Lump found after Bilateral Mastectomy

These unexpected things happen and sometimes there is nowhere to place blame.



I imagine the surgeon will be disconcerted and may be working now to find out what happened and preparing to offer you another biopsy or other options.



Of course, to be hanging on and find out all the emotional feelings and possible discomfort was for naught is seriously upsetting!



If the hospital or personel are at fault and you don't have any insurance or adequate coverage, ask them to pay. You are certainly not at fault in any case.



Wishing for the very best for you and that you get resolution quickly. Maybe the doc can put a rush on the next pathology specimen.

Just joined up. my husband told me about the site because i found a marble like lump on masectomy side and my onc. did a needle biospy acouple days ago. waiting for results. am also getting CT of chest, abdomen and pelvic area. i am 13yrs out of breast cancer and 3yrs out from ovarian cancer. very tired of this!!!!

kind of nervous and wondered if anyone has had same issue and what the results were? read some of the past ones and seem to be both ways, nothing and recurrance. would love any imput.

doxielover

Hi, I know your post was a few years ago so not sure if you're even on this website anymore… I saw that you had a Pea size lump what did it turn out to be? I had a bilateral Mas. last year and now have a very teeny Pea size lump between my skin and the implant I had an ultrasound and he said it is perfectly round but he still thinks it should be taken out or biopsied ... of course I'm scheduled to go on vacation for two weeks so can't get into see the doctor for another 2 1/2 weeks !

Any info you have is appreciated

mine was biopsied and turned out to be nothing but herniated muscle in the scar tissuebut my friend recently went through the same 8 years post mastectomy and it was a new primary cancer in the chest muscle. Get it biopsied. Best of luck!

Hi I’m not the original poster but just wanted to add that I’ve been there before, and I’m having some issues with my implants now and every time I feel anything in my chest I freak out. For what it is worth I’ve learned from my doctor that the scar tissue, the implants, muscles and tendons and skin are not as tidy of a package in there as I’d like to imagine. It’s normal to have some bumps and thicker areas. We have to keep checking it all out of course, but should try not to panic every time.

I really thought when I got the bilateral mx I wouldn’t have to worry because all the breast tissue is gone. Then I learned we can have breast tissue in other places in our bodies. Son of a bitch! It’s like we can’t ever stop worrying just a little bit

Nola, to add to moth's post, a bilateral MX does not mean that all the breast tissue is gone. No matter how good the surgeon, some breast tissue will always remain, whether it's a few fragments stuck against the chest wall or the skin, or a small pad of breast tissue in the area above the breast or on the side by the underarm. It's simply impossible for the surgeon to remove every cell of breast tissue.

So while a distant/metastatic recurrence is possible in the body outside of the breast area, as moth explained, it's also possible after a BMX to develop a localized, in the breast area recurrence. The risk is usually only about 1% to 2%, but it can happen and that's why breast self exams are important to do even after a BMX, and why any lump that develops in the breast area needs to be checked out.