Breast cancer fears...maybe TMI

[ihy138]

Hi all. I've always found the support of this community to be absolutely incredible, so I thought I would post here mostly because I don't want to worry my family. I've noticed some changes recently in my health and of course I googled it and am now thinking the worst. My right breast and nipple (although sometimes left) has been SO ITCHY. Itchy enough to take benadryl a couple of weeks ago. The texture of my right nipple has changed and it's become darker than the other, sometimes it looks flattened. I haven't noticed any lumps but overall the right breast feels swollen, but I just attributed it to crazy hormones due to stress and weight gain (which I've been working on) . My cycles have been all over the place as well. I'm phoning my doctor first thing on Tuesday but I'm wondering if anybody here has experienced anything similar? I don't have breast cancer in my family and I'm 29. Am I overreacting?

 

[december-fire]

May I ask why you aren't phoning your doctor today?
When you phone, make sure you say why you want to see the doctor - changes in your breast.

 

[Jambalaya]

Hi, ihy, I really sympathize, as someone with problematic breasts. At 29 it's extremely unlikely, but all breast changes should be thoroughly evaluated by a physician. Please go to your doctor as soon as possible. Breast cancer is mainly random - 80% of people with this illness have no family history, so don't let your lack of family history put you off getting medical care. But again, it's VERY unlikely at your age. It's not 100% unheard-of, so you should always go to your doctor just to put your mind at rest. And if your mind is not put at rest the first time, go for a second opinion.

I know you talk of one side being slightly different from the other, but is it possible they've always been like that and you're just noticing now? Mine sit very differently on my chest (sorry for the TMI) and I only really noticed when I started doing self-exams. One of my armpits feels much knottier than the other, too. (Again, sorry for the TMI!) So the different sides of your body can look and feel a bit different from one another.

 

[Queenie60]

It's probably nothing but a clogged duct or some other type of irritation. However, I would get this checked out immediately, without hesitation. There is a type of breast cancer "inflammatory breast cancer" where lumps are not apparent. Given your age, I would suspect some type of irritation. Never overlook any changes in your breast at any age. I'm a 16 year survivor and believe in early detection. And, please do not allow any doctors to "blow you off" due to your age. Be assertive and insist on immediate appointment. Good luck - please let us know what the doctor says.

 

[ihy138]

May I ask why you aren't phoning your doctor today?
When you phone, make sure you say why you want to see the doctor - changes in your breast.

Yes, it is a holiday today in the U.S. and the offices are closed. I'm calling as soon as they open tomorrow and making sure my concerns are heard.

 

[ihy138]

Hi, ihy, I really sympathize, as someone with problematic breasts. At 29 it's extremely unlikely, but all breast changes should be thoroughly evaluated by a physician. Please go to your doctor as soon as possible. Breast cancer is mainly random - 80% of people with this illness have no family history, so don't let your lack of family history put you off getting medical care. But again, it's VERY unlikely at your age. It's not 100% unheard-of, so you should always go to your doctor just to put your mind at rest. And if your mind is not put at rest the first time, go for a second opinion.

I know you talk of one side being slightly different from the other, but is it possible they've always been like that and you're just noticing now? Mine sit very differently on my chest (sorry for the TMI) and I only really noticed when I started doing self-exams. One of my armpits feels much knottier than the other, too. (Again, sorry for the TMI!) So the different sides of your body can look and feel a bit different from one another.

Thanks so much for your response. When I say one side is different from the other I mean although both nipples are itchy, the right one has changed in shape and texture. The itching started over the winter but the changes more recent and that's what got me concerned. My breasts have always been different in that the right is a smidge larger but they both feel swollen. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[ihy138]

It's probably nothing but a clogged duct or some other type of irritation. However, I would get this checked out immediately, without hesitation. There is a type of breast cancer "inflammatory breast cancer" where lumps are not apparent. Given your age, I would suspect some type of irritation. Never overlook any changes in your breast at any age. I'm a 16 year survivor and believe in early detection. And, please do not allow any doctors to "blow you off" due to your age. Be assertive and insist on immediate appointment. Good luck - please let us know what the doctor says.

Thank you so much Queenie and thank you for sharing your history. I read about inflammatory breast cancer and it really got me worried, so thank you for confirming that it's important to have checked out. My doctor has always taken me seriously so I'm sure I will get in soon. It's the waiting that is difficult. I hope it's an inflammation given my tendency toward allergic reactions and things like that.

 

[december-fire]

Yes, it is a holiday today in the U.S. and the offices are closed. I'm calling as soon as they open tomorrow and making sure my concerns are heard.

Sorry, I forgot! Canadian here. Should say Canadian with randomly-functioning memory cells!
Geez, I watched some of the Memorial events on TV and still forgot! Darn memory.

Yes, phone as soon as the office opens, get a mammogram, don't ignore changes, pain, etc., in breasts.
You've been given no diagnosis over which to be concerned, so just take things a step at a time and get facts.

Whatever it turns out to be, know that you can come here for support or just to talk.
PS members have walked a lot of different paths in life and can provide helpful comments based on their experiences.

Ironically, I was exactly your age, 29, when I had lumps removed - they turned out not to be cancer (don't jump to worse-case scenarios).
Loved it so much, I returned a few years ago for biopsies!
These days, I spend one day a week hanging out in the chemo pod with a wonderful friend as she gets her weekly chemo cocktail.
Life is never boring.

May I add my thanks to all the brave men and women who fought for their country.

 

[ihy138]

Sorry, I forgot! Canadian here. Should say Canadian with randomly-functioning memory cells!
Geez, I watched some of the Memorial events on TV and still forgot! Darn memory.

Yes, phone as soon as the office opens, get a mammogram, don't ignore changes, pain, etc., in breasts.
You've been given no diagnosis over which to be concerned, so just take things a step at a time and get facts.

Whatever it turns out to be, know that you can come here for support or just to talk.
PS members have walked a lot of different paths in life and can provide helpful comments based on their experiences.

Ironically, I was exactly your age, 29, when I had lumps removed - they turned out not to be cancer (don't jump to worse-case scenarios).
Loved it so much, I returned a few years ago for biopsies!
These days, I spend one day a week hanging out in the chemo pod with a wonderful friend as she gets her weekly chemo cocktail.
Life is never boring.

May I add my thanks to all the brave men and women who fought for their country.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I'm glad to know things have turned out well for you despite what I'm sure we're scary moments. It's comforting to think about.

 

[Bonfire]

First of all I want to commend you for being proactive about your breast health. You said you would call your physician first thing Tuesday morning and I trust they will get you in right away. I feel it's always a good idea to prepare for these appointments by writing down all the questions I can think of ahead of time. Tell your physician everything you have noticed. Secondly I would like to impress upon you to relax. You are doing everything you can. Don't let your mind and fear take you to a dark place. Stay positive.

 

[pearlsngems]

Great that you don't have a lump, but get it checked out pronto -- and don't let any doctor pooh-pooh it because of your age.

DH's friend had a lump in her late 20s, Dr. was dismissive, she was relieved and so didn't pursue it. She died in her early 30s of breast cancer.

DH's first cousin was in her 40s, found a lump, Dr. was dismissive. X-ray tech gave her a significant look. She got the message, insisted on a biopsy, and it came back cancer. 18 out of 20 lymph nodes tested were positive for cancer. What if she had accepted the doctor's dismissal? Her daughter was just 6 at the time.

Trust your gut.

I have had repeated diagnostic mammos and ultrasounds due to a questionable result on routine screening mammo. Turned out to be nothing, but I'm glad I had the tests.

 

[soxfan]

Hi all. I've always found the support of this community to be absolutely incredible, so I thought I would post here mostly because I don't want to worry my family. I've noticed some changes recently in my health and of course I googled it and am now thinking the worst. My right breast and nipple (although sometimes left) has been SO ITCHY. Itchy enough to take benadryl a couple of weeks ago. The texture of my right nipple has changed and it's become darker than the other, sometimes it looks flattened. I haven't noticed any lumps but overall the right breast feels swollen, but I just attributed it to crazy hormones due to stress and weight gain (which I've been working on) . My cycles have been all over the place as well. I'm phoning my doctor first thing on Tuesday but I'm wondering if anybody here has experienced anything similar? I don't have breast cancer in my family and I'm 29. Am I overreacting?

This might be an odd question for you. But do you live in New England?

 

[ihy138]

First of all I want to commend you for being proactive about your breast health. You said you would call your physician first thing Tuesday morning and I trust they will get you in right away. I feel it's always a good idea to prepare for these appointments by writing down all the questions I can think of ahead of time. Tell your physician everything you have noticed. Secondly I would like to impress upon you to relax. You are doing everything you can. Don't let your mind and fear take you to a dark place. Stay positive.

Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm trying really hard to stay positive and not go to my usual place, worst case scenario land. That's a great idea to write down all of my questions and everything I've noticed. Thank you for the suggestion - ill do that tonight.

 

[ihy138]

Great that you don't have a lump, but get it checked out pronto -- and don't let any doctor pooh-pooh it because of your age.

DH's friend had a lump in her late 20s, Dr. was dismissive, she was relieved and so didn't pursue it. She died in her early 30s of breast cancer.

DH's first cousin was in her 40s, found a lump, Dr. was dismissive. X-ray tech gave her a significant look. She got the message, insisted on a biopsy, and it came back cancer. 18 out of 20 lymph nodes tested were positive for cancer. What if she had accepted the doctor's dismissal? Her daughter was just 6 at the time.

Trust your gut.

I have had repeated diagnostic mammos and ultrasounds due to a questionable result on routine screening mammo. Turned out to be nothing, but I'm glad I had the tests.

Thanks for your feedback. Those stories are really scary! I do tend to always push for more testing for peace of mind, and my doctors have always been on board and supportive. I tend to question my gut instinct because I'm a health anxious person and my always suspects the worse. It's a difficult balance at times.

 

[ihy138]

This might be an odd question for you. But do you live in New England?

I do actually - Massachusetts. Why do you ask?

 

[chemgirl]

There's nothing wrong with being proactive about your health. I can totally relate to the breast cancer concerns because my mom was diagnosed in her 30's (she's fine now). I've gone down that rabbit hole a few times.

So why you should totally call your doctor, but also carry on with your day and feel confident that you will be ok: there are so many reasons for the symptoms you're experiencing. Maybe you are sensitive to your detergent and your nipples are taking the brunt of it. Maybe you have dry skin. Maybe your breast seems swollen because you were poking at it (this last one happened to me...why is it red and achey...oh right).

So it is probably nothing, but get it checked asap. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer I suggest making a plan with your doctor or possibly finding a familial breast cancer program. That way you know that you're doing everything you can to protect yourself.

Goodluck!

 

[ihy138]

There's nothing wrong with being proactive about your health. I can totally relate to the breast cancer concerns because my mom was diagnosed in her 30's (she's fine now). I've gone down that rabbit hole a few times.

So why you should totally call your doctor, but also carry on with your day and feel confident that you will be ok: there are so many reasons for the symptoms you're experiencing. Maybe you are sensitive to your detergent and your nipples are taking the brunt of it. Maybe you have dry skin. Maybe your breast seems swollen because you were poking at it (this last one happened to me...why is it red and achey...oh right).

So it is probably nothing, but get it checked asap. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer I suggest making a plan with your doctor or possibly finding a familial breast cancer program. That way you know that you're doing everything you can to protect yourself.

Goodluck!

Thank you so much for your comment. I've been having trouble doing anything today besides think about this. It's really not healthy or productive. You're right, there are so many things that could cause this and I know breast cancer is rare at my age and I was reading that inflammatory breast cancer is even rarer. I'm trying to keep things in perspective.

By the way, I'm glad your mom is alright and sorry that you have to bare the burden of family history. I have zero family history of cancer at all, so no breast cancer that I know of.

 

[chemgirl]

To be honest I've made myself throw up worrying about it. Logically I know it's silly, but it's hard to get out of that headspace once you are in it.

That's why I tell myself that I'm doing everything I can to stay on top of my health and worrying about it will ruin a perfectly nice day.

I remember being 7 and my mom showing up at my school and taking me to the circus. Now I know that she was diagnosed that day. Her thought process was that she might not have a lot of good days ahead so better take advantage. When I get too anxious about my health that's what I think about.

Goodluck at your appointment! Sending good thoughts your way.

 

[LLJsmom]

Make sure you make an appointment with a dermatologist as well. I had an issue when I was younger and saw tons of specialists and they all thought it was a breast issue. They thought so for a couple of years. Then one doctor suggested seeing a dermatologist and after seeing several of those they confirmed it was a skin issue and were able to treat it. I almost had serious surgery and it turned out not to be necessary. Good luck and hope they figure it out soon.

 

[cmd2014]

I don't have any further advice than what you've already gotten here, but try not to put the cart in front of the horse. For right now, all you know is that you're itchy and irritated and concerned enough about it to make an appointment. Nothing else is going to be radically different tomorrow, except you're going to seek reasonable and appropriate medical investigation of your symptoms. And tomorrow, you might know a bit more, or you might simply be taking additional steps to get more information. Just try to breathe in the meantime and not go to dark and scary places until and unless you have to.

 

[missy]

Good luck and sending you lots of good thoughts and healing vibes. Hoping it turns out to be absolutely nothing to worry about. (((HUGS))).

 

[soxfan]

I do actually - Massachusetts. Why do you ask?

I had the same- also live in Mass. It was a rash from all these gypsy moth caterpillars. I started a thread on FB in my town and 300 people posted pics of their rashes. Definitely get it checked out, but in my case it was that. You can google the rash. It was all over me!

 

[ihy138]

To be honest I've made myself throw up worrying about it. Logically I know it's silly, but it's hard to get out of that headspace once you are in it.

That's why I tell myself that I'm doing everything I can to stay on top of my health and worrying about it will ruin a perfectly nice day.

I remember being 7 and my mom showing up at my school and taking me to the circus. Now I know that she was diagnosed that day. Her thought process was that she might not have a lot of good days ahead so better take advantage. When I get too anxious about my health that's what I think about.

Goodluck at your appointment! Sending good thoughts your way.

Thank you for sharing this. I was thinking about that yesterday, that I might be ruining a good day because of the small chance something is really wrong. I have trouble with uncertainty. I've also been really happy lately after a difficult separation last year, so I think of of course something is bound to go wrong. It's a really unhealthy way of thinking and feeling. I'm going to enjoy the day and try to not let my anxieties run it. Thank you for sharing that story of your mom.

Make sure you make an appointment with a dermatologist as well. I had an issue when I was younger and saw tons of specialists and they all thought it was a breast issue. They thought so for a couple of years. Then one doctor suggested seeing a dermatologist and after seeing several of those they confirmed it was a skin issue and were able to treat it. I almost had serious surgery and it turned out not to be necessary. Good luck and hope they figure it out soon.

Thank you for your comment! I initially thought it was a skin issue as well as it is not unusual for me to get dry and itchy there. This is just beyond what I've experienced before. I'm hoping my doctor is able to tell difference and maybe ill see the deem just to be sure. Thanks!

 

[ihy138]

I don't have any further advice than what you've already gotten here, but try not to put the cart in front of the horse. For right now, all you know is that you're itchy and irritated and concerned enough about it to make an appointment. Nothing else is going to be radically different tomorrow, except you're going to seek reasonable and appropriate medical investigation of your symptoms. And tomorrow, you might know a bit more, or you might simply be taking additional steps to get more information. Just try to breathe in the meantime and not go to dark and scary places until and unless you have to.

Thank you for this perspective. I'm going to keep reading this as my mantra for the rest of the day.

Good luck and sending you lots of good thoughts and healing vibes. Hoping it turns out to be absolutely nothing to worry about. (((HUGS))).

Thank you for the good vibes!! Much appreciated.

I had the same- also live in Mass. It was a rash from all these gypsy moth caterpillars. I started a thread on FB in my town and 300 people posted pics of their rashes. Definitely get it checked out, but in my case it was that. You can google the rash. It was all over me!

Wow that's interesting. I'm going to look into that - thanks so much!

 

[soxfan]

Thank you for this perspective. I'm going to keep reading this as my mantra for the rest of the day.


Thank you for the good vibes!! Much appreciated.


Wow that's interesting. I'm going to look into that - thanks so much!

You're welcome. I had it so bad my I had petechia on mine. And they don't even have to land on you, it's the microscopic hairs that are in the air

 

[december-fire]

There can be a lot of energy expended stressing over stuff that never happens.

'What if's can darken a beautiful day.

Maybe it might help chase away fears if you think about past concerns and fears about stuff that never happened.

Sending comforting thoughts and hoping you'll quickly find out this is something easily treated.

 

[tyty333]

I would like to ditto all the other ladies that say stop stressing until you have more info...easier said than done.
You are doing the right thing to get more info but no need to worry until you hear otherwise. Keeping fingers
crossed that there is a simple explanation...sending positive vibes for a good outcome!

 

[ihy138]

You're welcome. I had it so bad my I had petechia on mine. And they don't even have to land on you, it's the microscopic hairs that are in the air

Yikes!! That's so awful, and I know they are supposed to be bad this year. I just looked up some photos and descriptions, and I don't think that's what I'm dealing with. I don't have any redness at all, but maybe the doctor will think of something similar!

There can be a lot of energy expended stressing over stuff that never happens.

'What if's can darken a beautiful day.

Maybe it might help chase away fears if you think about past concerns and fears about stuff that never happened.

Sending comforting thoughts and hoping you'll quickly find out this is something easily treated.

Thank you, this is all true. I can think of quite a few instances when what I expected has not been the outcome. It's the stuff I haven't worried about that usually happens to me. I'm very fortunate health-wise even though I've had quite a few worries over the years. I'm trying to think about times that I was pleasantly surprised in the past, that's good advice. My thoughts have been pretty dark over the past couple of days. I'm even thinking of what jewelry I would sell first if I got some bad news. I know it's not a healthy way to think, but I'm struggling to do any better. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[ihy138]

I would like to ditto all the other ladies that say stop stressing until you have more info...easier said than done.
You are doing the right thing to get more info but no need to worry until you hear otherwise. Keeping fingers
crossed that there is a simple explanation...sending positive vibes for a good outcome!

Thank you so much, tyty. You're right. I'm going to assume the best until I have a reason not to. I'm trying to comfort myself with statistics and thinking about how unlikely it is that I have cancer. It helps a little.

I just want to update with two things. First, I have an appointment this Friday afternoon. I'm pleased about this since it usually takes weeks to get in with this doc.

Second, I am actually 28, not 29. That just demonstrates how jumbled my head is, doesn't it?

 

[tyty333]

Glad you got in...the sooner the better so you can either relax or get some follow up. Hang in there!

Sometimes I forget my age too...only off by a year. Sometimes I make myself older and sometimes I make
myself younger.