Breast lump and waiting for appointment

goldtulip

I'm super early in this process, so there's not much to say, and maybe I am just having awful health anxiety, but I just wanted to reach out for support. I just turned 30 and found a lump in my left breast a month ago. I tend to have lumpy breasts that change before my period, but I regularly do self-exams so I knew this one was not normal. It feels round but hard and is about 1 cm x 1 cm; and it's embedded in the surrounding tissue, not free-floating (though it moves under the skin if I move the tissue, if that makes sense). I decided after I found the lump to wait and see if it disappeared after I menstruated, but it's stayed put. I made a doctor's appointment for next week. I'm so afraid that my life as I know it will be altered by this experience. I have a high-pressure, high-responsibility job and it's difficult enough to even get the time off for the initial doctor visit. What have people done to ease anxiety before getting an initial visit?

Moderators

Hi goldtulip, and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

We're so sorry you find yourself here and worrying, but we're all here for you! There are lots of members here who have been where you are, worrying, and lots more who have moved on after there was nothing to worry about after all! We know it's hard to remain positive, but we are sending good thoughts that that will be your case, though if so, we hope you come back to up date us.

You have your age going for you -- you're young and it's relatively rare for breast cancer to appear in someone your age. But it's great you're being diligent about your breast health, doing self-exams, and bringing concerns to your doctor. We know you'll feel better once you are able to have a physical exam.

In the meantime, try to keep busy. Get lost in a good book, FaceTime or Zoom with some old friends you haven't talked with in a while, go for a socially-distant walk or jog, or create a fun Pinterest board building your dream space. Keeping your mind busy is key to keeping your anxiety at ease.

Keep us posted with what you find out! Sending lots of good thoughts your way.

--The Mods

Beesie

goldtulip, sorry that you are going through this. Yes, it is stressful to wait for appointments and tests, and to have this unknown hanging over your head, but I've always found that the best way for me to ease the anxiety of waiting is to remind myself how unlikely it is that anything serious is going on. And if it's unlikely that anything serious is going on, why waste all my time and energy with worry? When that doesn't work, I remind myself that whatever is going on can't be changed - worry certainly won't change it and will only serve to make me miserable while I'm waiting - so better that I just put it aside.

In your case, you have a breast lump. Of course that could be a sign of cancer, but breast lumps are surprisingly common, and the vast majority are benign. The two most common types of lumps are fibroadenomas (I've had 2 of those) and cysts (I've had more of those than I can remember). So in fact, at the age of 30, the chance that your lump is cancer is tiny compared to the chance that it is something benign and harmless. Anything is possible, but it really is quite unlikely that anything serious is going on.

The other thing to do is make an effort to keep busy. Do things that occupy your mind so that it doesn't have the time to wander off and start thinking about this lump.

Two handy expressions to remember: "Don't borrow trouble". And "Let go of what you can't control." (Thanks to MinusTwo for that one!)

Good luck with your appointment. Let us know how it goes.

historygeek

First of all, I'm so sorry about the stress & worry you are going through. I went through the same stress in January. It's really a good thing you examine so frequently & notice changes easily.

Many changes do end up being nothing. I know it's very hard to think of anything, but I tried very hard to distract myself.