Does Breast Cancer Hurt - honest truth from bc patients
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Hi Essa, My oncs all said that having or not having pain with cancer is nothing more than a wive's tale. Also they said that if it doesnt move it most likley has attached to something else. If it does move it simply means it hasnt attached anywhere else yet. My tumor hurt. It felt like someone punched me in the boob. My tumor was so hard that they had difficulty getting a biopsy. I had been more tired but had also recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and blamed it on that. I looked in the mirro one night and there was a lump, easily visible, super hard and it hurt like heck. My oncs said it often happens that way. Hgs, Mazy
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My tumour hurt a great deal. It hurt so much that I did not feel like going out or socializing and it was very sharp and deep pain. I actually felt it growing bigger, and "invading" more breast.
Partly because I complained of so much pain the doctors said "it didnt have the characteristics of breast cancer" and therefore did not bother to biopsy me for almost 3 months. It didnt help that I was just 32 years old. I even had an ultrasound when it was first found that showed it to be benign (later defined as a misread of the results).
If it had not hurt me so much, I would not have bothered to go back for second and third opinions on the lump. It was the pain that had me so worried and it was because of the pain that ultimately meant that I would actually received a breast cancer diagnosis. If it hadnt been for the pain, I would have been diagnosed at a much more advanced stage.
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It scares me that so many people have been told cancer doesn't hurt. How can doctors still be telling people that? This needs to be added into all that pink awareness stuff. How many people have just ignored a lump or dimple or whatever because it hurt only to have it be cancer? So much misinformation out there.
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And that is honest truth, felt llike someone punched me..... if it had not been for the pain.....
I also find that once the surgery happens, then the pain is so pronounced and now I am more concerned than before because I know more and the pain doesn't let up, but all the tests are clear and the bs and gp say it is due to surgery and now bs had to shave so close behind nipple eeeeeeeeeeeee a sentence I thought I would never ever say in any lifetime. But now w the pain, I just don't know what to think, so just keep doing what I do to heal.
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I cannot say I had any pain until I become Stage lV....then it was bad, like a little guy with an ice pick chipping away there in the middle of my chest, but this went on for a long time before anyone would listen, kept getting that run around, Oh it can't be the cancer, it was so small and also the myth Breast cancer does not hurt.........well, when it is advanced enough, it does. So far as my initial tumor it was very small and very deep and could not be felt with an exam.....I was just lucky a mammo detected it. I would advise anyone who has something that causes them pain, discomfort, or is not normally there, to get it checked out.
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Thanks for this thread! I came here 4 years ago on the waiting merry go round! Long story....I was 41 & got my 2end mammo then got a call that they needed more views for micro calcification's. They couldn't get me in for 6 WEEKS....so I found BCO to get informed & found many wonderful friends. With much pushiness I got in 4 1/4 weeks later & they found 2 areas right beside each other that needed biopsied on the left breast. I went to a breast surgeon & had a needle core biopsy. The BS could only get one spot of the micro cals. The other spot was too close to the chest wall & they couldn't be seen too clearly for him to get it. So the plan was to put them on a watch & see as the biopsy came back clean/B9 nothing no Atypical. So 2 months later I felt something on the LEFT breast same side about 2 inches back towards the armpit & area as where the biopsy with remaining calcification's were. Back in for another round of mammo's & an ultrasound. Nothing was seen except fibrocystic changes. Everything was ok & as time went by the diagnostic mammos for the remaining cals were fine. Every year I went for my checks nothing going on except occasional achyness in the LEFT breast in the area of where I felt something & the biopsy/calcification's were/are. So last Friday night my left breast hurt right in the same exact spot that they put the needle in for the core biopsy. The next afternoon I felt the pain again....reminded me of a blocked mild duct. So I went to look at it. My nipple was all red on the left nipple at from the edge of the areola to the nip between 12 to 6 o'clock. With visible tiny lumps. Looked like a blocked milk duct (It's been 12 years since I last nursed though). Also my whole breast felt internally very warm but not really to touch. So all this got me to thinking that the last 3 to 5 weeks, not totally sure but it's been WEEKS.....I've been feeling achyness in my left breast also some intense bursts of itchyness too. I decided to call the Gyno ASAP Monday morning. Of course the only thing that was going on by Monday was just the achyness all redness & lumps gone. I got in that afternoon & had a Mammo appointment yesterday. So what do they find but 2 areas of concern (lumps) so I got the ultrasound right away . Both were cysts. The one right under my left nipple at 3 o'clock but was nothing of concern simple cyst. The other was near my armpit about 2 inches from my nipple at 2-3 o'clock. It's a complex cyst. The Radiologist wants to look at last years mammo to see if it's visible in that mammo to decide if they are gonna do a MRI. If the MRI shows something then it's Biopsy time! Since yesterday I can now feel that cyst. In fact I think I have felt it before but I have no monthly because of Hyster but still have my ovaries. Sometimes I could & sometimes I couldn't feel it. But I would always get the achyness occasionally off & on in the same place for the last year or so. One day at time waiting again....but not as long this time. So at this point I don't know if BC hurts. What ever it IS hurts is all I know for now!
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I had intermittent sharp shooting pain. I do believe your body will tell you when something is wrong. With all the nerves we have intertwined in our breast and knowing it is one of the most highly sensitive areas of a women's body I don't understand why doctors feel that any new growth in there couldn't/wouldn't affect our nerves and cause pain. I had pain with my cancer.
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mine did not hurt, it felt like a thickness more than a lump, and i could only feel it laying down. mamo didn't pick it up either. in fact mamo said everything was good. and here i am 2 years later.
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Hello everyone, so much pain here
Julz, after all this, I would insist on an MRI. The problem with the "high tech" mammos, US and MRIs is that they all detect different problems, not the same ones and that's a real bugger. How many sisters have said mammo missed, US missed, etc.
There appears to be another myth: many women here say they breastfed their babies, don't they say that breastfeeding protects from bc ?
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Hi, mine burned when I was in laying in the sun in the swimming pool--through my swimsuit, and bad enough to send me to the phone to schedule my mammogram. It was only in the exact area of the fibroid concealing the tumor, and only in the sun. The minor dimpling in the area had been there for eight or nine years and looked to me like a stretch mark. It wasn't.
My fibroids had been painful pre-menopause. After, not so much. I was diagnosed about four years after menopause. The tumor had been there for maybe eight years according to my onc. That's eight mammograms that missed it.
Cathy
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Maud I was thinking the same thing. So what if it's overkill. It's not their boob that's hurting All the time now since the ultrasound yesterday! I guess it was all the back & forth over the same area! I work nights so I'm heading to bed now with the phone waiting for a buzz.
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Hi
I had pain in my left breast, thats how I found the lump. My Doctor also told me he thought it was a cyst as breast cancer doesn't hurt. But as soon as he got the mammagram results he booked me in straight away for a urgent biopsy. I've also had no energy for months, my days off from work I just can't be bothered doing anything, and haven't slept well for months either.
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Essa, this is an important thread and I was surprised to see that so many had pain. I hope this gets the attention of doctors.
I didn't have pain, but occasionally I felt a twitching feeling next to my breastbone, probably due to the lymphatic drainage as my axillary nodes were blocked. Also I got a fungal infection under the affected breast only which I'd never had before. I should have realised that was odd and it was 6 months later when I noticed a barely perceptible change in the mirror. When I did a self exam I realised one nipple wouldn't become erect. That was really scary and I searched a couple of days before finding the thickening. It was oedema from the blocked nodes causing my odd symptoms.
My Dr assured me it didn't feel anything like BC and I was worried about nothing, and the mammo and US were negative which is typical of lobular BC. I had to wait 3 weeks to see the BS who thought it was probably nothing and another week for the biopsy result.
So it seems my signs were atypical and not believed. I tell everyone now, yes, get a mammo, but don't rely on it being correct. Trust your gut feeling and note anything unusual.
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Julz, keep us posted on the US results, CUTE baby boy !!
Joylieswithin, i would add to "trust your gut feeling and note anything unusual" :
Insist to get further screening when being brushed off or dimissed !!
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Definitely! It's our life at stake.
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You ladies inspire me. I am still in the land of unknowing... But you inspire me.
And I will third the "trust your gut and note anything unusual"... And if a "Dr" brushes you off, or treats you like it is nothing without taking the time to answer questions, and make sure you feel comfortable. Tell them to stick it up their nose! Just saying...
I've been following this and the other thread since I saw them. Very interesting to read how many women felt pain. I had to cringe though because a number of the women here describe it the same way as I have when speaking to "Dr's".
Thank you for sharing ladies. You are invaluable to women like me who are still struggling to figure it all out.
Shell
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what about those of us who have had a biopsy come back benign but still have pain? I had a biopsy done in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast for some calcifications and also had persistent pain in the breast. Ultrasound did not reveal anything but mammo showed calcifications which were mildly suspicious so radiologist suggested biopsy since i also had pain. Came back as fibrocystic changes. Its been 3 months now and the pain remains. Everyone blows me off since i have already had a benign biopsy....but i can't stop thinking abotu why i still have the pain and what if they missed something?
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Hi everyone- Well, I had my screenings done this morning and they gave me some initial results today. This was my first mammogram and while I knew they were uncomfortable, the left breast (where I was having pain) was really uncomfortable and I also had some milky discharge. It looked just like thick breast milk. I wasn't sure what to think of that, but the tech said "Oh, that happens sometimes, don't worry". I waited for awhile after the mammogram and then was asked to come back again for two more pictures of the right breast (where I was not complaining of pain). After waiting again for a little while, I was brought back for an ultrasound. The doctor immediately told me that they saw nothing of concern in the left breast (the one where I was experiencing pain); as for the right breast, they saw a tissue mass on the mammogram that was concerning. She started with the right breast and decided the tissue mass was not of concern and pointed out several small cysts. She switched over to the left breast and focued in where I was having pain and saw nothing of concern. I told her about the armpit pain and she immediately saw a "solid mass", but told me it looked "somewhat" suspicious, but likely benign and probably is a fibroandeoma. She said it was 2cm and oval-shaped and it could be causing some of the pain in my armpit, but that she can't be certain. She suggested we biopsy it and I will have an appt for the biopsy early next week. I'm happy that I received some answers today and I'm just going to think positive and focus on the fact that it is likely benign. Thanks for all of your support and I'll continue to keep you guys posted.
Has anyone else ever had discharge during a mammography?
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Seemz- I was thinking about that today; would this be the type of pain I would need to get used to dealing with day in and day out? The radiologist told me that often people do have cysts removed, etc. and my cousin gets hers drained which she said helps immensely. I'm sorry about the pain...for me it's worse at night and sometimes makes it hard to sleep.
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No MRI because my insurance will not pay for it! Apptointment with the surgeon next Thursday the 5th. Report says complex cyst 10mm in diameter at 1 0'clock 9 cm from nipple it's asymetric & anechoic (not sure of the word...I'm off to get the report in writing). New finding! It hurts all the time.
On a side note the nurse at the GYN office that I talk to about the report. Was saying that basically BC DOESN"T hurt! Well I politely set her straight...I told her about the whole thread that was started about whether you had pain & was later DX with BC. I also told her that many put off getting their lumps or pain checked out because they heard BC didn't hurt! I just had a teaching moment!!!! Very politely so! The word just got out at a small town in PA!
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Sometimes in the middle of the night when I can't sleep because of Chemo side effects, I remember the severe breast pain I had for 1.5 years before diagnosis. Obviously, my body was trying to tell me something. I didn't listen to my body. I listened to the wrong information that said "breast cancer doesn't hurt!" It makes me angry.
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Julz - Good one! I think we can all print this thread for our doctors. Is that allowed? I suppose since if we google it, we can read it. Good for you.
Michelle - so they say an oval shape in armpit, but did she even say it could be a node? Mine was oval, enlarged. Believe positive, yes, see it the way you want the outcome yet keep on keeping on and make them take care of you like you did when you made sure they knew about the armpit pain too.
Seemz - after I had three mammo films of ea breast the pain was like I was burned through, skin hurt too, raw. And the needle biopsy, I was told by friend it was worst thing she had eveer been through and she did natural birth 9every one is different, some it does not bother) but point is that first we have pain then undergo the tests and even surgery and rads so there is that pain, and we don't even know why it hurts any more. Good point, and what I kept saying after the surgery. It still hurts like before surgery but then it was blamed on the surgeery. But it still hurts same and in the breast that did not have surgery. So yes, we are left wondering. I am using all the alternatives I can in order to back 'it' off since there is that eternal question like you mention and I will for the rest of my life becasue I know now it does not end.
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my 6-6.5cm tumor did not hurt at all. I actually felt fantastic
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The tumor in my left breast was located in the six-o'clock position. That part of my breast had a dull, constant ache for......you know, I have no idea how long; months. Because I was a 34 DD and wore underwire bras, I always attributed that ache to the underwire rubbing up against one of my ribs. I am in my 50's, so I just figured I was having normal aches for a middle-aged woman.
I also had mild aches in the hip, shoulder, a few other places. My dad had arthritis, so once again, I dismissed the ache as mild arthritis, and/or just that I was getting older. I knew nothing at all about bone metasteses associated with bc, so that never crossed my mind.
I took daily naps, but most of my family are nappers, and I was still very active before the bc dx, so it never seemed like I was 'fatigued'.
I went for yearly mammograms. When I discovered the lump 6 days after the mammo, I looked at my breasts in the mirror. Yep, a huge dimple in the left breast. I was never one to look at my naked bod in the mirror, so I'd never noticed the dimple before.
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I will be going for my diagnositc mammogram in 3 days. I dont know if the cluster of calcifications they found is cancer or not.
I can tell you that I knew it was my left breast because of how it feels. It is uncomfortable to wrap a towel around that side after a shower..the pressure feels odd. And to be honest...I never wear a bra when I sleep, but for the past 6 weeks or so it has felt odd on my left side when I havent...so now I wear a bra to sleep. I get tingling feelings alot but no pain.
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My tumor hurt. When I had the US the minute they rolled over it I felt burning pain. I said "I thought BC doesn't hurt" - the doctor replied, 'that's a myth'. They did find a second tumor (multifocal) that was much smaller but it hurt exactly the same way during US. Burning pain.
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yes breast cancer hurts. i feel like screaming. i am so sad, angry,afraid and lonely, it hurts. people go on with their lives and i too feel invisible. where the biopsy was done i have a big hematoma and a lump and i hurts. i feel like i want to constantly shield my breasts, especially the right one where the cancer is and hide them since i know i will probably need a mastectomy.this is hard and i am hopeful and yes bc hurts
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Lago, DivineMrsM, PumkinCake, Invisible2 - glad you stopped to share. Invisible, St Charles, have been there, I want to see your dr LOL.
I remember before lumpectomy that I was always rearranging myself, the lump was in way and it did hurt, but then I thought why would it not hurt bcz the lump is not supposed to be there, like a lump on the leg would hurt if I laid on it. But to just walk or sit and the pain, that was explained away.
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Nope...no pain for me....was totally blown away by call back after routine mammo.....from there spot compression mammo to US and then biopsy and then Dx.....
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No pain for me either. I had a routine mammo and u/s in July 2006, went in for a breast reduction in Oct. 2006 - my plastic surgeon found my 1.7 cm. tumour. Total shock - had mastectomy in Dec. 2006, followed by chemo and Herceptin. In Jan 2007 reports came out about mammograms being basically useless for dense breasted women (mostly premenopausal) - that would be me!
Fight for the breast MRIs ladies.
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