What did it feel like?

I'd recently entered my 50s and figured my breasts were drooping more, to the point that I could feel something a kin to a muscle, (or smallish chocolate bar) near the upper/outer corner of my left breast. I'd alway been on the lookout for a pea or small marble sized lump during self exams, so I didn't make the connection right away!

My mass felt like a little bean. Everyone thought it was a lymph node as it was way in the upper outer quadrant of my breast and was moveable. It didn't show up on mammogram or breast MRI. It did show on ultrasound, however.

Kimgod,

It showed up on the mammo as a dense area, but level three (of five) in terms of being suspicious. My GP suggested I see a surgeon, who did a fine needle biopsy and ordered an ultrasound. When the FNB came back with bad news, we moved on to an MRI and core needle biopsy. Once the ILC dx was established I jumped into chemo right away, then had surgery and radiation.

Good luck to you. How far along the "path" are you?

Nancy

Also wanted to mention that I'd suggest you ask for a breast MRI. ILC shows up very well on MRI.

Just like DenverDiva I found a hard pearl-sized lump immed. under my areola which did not show on mammogram 2 weeks earlier nor was is it felt then on careful breast exam. I promptly returned to my gyn. who assurred me it was a fibrocyctic "BB". I sought a second opinion at a breast specialty clinic and the radiologist was very confident it was a simple cyst, with no need for a biopsy, and she instructed me to return in a year for a routine mammogram. Fifteen months later when I returned, the mammographer suggested a needle biopsy which was performed by the same radiologist.  She could not get a fluid return, two days later my excisional biopsy showed ILC with dirty margins, and a week and a half later I had bilateral masts. Oddly, I later learned the radiologist herself had a delayed diagnosis of ILC years earlier.

ILC sure is sneaky,felt nothing saw nothing.I too had gone for mamo for 22 years,even 3 months before my mamo this year had a gyno appt.,everything was fine.Had my yearly mamo in Feb.and was called back for u/s,because of enlarged nodes,nothing in breast.From there had fna of nodes,came back atypical,then an mri,which did show a mass,then a biopsy,which confirmed ILC.

I never even knew there were so many different kinds of b/c.I am in treatment now.

Hi ladies,

I will chime in too.  I actually had a large lump, finally, that I felt.  It was between 3.5 and 4 cm.  Dr.s weren't sure of exact sizing due to lumpy other breast and no surgery yet. Was visible on US and Mamo but appeared smaller than it was by mamo. May be one lymph node involved, don't know yet.  Still not fully staged.

But it came out of nowhere.  I felt so shocked and dumb I could not understand it.  I have always had kind of lumpy bumpy breasts, especially during my period so I am used to them feeling, I guess thick, is the word.  But then all of a sudden I had a bump.  I actually thought it would turn out to be grade 3 and fast growing but was shocked that it is (so far-being retested as we speak) low grade. 

I am now on neoadjuvant treatment with 12xTaxol + 3 month Zoladex. Some sort of surgery/AC/etc to follow. Just finished Tx3 last week and I can now feel the tumour getting smaller and softer and more ropey.  So now I can understand how it developed and turned into this bump.  Such a strange and shocking thing.

I am 44, this was my first mamogram ever, no family history whatsoever, had one son at 37 and no other apparent risk factors.  I had not seen a doc for about 6 years (silly Quebec medical system) but had no other heath concerns and thought I was totally healthy except for a about 15lbs overweight.

Oh well.  I am fighting the good fight and will beat this sucker!!

Hi All,

I too was 44 when I found the lump.  Mine seemed to come out of nowhere too.  I was fortunate in that it appeared just under the areola, and was actually visable under the skin.  I had never had a mammo either, and it did no good in this case anyway.  The lump was on the left side, like I said clearly visable, but when I arrived for the recall mammo, they only wanted views of the right side.  I questioned this and was told by the tech that the orders were only for the right side.  I was so mad.  She checked with the radiologist, and he said no only do the right side.  I had some large cysts there.  They did u/s that day too, and that showed the cysts very clearly.  After all of that the Radiologist met with my husband and I and told us that all was clear, just follow up with yearly mammos.  I said what about the lump on the left side?  He said, "Oh, that is so superficial it probably has something to do with your skin."  I could have easily felt like I was off the hook at that point and just moved on with my life, but that just didn't feel right.  My primary provider had refered me to a general surgeon, so I went ahead and kept that appointment, glad I did.

YoYo44, and all of you other amazing ILC ladies hang in there and tell your stories so other women will know that there are times when mammograms don't give us a pass.  I will keep a good thought for all.

Susan

A lump for me too, in dense lumpy breasts. Nothing ever showed in mammograms (including the tumor in a mammo only 9 months previously). This one seemed different and I showed it to my PCP. It was found by ultrasound and confirmed and reconfirmed by biopsy, MRI, PT/Cat scan.

I had never heard of lobular and trusted the mammograms to sort out all my lumps. 

Hey all,

Shannon-GA while all of this is scary and can fill you to the brim with anxiety, know that you have a whole group of sisters out here pulling for you!  The stories are a lot to take in, but the point is you have to listen to your own body, and be your own advocate no matter what any medical professional says to you.  If something doesn't feel right keep seeking to find out what it is until you know that it is benign, and your mind is at ease.

Best of luck, my thoughts are with you.

Susan

Hugs Shannon..i am in Alpharetta where are you?.....i wish you well and B9 ersults!.......If you are in the Atlanta area please go see Dr Brenda Simpson at Breast Care Specialists.....They are at 975 Johnson Ferry Rd..........i see her and she is wonderful.......

Hi Hollyann - I'm just south of Atlanta in the PTC area.  I'll keep that name in mind, I appreciate the suggestion.  I'm happy with my surgeon for now, so I think I'll stick with him.

Thanks Roseann, and you are right.  I've been trying to stay on the Not Yet Diagnosed But Worried forum, but ventured over here and this thread caught my eye.  I think I'll stay on the other forum.  I do try to keep in mind that the wonderful posters on here are the ones that were diagnosed and that those that found lumps that turned out benign are most likely not posting on here.  Even though my searching and reading is a bit unnerving at times, it has been a huge eye opener of how little I knew about bc and has been a great learning experience,  I wish you the best of luck and my thoughts are with you.

Tifan, I had night sweats prior to diagnosis, too. Also lots of fatigue. In fact, I felt so lousy (hair was turning very grey, only 38 years old) that I knew I had cancer. By the time I found the lump, it was sort of a relief, b/c at least I knew where the crap was. Of course, the docs poo-pooed all this and said it was all unrelated. I beg to differ. Anyhow....

Shannon, don't worry about coming here and getting info. If it helps you cope, then go for it. I'm the same way--I went so far as looking up pictures of malignant u/s results to compare it to what I saw on the screen during my u/s. I just like to have lots of info and prepare for the worst. If it ends up not being the worst, then I learned something in the process. We all have to do what suits us as individuals. 

pap-leb, you are among friends here.  We all have had our various experiences, but we are sisters in this struggle.  Do you know yet if your cancer is ductal or lobular?  As hard as this all is, know that women are made of iron.  We nurture our babies in out wombs, and give birth to them, and we work, and love and laugh.  We are strong, I am glad you found this site, there is so much wisdom here.  There is a forum for young women, you might check that out.  Also, there is a lot of information about all of the related issues, and I have found that it goes right along with what my doctors have said, not a lot of confusion.

 Keep us posted on how you are doing, and when your surgery is.  I will keep a good thought for you.

Susan