new small pea size lump just below sentinel incision

cm2020

I felt it when I was showering this morning. It is pea size, just below prior sentinel incision, smooth, round, and doesn't appear to feel movable.

Next diagnostic mammo is first Monday in January. Last one was November 2020.

Thoughts? Advice? Stories?

MountainMia

cm2020, I know this is scary. It sounds just like what happened to me in September. I reached up to scratch my breast and ran against a hard new lump, right under my lumpectomy scar. It was about 5 mm, and by 3 weeks later, when I had a biopsy, it grew to 8mm and was actually visible under the skin. The biopsy showed it was a scar tissue reaction (BENIGN) called foreign body giant cell reaction. I figured it was likely to be benign, but assumed the more garden variety fat necrosis.

So. The most likely result is that it's benign. However, it's a good idea to call your BS office and ask if they want you in before January to check. They might just want a physical check, or they might want imaging, or they might say that early January is soon enough. But check with them.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

Salamandra

Can you get into your doc for a manual exam and then hopefully move the mammo up? Especially with covid impacting access to healthcare, if there's a chance it's a recurrence, I'd want to get the ball rolling sooner than later.

For what it's worth, I had to have a biopsy about two years after my surgery and I was told it was actually scarring, and that there can keep being changes and healing in the body for up to 5 years after surgery. I think there's definitely other things it could be besides a recurrence. But in your shoes, I don't think I'd want to wait until January for the mammo if I didn't have to, and I'm pretty sure my doctor would tell me to let her know if I found a lump.

cm2020

Thank you both so much! Ugh, my breast surgeon left the practice in April, so I guess technically I don't have one. I am thinking the easiest thing might be to call the mammogram place and see about moving my mammo up? The second option is to contact my MO through the patient portal and tell her what I found.

Also, wow, I considered scar tissue but given how perfectly round it is I quickly dismissed it.

MountainMia

Who ordered the mammogram? Or was it already scheduled before the BS left the practice? Anyway, I would check with that doctor. If it was the BS, check with that practice for another doc to review.

cm2020

My MO ordered the diagnostic mammo. My BS told me last year that she orders the first one post op (which I had last Nov.) and then my MO orders the rest. I will follow up on this tomorrow to get evaluated sooner than Jan.