lumpectomy scarring?
hi everyone, wasn't sure where to post this. I have had a lump in my breast for a few years with no change and recently had a core biopsy that deemed it to be a fibroadenoma. I am 18 years old.
There were alternating views on whether or not I should remove it but I have decided I would like to as I heard because the tumor is solid, in the future it could give me difficulty to see behind it during screenings (I am also aware that having surgery has a similar effect as well). I decided to go ahead and book the surgery and my surgery is tomorrow.
The lump is 1cm and just behind the areola. the surgeon insisted it will be a very minor surgery and I am not that worried about the pain itself (we will see tomorrow though lol), but now I am wondering about the cosmetic end. He is a well known surgeon so I have faith. He said he will go around the nipple to leave minimal appearance that I've had surgery. He said it will take about 20 minutes.
I am wondering if anyone has experience and if this may give my breast a distorted look. The lump is small and it has been proven to be benign so I don't know if they'll take extra tissue (I assume not). So I am wondering if my nipple will still look normal or if it will look very wonky.
I tried looking up pictures and I only found a few from benign, small tumors in young girls (the rest were larger lumpectomies which unfoetunately resulted in them having more tissue removed so I didn't think it applied to me).
I'd appreciate any experiences. Thanks so much
Marie
Comments
-
marie398,
I had a fibroadenoma when I was 18. It stayed with me until I had radiation at age 55. My tumor was in another spot. It too was under the areola. The first surgery was to remove the tumor and test for cancer. The radiologist would not do a needle punch biopsy on it because he said it would be too painful. So I had an excisional biopsy. The scar was minimal because they only took out a 1.5 cm lump. The surgeon was going to cut around the nipple so there would be a minimal scar. In the end it was cancer and more tissue had to he removed in a second surgery.
If I'd only had the first, my breast would have healed nicely and it would have had minimal impact on the appearance on the breast.
I hope everything goes well for you.
-
I had a big lump taken out and they went in that way. I am to this day surprised at how tidy a job they did, given that the lump was 5cm by 3cm.
I don't notice any difference to look at myself now.
Good luck to you xx
-
Thank you so much both of you. So sorry that it ended up being something bad doxie..but hope all is good now. I appreciate the info.
Janet, that helps a lot as well. That's a big lump and to have no difference is great!
I just got back from the surgery and all went well..was just given twilight anesthesia and I don;'t remember anything (kind of wish i did, didn't even see the surgeon! lol) Not in much pain and the bandage thing they put on it is pretty small but is bloody and I can't take it off for a few days so i cannot see how the work was done anyways lol but from what I see, everything looks good! was a 20 minute surgery supposedly.
The worst part for me wasn't the surgery, its that they injected me with heparin before (im not even sure why? can you get blood clots in your breast? I thought you can't) and that burned SO much. Maybe some people sit around a lot after surgery so the doc wanted to minimize the risks for clots, idk. But it really hurt! lol
-
marie, so glad all is over and your pain is not much. I had 3 lumpies and honestly, the scar is hardly noticeable so try not to worry. I will take a few days for swelling to go down so try not to stress
-
Thank you very much proudtospin, good to hear yours healed nicely. Its swollen a little bit now but honestly my biopsy felt worse than this. Guess they just used better or different anesthetic.
The pain is a bit more now so I regret not picking up the tylenol 3s that were prescribed (thought that regular extra strength tylenol would be enough). But its manageable and I'm fine. The bandage is all bloody though, hopefully that is normal.
-
Dear Marie - You might call the surgeon's office in the a.m. if you're concerned about the bloody bandage; I probably would, just to be sure it's o.k. or to find out what to do about it. Never hesitate to pick up the phone and call! And don't put it off until Friday afternoon, either, as you may not get a call back until Monday.
Don't be shocked by what it looks like when you do remove the bandaging. There could be dried blood, betadine stains, etc., and it will look worse than it is. Once it's cleaned up it will look much better, and in a few days more it will look quite a bit more normal.
Good luck, and good for you for getting that lump checked out and taken care of. I hope it's the last time you ever have to deal with any treatment of your breasts. We don't want to see you back on this board with cancer.
-
Thank you hopeful
That's true..I'm going to call in the morning. Sometimes I feel a bit hesitant as one of the secretaries at the office is very rude but its better to give me peace of mind. I was going to take off the bandage tonight, but I am home alone all night and i am afraid if it looks crazy I'll freak out on my own lol. So I'm waiting until tomorrow when others will be home with me. One side of the spot lifted a bit so I did already see some crusty blood that freaked me out but after reading that its normal, I've calmed down quite a bit. Thank you again.
And thanks for the nice wishes, I wish luck in everything as well
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team