Found a lump deep in breast, 20yr

Have you read in all your Googling how absolutely UNLIKELY it is that you have anything but benign lumps common in teens and young women? Go to the doctor

It's good you're making an appointment with the doctor. I struggle with anxiety myself, and know how hard it is to think straight when in its grip, but truly, at your age the likelihood of cancer is so small! Also, it is possible that what you are feeling is actually a rib, if this is the first time you've checked yourself in that particular position. Make that appoinment, then try to completely put this out of your mind until you see the doctor. No googling! Find something fun to do instead. And I say that knowing very well how easy it is to say and hard it is to do. Hang in there ...

I found a lump in my breast when I was 19. I now have 13 lumps across both of my breasts. Most of them are called fibroadenomas, which are benign growths very common in young women. They can grow very suddenly, and often change around our menstrual cycle. It's natural to be nervous when we feel something new or notice a change in our bodies, but with your existing anxiety I understand it would be more stressful. It is good you are getting it checked, and it would be much more to your benefit if you did not use Google. Those will hopefully give you some peace of mind.

Hello! I'm going through the same thing. I'm 20 years old and found a little lump similar to what you have in June. I ended up getting an appt with my gyno. She helped a lot and figured that what I have is just a benign cyst. However, just to be sure, she sent me to get an ultrasound. Following that, I just had my biopsy yesterday and am awaiting results! I'm also in college so, it has been kind-of hard to focus on school work when I have to make all these doctor appointments. My advice would be to stay calm, keep busy, and definitely make an appointment with your doctor. Your cyst is most likely benign like mine may be but, getting a doctor's opinion is definitely very important! ❤😊

Janette20:

I don't really have any advice for dealing with anxiety other than what you are already doing...being proactive, collecting information and forming a game plan.

I just wanted to say, if they do imaging, make sure they actually see it on the imaging. Since this is a lump that seems new and is unfamiliar to you, ask about a biopsy. If they do a mammogram and see it and say it is benign because it has no microcalcifications, that's not good enough because not all cancerous lumps have visible microcalcifications. Ask about your breast density and how relevant it is to the accuracy if mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs. If you have a new palpable lump or a palpabke lump that us old but has changed, and it's not showing up on imaging, that's not good enough. Make sure it's conclusively identified, and not by exclusion.

Janette20:

I don't really have any advice for dealing with anxiety other than what you are already doing...being proactive, collecting information and forming a game plan.

I just wanted to say, if they do imaging, make sure they actually see it on the imaging. Since this is a lump that seems new and is unfamiliar to you, ask about a biopsy. If they do a mammogram and see it and say it is benign because it has no microcalcifications, that's not good enough because not all cancerous lumps have visible microcalcifications. Ask about your breast density and how relevant it is to the accuracy if mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs. If you have a new palpable lump or a palpabke lump that us old but has changed, and it's not showing up on imaging, that's not good enough. Make sure it's conclusively identified, and not by exclusion.

that is very frustrating. Can you schedule with someone else too, while keeping this appointment

Jannette, so sorry you have to deal with this. You must be really strong and smart to take such a good care of yourself. It is unlikely to be cancer given your age, which is the good part. However, it appears to be causing some major trouble already. Your autoimmune disease did not came out of thin air. It might be triggered and sustained by the abnormal proteins produced by this abnormal growth, even if it is benign.

Do you have Graves or Hashimoto? If Hashimoto, this can be triggered by the growth in the breast, and this could be especially the case if your thyroid looks completely normal (no nodules). I think what may run in the family is the ability of immune system to recognize and have a partial response to an abnormal tissue growth -aka the autoimmune response.

If no nodules, there is still a possibility the autoimmune disease is in fact triggered by the abnormal growth in the breast (assuming there is one). The heterogeneous structure seen in the ultrasound might be due to lymphocytes infiltration which is part of the autoimmune attack response. The presence of nodules (abnormal growth themselves) would make it very likely that the autoimmune attack is due to them. Of course, there is always a possibility that the nodules are just too small to see and the lymphocyte infiltration is in fact due to them. If you ever want to learn more about this, PM me with an email address where I can send you a few papers showing the link between abnormal tissue growth and autoimmune diseases.