Falling apart for every scare-- latest is a pea sized lump on my chest
6 years out from 2b/3a dx— treatment was masectomy with total axillary nodal dissection, chemo, rads and still on arimidex.
I recently discovered a hard pea size lump a couple of inches under my collar bone about an inch from my arm pit. My oncology nurse practitioner couldn't find it during our visit and I couldn't find it either. Though I found it after and sharpied it. My ultrasound is scheduled for next Thursday and I could use help with how to wait this long without going crazy.
I freaked out for awhile this afternoon that it was a swollen subclavicular node until I researched and discovered that these would have been removed during ALND.
My lymphedema pt had hands on it and wasn't overly concerned except to get it looked at.
I am already on antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. I have been taking Ativan at night to help with sleep since finding this. Having a hard time with ruminating. I would appreciate support and words of wisdom. Thank you.
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I see that you, like me, had a BMX with DIEP recon. I also had fat grafting twice after that (first around 18 months after that initial surgery and then again around 6 months after that). And I've had lumps occur twice although it was in a more central area of the recon breasts (happened once on each side, first was around a year after my surgery before any fat grafting, second was 2 years after that, around 6 months after second/last fat graft was done) which were fat necrosis in both cases. But given that fat necrosis bits can move around, my thought is it's quite possible that could be what you felt even though outside central recon breast area. Hope you can get a diagnostic mammo and sono done quickly and that is a simple fat necrosis or other benign condition.
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Thanks abigailj, it was fat necrosis or a lipoma— normal for major surgery the radiologist said. Feeling relieved.
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@jestermom so glad to hear it was another fat necrosis situation!
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So 2 weeks after the radiologist told me it looked like a benign result of my treatments, I received a letter from the radiology company saying that I needed to see my surgeon to rule out a recurrence. I went to the surgeon and she shows me that this is the same lesion I had almost 4 years ago and it has grown. She says fat necrosis doesn't grow. (Radiology stopped watching the lesion when they didn't see it on an u/s in 2022.)
I'm waiting for my MRI result now and struggling. It is hard to not know what is going on.
Good news is growth has been slow and it is hyperechoic. Despite this, she gave me a 10-20% chance it is cancer when I asked.
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sorry @jestermom I’ve been offline for several day. Did you get the MRI results yet? Am keeping my fingers crossed this growth is totally benign.
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thankyouabigailj
it was in fact a lipoma, lots of worry and thankfully benign
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