 3 or 4 years combined. Interestingly, my cravings have also abated, but my blood sugar is still slightly higher than normal (but still very good--just higher for me). I've read briefly about the speculation that some breast cancers are linked to or perhaps fueled by a metabolic disorder and this seems plausible. I'm now nervous if I find myself wanting something sweet to eat. It makes me wonder if the cancer has returned. If only we understood all the parts that make up this ugly disease we call breast cancer.
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Essa, you are welcome. Friend of mone isvascular doctor he told me. I had clot and he fixes clots all the time. Mine he didn't it was PE? and I took cumidin for 6 months
Momine, Caara,Lintrollerderby,
Now that I think back -I never ate sweets in my life and I started liking those last year specially 6 months but I thought I was going thro life changes
Now I know.I also have hyperthyroidism too
Bela
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My one weird food so out of character was the night after surgery, came home and we stopped for egg foo young on way, ate that and had three glasses of cold milk, just chugged them, weird, never do that ever.
Always had a thing for sugar, but prior to dx I had more of a thing and told DH that I was literally eating myself to death because I had already found the mass and knew the link to sugar and cancer, supposedly for some or all, I knew better than to consume it.
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momine... did you take steroids with your treatments? They can raise blood sugar levels.
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Afternoon ladies:) and thank you Essa for starting a couple threads like this....it has gone far and beyond the info I was finding in other places online. I have always felt that the only real way to know true symptoms is to speak to others who have actually dealt with the issue first hand. I cant remember which lady posted a comment earlier about excessive sweating she had before dx....but maybe others can also answer this....was it just night sweats, or feeling more sweaty all over? thanks again:) You ladies are angels!!!!:)
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I didn't post about excessive sweating, but your comments made me remember something else. All summer I noticed my breasts were so sweaty. I would have to change my bra alot! Far more than usual. And I noticed a very odd smell to the sweat. Not like my normal smell. It was very strange. After I was diagnosed, I remembered the odd smell. I googled it and it said that is why some dogs are able to smell breast cancer.
Made sense to me!
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Great thread! My 3.2 cm IDC was found via routine mammogram. It was described as breast tissue with cancer cells in it — I didn't have a lump per se. What I did have, and did not give a thought to until *after* my diagnosis, was a thickening of breast tissue in the 12 o'clock position above my right nipple. When compared to the other breast, the tissue definitely felt different. I don't know why I was not alarmed or aware of that change! The mammo I had the year prior did not pick up this weird tissue.
I knew I had dense breasts. And was told I had calcifications. But I never thought I could get BC. I know better (so much better) now!
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For me, the sweat changed, the underarm odor was so different and offensive and I could not get the smell to even wash in the shower or pool, yes I took soap in the pool. Both arms, same smell and left side was swollen. After surgery, nodes and cancer removed from right side but the left swelling went down and the smell went away completely. I did not have night sweats, but don't remember everything.
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symptoms
1. lump in breast; i ignored it for 6 months.
2. started to feel like i had the flu; tired...elbow on side of lump started to swell and my glands were swollen.
3. a few months prior to diagnosis i felt like something was wrong but didn't know what...very fatigued but couldn't put my finger on it. the flu like symptoms continued
ended up with small tumor but very aggressive.,..10 positive nodes fully encased with cancer.
no pain in the cancer breast. after the surgery; my body felt better after they reduced the tumor burden on my body. sadly, i was in denial when i found the lump and too busy to get it checked until i started to feel sick. i was 49 years old when diagnosed. i am now 59.
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Openheart, yes, I had steroids with treatment, but my glucose was 95 before I had any treatment at all.
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Found a round smooth lump in armpit then two weeks later a lump in the breast same side.
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I have to add that i also started craving sweets on a regular basis. That is so strange that we experienced that. I never thought of it till i read it here
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I wanted to add that my ph was 4.5 to 5 and that is very bad, the ph paper was lemon yellow. Low ph is said to be a symptom of a good place for cancer to grow.
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Unfortunately I didn't check my ph back then, and my DS who is an alkaline advocate was on me constantly to clean up my diet, give up the diet coke, and start alkalizing my body. I didn't listen to him until I was dx with bc. Now my ph is off the charts 7.5 plus. What a difference a dx can make!
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No symptoms other than a small, painless lump. None. Had never been healthier- or more fit in my life: ran 20-25 miles per week, cycled just as many miles every weekend. I felt wonderful and strong, and totally in control of my life. Could have knocked me over with a feather when this happened... despite a family history of the disease, it was the last thing I was expecting at this point in time...
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Yes, I too need to get my pH and keep it that way.
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I had no symptoms, actually felt great! I am one of those bad people who has worked for doctors all my career, but I never go to them. I would have one of the docs I work for see me if I had a sinus infection or cold. I have always been healthy. So I hate to admit that at age 45 I had not had a mammogram yet. I was planning on getting one last year but BC beat me to it! I found a lump during a self exam (which I have always been good about) in the shower. I waited through one menstrual cycle and it did not change in size or feel so I went to my GP right away. She felt it and said it didn't really concern her too much. She ordered a mammogram and my nightmare began. Now that I look back on it I had an infected milk duct after my 2nd child that had to be incised and drained. I did not breast feed her but the infected duct was in the exact area that my tumor was found in. Coincidence?
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bump - searching out more experiences, thank you.
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I'd completely forgotten the nausea! I was sick to my stomach a lot but I do remember the pain and discomfort in my breast, armpit and shoulder. And the pain in my ribs was unbearable. I thought it was just my pneumonia, but the pneumonia was because of the lung mets. The fatigue was so bad that I could barely make it through my commute to and from work and my work day. I'd have to take two extra strength caffeine pills in the morning, get a huge Starbucks coffee mid-morning or afternoon, have a can of Coke or two and I was still so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. I'd get home and just fall onto the couch, nap until I had to go to bed, get up and do it all over again. I was so thirsty I couldn't get enough to drink and the leg cramps/charley horses and foot cramping for the year before my diagnosis were become a nightly and daily occurance. Just walking from my bus stop to the office left me almost unable to walk because of the pain in my calves and feet. Cal-mag made it worse. I realize now that it must have been the hypercalcemia from the bone mets. I looked at a photo from a couple of months before my dx and really saw how swollen the glands in my neck were! It is horrifying to see. The pain and the fatigue were unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Something I want to make clear is that my breast and nipple did itch a bit but there was no discharge, but a dent formed on the underside of my breast out of what seemed like nowhere. It wasn't a pucker - it was a dent, like someone had pushed on a piece of memory foam. And it did hurt from early on. I had stabbing sensations but I chalked it up to too much salt, hormone fluctuations, gas...you name it. I don't know what stage I was at when it started to hurt but the point is - IT HURT. I bought the myth that cancer doesn't hurt and that was one of the biggest mistakes I made. I can only hope that someone reads all of our posts about our symptoms, gets to their doctor and finds their cancer before they end up where I have. Being afraid for a few days or weeks, and finding out that you don't have cancer, is far better than not being afraid enough, finding out you have stage IV metastatic cancer, having to be afraid EVERY DAY for what life you have left and knowing that it will eventually kill you. (PS I hate cancer!!)
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Oh, I forgot the night sweats! There was no reason for them since I was on birth control to control my migraines. And my migraines become more frequent and intense.
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