Breastfeeding and worried

maryrn16

Hello everyone,

I'm about to turn 31 and I'm breastfeeding my 9-month-old. I've noticed multiple lumps in the outer quadrant of my left breast and significantly thicker area too in the entire quadrant (around 2-3 inches around). When I rub, it feels like I'm running my fingers over a graveled walkway with one larger, irregular, painless lump the size of a large green grape. I have slight little painless lumps in the right breast but not where it feels like little peas. I don't have any other puckering or anything. At first, I thought it was milk ducts or something, but I've been noticing them for a few months now and they won't go away when my daughter drains my breasts or after I pump milk at work. It wasn't until today where I really took note of the thickening because I had no idea that was a warning symptom.

I went to my OBGYN appointment today and mentioned the above. At first, she didn't seem concerned but after she did the breast exam she totally changed and said, "Oh wow, you DO have quite a bit of nodules here" on on my left side and said it was definitely thicker than on my right. So, she put an order in for an ultrasound. Well, it is a MONTH out! I am already an anxious person but OMG I wait a month now? It is done in the Mammography office on base but I don't know if they would do a biopsy right there or if I would have to wait for the ultrasound results, THEN get a biopsy scheduled.

I'm so freaked out I don't know what to do! a fellow mother in my birth group online in Facebook was diagnosed with stage 2 BC 4 weeks ago and she is my age...thought it was lumps from breastfeeding. Anyone else had something similar???

Moderators

Maryrn, sorry you are here and worried about your symptoms, but wanted to say welcome to Breastcancer.org!

You're sure to get lots of good advice and similar experiences from the other members here shortly, but in the mean time, we wanted to share with you the article What Mammograms Show: Calcifications, Cysts, Fibroadenomas that reinforces that there are many other benign masses, including some that are especially common among young women. We hope that this helps ease your mind while you wait for your tests to be done. And let us now how you're doing!

Best wishes,

From the Mods

maryrn16

Thank you so much.

I was able to get in to another base and have the ultrasound 3 weeks earlier, so I'll know more the need of next week or the week after. My OBGYN NP said to schedule a follow up appointment with her the week after as a follow up to get the results, which I thought was strange. Why not the specialty radiologist tell me that day if they read it then?

djmammo

maryrn16

This article may help while waiting for your appointment.

maryrn16

Thank you so much!

santabarbarian

maryrn16, You can ask for the radiologist to give you results. A MD can do that, if you ask, but the tech is not supposed to. My pet peeve is waiting for results so now I ask!