To those with implants: Does the flashlight trick show lumps?

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Syringa
Syringa Member Posts: 29
edited April 2019 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

I am with implants. I had a check by MO last week (palpation) and everything was ok according to him but after that I felt something like an edge (about 3 cm long) with a lump at the end. Small and movable that is not visible and raising the skin. I can feel it only if I push the breast with my finger at that place. I think it is something on the implant, but who knows...I am having the darkest thoughts now. :( So, I read about the flashlight effect if there is an implant and tried it. All veins are visible. Also there are darker areas where the muscles are placed. However, the place where I feel the lump is clear. No shades are visible. If there are tumor masses, will there be a shade at that place? It's not near the previous cancer,but in the opposite quadrant. Most probably, I'll go to a US scan, but till then, I'll die several times from my fear.

I had a clear MRI 6 months ago.

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  • gonegirl
    gonegirl Member Posts: 1,871
    edited May 2018

    Scar tissue does also form around implants. I'd say go see the surgeon just to make sure it checks out. More likely an after surgery thing.

    On a lighter note, my silicone implants take the temperature of the room I'm in. So if the room is cold, my boobs get cold. I have joked that if anyone has a headache, and my implants are cold, I can place them on the achey spot as a sort of ice pack.

    Now I have something else fun to do, shining a flashlight through my implants. I cannot wait for Halloween. 😂

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  • Syringa
    Syringa Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2018

    My surgeon is 6-7 hours away (600km) and I was there last week. My MO did the palpation and he did not find anything suspicious, but actually, when I lie down and lift my hand over the head (the way they check us), I also hardly feel the bumps. I'll try do find someone near my place to check this and if I am still concerned, I'll go back to my doctors. Till then, I'll try to think about this positively - my last MRI was clean, the bumps are not near the cancer place (all lesions were in the upper part and this is at the bottom) and using the light, no shadows are seen. I hope that if there was anything there, it would be more dense and i'll see some dark spots

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  • Syringa
    Syringa Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2018

    My surgeon is 6-7 hours away (600km) and I was there last week. My MO did the palpation and he did not find anything suspicious, but actually, when I lie down and lift my hand over the head (the way they check us), I also hardly feel the bumps. I'll try to find someone near my place to check this and if I am still concerned, I'll go back to my doctors. Till then, I'll try to think about this positively - my last MRI was clean, the bumps are not near the cancer place (all lesions were in the upper part and this is at the bottom) and using the light, no shadows are seen. I hope that if there was anything there, it would be more dense and i'll see some dark spots

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  • NotVeryBrave
    NotVeryBrave Member Posts: 1,287
    edited May 2018

    Depending on where your incisions were, scar tissue can form along those. Alloderm can also cause some ridges or clumping. And areas of tissue damage (fat necrosis) can feel like lumps.

    Maybe see if your doctors would like any other imaging to be done. I've had US and mammogram (with implants) to look at a lump that I found. It's possible that you could even get the tests done locally and have images sent to your surgeon.


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  • Syringa
    Syringa Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2018

    well, according to the doctor I visited today, it's the edge of the implant. Nothing is seen on the ultrasound. I hope it's really the case and I'll try to calm down, stop thinking about cancer for the next six months and start planning my summer vacations :-)

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  • NotVeryBrave
    NotVeryBrave Member Posts: 1,287
    edited May 2018

    Good news

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited May 2018

    Sounds like good news!

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  • gonegirl
    gonegirl Member Posts: 1,871
    edited May 2018

    Sounds like an interesting excellent plan 😀

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  • Syringa
    Syringa Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2018

    The plan is perfect but I'm still concerned. I was misdiagnosed with my initial diagnosis and it's really hard to believe that everything is OK now. 3 years ago everyone told me that I am OK, but it turned out that the cysts are actually tumors. Now I feel that it's OK but continuing reading about bad stories, outcomes and recurrences really drives me crazy and makes me think that it might be something bad. I'll have to visit another doctor and confirm it's the implant. Today, I again used the flashlight and my implants seem to be pretty clear. No shadows are seen over them.

    At least, I finally found the perfect raspberry wine and a glass of it makes wonders with my emotions. Cheers!

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  • Iamchristina260
    Iamchristina260 Member Posts: 5
    edited April 2019

    I came across this post a couple of days ago. I've had my implants for many years and about 4 months ago felt a lump under my right nipple extended down the areola. It's thick feels slightly textured, I can't move it. My sister had a small lump that her doctor said would probably go away after her period and in her case it did. I waited and mine didn't go away. I checked again a few days ago and it's changed and gotten a bit bigger. I went to my appointment yesterday and the doctor was easily able to find it. I had tried the flashlight thing and my lump showed up as a black blog that light couldn't pass through. It looks completely different from the other breast using the flashlight. I go in for 2 types of mammograms and ultrasound on May 1st. My doctor was trying to get me in the same day but they were booked solid. I showed her the pictures I took using the flashlight and she had never heard of this before. She was intrigued. She mentioned the lump is exactly where it shows up in the photo. She doesn't think it's a cyst but she said she can't say for sure what it is. She tried to feel how far back it went but said it was really dug in there. I know nothing about this so I have no idea if that's good or bad and now I will have to wait 2 weeks. I struggled to describe the shape of what I felt because it wasn't round or ball like and has odd edges. I will update after images are done. Even if this turns out to be nothing at all I don't think it could hurt to use a flashlight. You may or may not see something but maybe it would have more women go in for checks.

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  • Rah2464
    Rah2464 Member Posts: 1,647
    edited April 2019

    I thought I was the only one getting out that flashlight! I have a couple of spots along the ridge of my alloderm on my cancer side that everyone says is ok, but I will just continue to watch with my trust flashlight and thorough exams once a month. Hey we do what we must.

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