Its been over a year and still unsure

honestxheart

I am 21 years old, I will be 22 on the 24th of this month. Back in July 2009, I discovered a lump in my left breast. It was hard and couldnt move it. I was worried, naturally, since my grandmother had breast cancer three times. I went to doctor and got a mammogram and the doctors were worried so they did a biopsy and that came back benign, however, they said it was fiber something but it is not a name I have been able to research.

Once they gave me the news, I went and had surgery in March of 2010 and the surgeon said he could not remove all of it but did not give a reason. So, I left it alone and was happy that it was much smaller than before, however, now, it has pretty much doubled if not tripled in size since then. I do not have health insurance, so I cannot go to a doctor to get it check out.

It is very firm, cannot move it, and sometimes it a bit painful. It is pretty much a growth of something stuck to me, that I know should not be there. The doctors told me it was nothing to worry about, but I am worried. I do not know if it is cancer or not, I have no other signs of anything, only the lump. It is about maybe 4 inches in length, about an inch and a half to 2 inches in width and the depth is pretty far, it is stuck to me and cannot be moved.

 Any advice or anything would be helpful, even if it is just support. Thank you. 

lago

If you need a mammogram both Susan Komen & The American Cancer Society provides funds for people in need. Not sure about doctors visit but some clinics are not as expensive as others. Also you can talk to your doctor and tell them you don't have insurance. They usually adjust their fee.

Letlet

Some hospitals here have something called charity care for patients with no insurance. Some state hospitals here will see patients with no insurance as well. I would really get it checked. Was it a fibroadenoma that was removed in March? I would have a doc look at it again since it looks like it grew so much since it was removed. Can you apply for Medicaid? Hope this helps.

KentuckyMom

In Kentucky at health depts. you can get them to pay for mamagrams for free.  In other words in Kentucky they will pay for a yearly mamagram..hope I'm spelling that all right.  Just had my mastectomy and under pain meds

 Blessings

Jean

lauri

Do your parents have insurance through their employers ?  since you're under 26 you might be able to be covered under their plans ... but maybe that had to be done during open enrollment which was last fall. 

Beesie

"they said it was fiber something but it is not a name I have been able to research. "

Fibroadenoma.

It's the most common type of lump in teenage girls and young women in their 20s.  Pregnant women and women going through menopause also tend to get them because fibroadenomas tend to grow at times when our hormones fluctuate. 

I had my first fibroadenoma at 16.  It felt large and hard and although most articles state that fibroadenomas are "moveable", mine sure didn't feel moveable.  I had it surgically removed.  The surgeon warned me at the time that it might regrow. It did. It grew to be quite large.  This time, because we knew what it was, I didn't bother to have it removed for quite a few years. Finally though, because it was so large, at 24 I went back into surgery and had it taken out.  Fortunately it didn't grow back again.

Fibroadenomas, if not completed removed, can grow back.  They can become very large.  They are totally harmless.  They do not need to be removed unless they bother you. For peace of mind I'd suggest that you find a women's clinic where you can be tested for free so that you can get this checked out.  Ultrasounds are usually pretty good at identifying fibroadenomas so I'd recommend an ultrasound rather than a mammogram.  They might want to do a biopsy as well, to confirm that it's a fibroadenoma, however because you've already had one removed from the same location, it may be felt that a biopsy isn't necessary.  Once it's confirmed that this is a fibroadenoma, and totally harmless, you can decide if you want to have it surgically removed or not. 

Hope that helps.

feh

honestxheart:  No need to mess around with Komen at this point - their programs are, I believe, just what is offered on a Federal level through The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000.  http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/legislation/law106-354.htm

Called by different names in various states, the individual state programs may provide more diagnostic and treatment options than are listed.  I looked at Louisana's site.  It appears that the program has been impacted by Katrina, so perhaps California - which is a very big state, right?, is the place to stay for now? 

honestxheart

Thank you all so much for your advice.

Beesie....Thank you, after reading your post, I feel a bit better knowing someone else went through what I am going through. I will be checking it out once I get a bit more money and get an ultrasound but until then, I will not stress as much. You seem to have described exactly what I have. Again, thank you.

Lauri...sadly my mom does not work and I dont keep in contact with my father. So, I am in this all alone. Thank you though.

Twiddle...Thank you for looking that up for me, I appreciate it. However, I cannot stay in California, there is no work here and I need money badly (like everyone else). My boyfriend will be joining the military soon and in about a year we plan to get married, which will be nice because I will end up on his medical, which would be amazing.

Again, thank you all for your replies.