Found a large lump

I'm a 32 year old in nursing school, so I have a background in medical issues, which is keeping me relatively calm. Here's my story:

I woke up Tuesday morning and rolled over. I had extreme pain in my left breast. Up until that day, nothing was going on. It almost felt like engorgement (I have breastfed all 3 of my kids), but it was only on one side. I thought that was a little strange, so I got out of bed. I ran my hand down my breast and felt a lump. I could feel it through my nightclothes. I laid back down and did a SBE. The lump was the size of a golfball and the tissue around it sore, but not discolored.

I called my ob/gyn who immediately referred me to an oncologist surgeon (that's standard, apparently). So, I called the O.S. and he wants to see me tomorrow (June 17). Yesterday, the lump became larger and the skin on my breast is reddened. The lump isn't circular, it's elongated. It is also hard and rather fixated. It moves slightly, but not much. I noticed last night that my skin was smooth, almost shiny over the lump area.

I'm trying my best to be rational and consider that it could be an infection or something of that nature, but there's part of me that wonders "what if".

A little bit of a backstory. Two years ago, I was having my annual pap..when my ob/gyn felt a lump in the SAME area. He panicked and felt the other breast. Back and forth several times, he came to the conclusion that it was a normal finding and I was ok. I've always felt something in that spot, but it was always grape sized. Now it's taking up nearly half of my breast. I'm a full cup size larger on my left side, and have been for a year or so. I had resorted to wearing padding on the right to compensate, due to it being so noticeable. Even with padding, you could still tell the left side was much larger than the right. Sizewise, I'm barely a D on the right, and DD (probably more than that since I spill out) on the left.

I am post hysterectomy (2007) and on HRT.

So, any advice is welcome. I know no one can diagnose me, but if my story sounds familiar, I'd love to hear from you. I will do my best to update after my appointment tomorrow evening. Until then, I worry.


*EDIT*

I also would like to know what kind of testing I am facing? What is normally the first step?

Post Edited (thebury78) : 6/16/2011 11:24:24 AM (GMT-6)

Thank you for the response :)

I had a hysterectomy due to stage III endometriosis. It was on my ovaries, cul-de-sac and bowels. I also suffered from baseball sized ovarian "chocolate" cysts. There is no plan for duration, since I was 29 at the time...looks like I'll be on it a while.

Ok, on to my appointment today. It was a whirlwind, so I'm still not quite satisfied with what little I do know.

I arrived for my appointment and was taken back to wait on the doctor. He came in and had me raise my arms up. He asked where the pain was located. Before I could answer, he was already touching the area. His initial reply was, "Oh my God. Oh, no. This is bad." At that point, I'm freaking out inside. He immediately lays the examining table down and gets out the u/s machine. When he rolls over my breast, it was like swiss cheese. Black voids everywhere. He breathes a sigh of relief and says "Ah, thank you, cysts!" The cysts were stacked on top of each other and also extended out in a rainbow shape.

Before I could blink, he was covering my breast in alcohol and standing over me with a very large needle telling me to watch the u/s screen. Next thing I know, the cyst deflates (it was 2 inches in diameter) and he shows me 7cc or so of pus filled cloudy/yellow fluid. He said "Ew, pus". Then sticks me again (keep in mind, I was NOT numbed) and drained another cyst. This time, the fluid was cloudy and yellow, around 5cc's. Third stick...he had to dig a little. This time, the fluid was bloody and yellow, 4-5cc's. Fourth stick was deep and at an angle. This one really really hurt. I almost passed out. He pulled back to aspirate, but all I could hear was a gurgle. He kept trying. Over and over. New angles. Nothing. Then he said "Complex cysts. But this is bad. I can't get anything." He hands the nurse the needle and says "I tried, I can't get it. Schedule her for a mammogram." He looks at me and says "No worries. Ok, don't worry. No cancer. I want you to watch the one I had to leave behind closely for changes. Any more pain or swelling, come straight to me, I will drain."

So, I have to see him for a followup in September, and that is also when I have my first mammogram. I have no idea if the fluid he drained will be tested? I assume it will be. It would be rather odd to take something out of a pt and not send it to patho.

I had zero bloodwork, no medications prescribed. I am in a lot of pain tonight, but so very thankful things are okay for now. My mother has fibrocystic breast disease, so I guess I'm going to follow in her footsteps.

I'm considering scheduling a mammogram earlier than September. I'm honestly not comfortable waiting 3 months with a cyst he could not aspirate. You know?

Oh, it simply amazed me that I lost almost a full cup size on my drive home. I'm so happy to have my breasts near the same size again. I still have swelling/hardness, but that will subside. I'll continue to update as needed.

This scare has really made me appreciate my body. In an instant things can change.

After sleeping on it, I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT comfortable with a. 3 month wait. Funny, my mom called me up to tell me the same today. In fact, she is soo adament that I go to a breast center, she is taking me and paying for my hotel room. The complex cyst is a concern for us both.


It was today I found out my maternal Grandmother's sister passed away from breast cancer a few years ago. She had cysts, one complex. It was left behind..she was told to wait several months for a mammogram. She passed away less than a year later from the spreading cancer.



I know the likelihood of this being nothing. But, my gut feeling is telling me to get a second opinion. I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, I'm calling my GP Mondaay and having her refer me to a breast center 3 hours away. I hope my gut feeling is just an overreaction.

Thank you once again for taking time to reply. I'll update as I can.

Well, The doctor removed alot of beast tissue yesterday from my chest. He said there was more there then they thought. So, now I am home doring okay. On the other hand my dad has full blown lung cancer. Not much left to them.

Thanks and love to all,

Sorr, that it has taken tolong to write back. All went good having my cysts removed. They were larger then they thought but B9.

Thanks to all

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site and glad I found this. I've been always searching information about breast cancer because I'm worried about my being prone to the disease and also to my sisters since our mother and grandmother both died due to septic shock brought about by infection of breast cancer.
It's been years already when there are times that my breast is aching and I'm always trying to feel if there's a lump or whatever that would help me try to identify if what is it and some people who knows about our family history give me advice to do so because they say that most probably at least one of us would be having the same illness as our mother and grandmother because breast cancer is said to be hereditary.
I just don't have any idea if my sisters experience it too.
Can someone please give some information about it?
Any words would be greatly appreciated..
Thank you very much and God bless you all!!