Lump 18 mo. after mastectomy?

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LuLu
LuLu Member Posts: 38
edited June 2014 in Second or Third Breast Cancer

I'm almost done with reconstruction, and last night as I was massaging my breasts (they seem to get firmer the more strength I regain) Frown and I discovered a pea-sized lump near my sternum on the left side (cancerous side). I did chemo and I'm on Tamoxifen.

 It feels to me like a cyst, not like my tumor felt 18 mo. ago. But either way it worries me. If there is tissue there for a cyst ... wouldn't there be tissue for cancer too? And my breast was full of DCIS in addition to the IDC at the time of the mastectomy. So it worries me.

Has anyone ever had a lump after mastectomy that *wasn't* cancerous?

I have a week to wait for my onco. to examine it.

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited January 2010

    I have had a mass, a very definite area on my cancer side that my DH found while he was massaging cream into my scars. I was pretty shook up, but the doctor/radiologist brushed it off as "normal breast tissue" during the ultrasound. Then he looked at my chest and said, "Oh, you know what I mean!" Embarassed (I'm flat) The technician had made very careful measurements of the area and took a lot of pictures, so I was getting pretty nervous to say the least!

    There are a lot of things it could be; a stitch, fat necrosis, a cyst, "normal breast tissue" or what we all worry about.

    Good luck with your onc. Please let us know.

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  • mawhinney
    mawhinney Member Posts: 1,377
    edited January 2010

    I'm 19 months from a unilateral mastectomy. I've had 2 lumps or areas of concern.  First was in the underarm area near the sentinel node biopsy.  A core biopsy determined the lump was fatty tissue.  I can also feel small bumps on my side. An ultrasound determined they are normal  nodes. A few days ago I had a needle biopsy on a small mass on my good side that thankfully turned out to be small cyst.     Last year an MRI picked up an area of concern but PS said it was a suture from a tissue graft. Other than the underarm fatty tissue lump none of the others could be felt.  They were all picked up by either amo, mri, or ultrasound.

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  • LuLu
    LuLu Member Posts: 38
    edited January 2010

    Thanks, ladies. I realized later there is another discussion area for this. Sorry. Can I blame the Tamoxifen? It helps to know there have been others with lumps that turned out to be nothing. I hope it goes that way, but ... if not ... it's nice to know there are others here for support who've gone down that road ahead of me. THanks ladies. I'll let you know what happens next week.

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  • LuLu
    LuLu Member Posts: 38
    edited January 2010

    I am posting about it in the "worried about recurance" forum. But I have two lumps now, not just one. I had an ultrasound, and the tech seemed to think they might just be cysts--although my tumor also looked like a cyst at first. I'm freaked out, but I hope she's right. My onco comes back in a few weeks, and I'll have aspirations/biopsies then to be sure. Thanks for the support.

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