What else could it be?

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JessiGirl
JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
edited November 2020 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

Left breast only no symptoms in right breast

1. Lumps I shall call lump A and lump B

Lump A appears is visible on skin to swell up for 2 weeks around my cycle and shrink and become pretty squishy but has two firmer balls in it is the best way I can describe it. Fairly close to nipple.

Lump B which is fairly close to lump A. I would say it's not round and I can't really feel the shape of it but the surface feels bumpy. Like I can feel dents in the mass. When I’m sitting up I can feel it below my nipple but when I lay down it’s right under my nipple. I think its attached to something?Okay so the part up near my nipple feels like a hard lumpy rock that’s attached to a firm straw size tube. This lump does not seem to have shrank since my menstral cycle ended.

2. Letdown sensation only in left breast. By letdown I mean the feeling of when you are breastfeeding and you know when you pull your breast out it starts spraying milk from being to full I guess. Yet it doesn't feel hard like it's full of milk, just that sensation of about to spray milk. Nothing ever sprays out.

3. Nipple discharge. Only when I press on the breast or when hand expressing the area I get a clearish yellow fluid. Doctor called this Serous Fluid or Serous Color? It comes out like water with the yellowish hue, reminds me of pee, but it's a little sticky once between my fingers.

4. Indentation , it's on the bottom side of my breast not very defined but my husband could see it after I showed him photos of breast puckering/dent/dimple? And he pointed to the area when I raised my arms without me telling him where I saw it. The line is kind of horizontal like across not up and down.

Ive had an appointment with a Specialist Surgeon who specializes in Breast Cancer and he is sending me for an Ultrasound because I'm in my 30s and he doesn't want to start with a mammogram due to my age. The ultrasound is a whole two weeks away from today. He didn't tell me much other than the lumps are both near 6oclock position, that he wanted me to come back a few days after my ultrasound, and that if it's a mass he wants to remove but if they are both just cysts they will stay where they are. He explained why he tends to remove even non suspicious lumps because that way they don’t have a chance to turn suspicious.

It’s not something bad until they say it’s something bad.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2020

    Jess - I take it these are your descriptions and not the report of an actual mammogram? Without knowing your age or what testing yoi have had, it sounds to me like your "specialist surgeon" isn't worried. It's hare do wait, but don't google and quit pushing on your breasts.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2020

    Welcome back, MysteryGirl. I'm glad you decided to return.

    What else could it be? Other than cancer, you mean?

    It sounds as though the breast surgeon thinks it could be two cysts. It also could be two fibroadenomas, another common (particularly in younger women) benign lump.

    I hope you get the support here thatyou are looking for.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    2 weeks from tosywas the soonest appointment, I'm 31, no mammogram. This ultrasound will be the first imaging. I was told to go to his reception and schedule for the soonest appointment, which wasn't/isn't until the first week of November, and to make an appointment with him for a few days after the ultrasound. I assume that's because he wants to go over the results in person and not over the phone.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2020

    Wait - you mean you have not had any imaging? Strange that they're skipping the mammogram unless they are confident that it's not cancer and they are just doing the ULS to confirm it is not. If that's the case you really need to find a way to chill.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    That would be great if it's a cyst and a Fibroadenoma. They both feel super different from each other. Do you happen to know if Fibroadenoma or cyst cause indentation in the skin when you lift your arm?

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    mammogram skipped because I’m 31 next month, they don’t like to do mammograms first unless I’m over 40 he said. Believe me I asked for a mammogram after he said ultrasound.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2020

    Where are you located Jessi?

    Frankly I think any NCI cancer center or major hospital would start with a mammogram no matter your age. And I'm not sure why you started with a surgeon? Surgeon's cut - that's what they're trained to do. Here's a link to the top cancer centers in the US. Hopefully you are hooked up with one of them.

    https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/can...

    Oh edited to say, I had dense breasts and started getting mammograms at AGE 25. And every two years thereafter.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    oh I'm sorry, I wasn't very clear. I started with my general doctor who referred me to this specialist surgeon who specializes in Cancer surgery. I attached what's listed on his profile?

    Professional Interests

    CANCER SURGERY

    • Breast cancer, Breast surgery with nipple sparing, Colon cancer, Lumpectomy, Melanoma, Rectal oncology, Sentinel node biopsy, Skin cancer

    SURGERY

    • Breast cancer, Hernia surgery, Laparoscopic surgery
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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited October 2020

    Whoa, he operates on ALL of those? That's a general surgeon, not a breast surgeon. I thought all breast surgeons were like mine, who ONLY performs mastectomies, lumpectomies, and related interventional breast surgeries.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    I thought he was just a surgeon too but my general doctor referred to him as a Specialist Surgeon. I googled him again with the word specialist and it says General Surgeon Specialist. I'm sure it's nothing malignant but with breast cancer running on both sides of my family it's concerning, no aunts that I'm aware of, but grandmother, both great grandmothers and half of my grandmothers sisters who would be my great aunts on both sides.

    I just went to who my doctor referred me too.

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  • NancyHB
    NancyHB Member Posts: 1,512
    edited October 2020

    I live in a small-ish town and my surgeon is a general surgeon (he removed a lipoma from my back years ago) but is also *the* guy you want as a breast surgeon. It's become his specialty and he's highly respected, and he's referred to as a “breast surgeon". Lots of generalists have specialties, and your surgeon sounds like a good place to start. If you get a diagnosis and need further surgery you can always switch to another surgeon if you want/need. When I needed an MX and DIEP reconstruction I went to UofM.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    Okay, my anxiety is gone today finally, well it started fading yesterday. My father (not biological, as I'm adopted) has had skin cancer a few years ago and now has prostate cancer so of course the possibility of cancer came across my mind. 3 weeks was the soonest appointment and he told me to get the soonest ultrasound but didn't say "two week urgency" or "two week urgent referral" like I've seen others get told. He simply told me something like "Go to the front and see (insert name) and make an appointment for the soonest ultrasound and an appointment to come back and see me. If it's a mass I'll remove it because I don't like the whole see you back in 6 months because most people tend to think that's an all clear and don't come back. If they are just cyst we will just leave them there."

    So being that I'm adopted I don't fully know my biological family health. I know from my biological parents that breast cancer is on both sides but neither parent knows what types

    Mothers side, breast cancer only
    -grandma
    -great grandma, grandmas mom

    That's all she knows because family is not super connected

    Fathers side, breast cancer only
    -great grandmother
    -3 of 5 of my great aunts, for the other 2, 1 died at 19 during child birth and the other had Multiple Myeloma, this one was my grand

    Yes I'm tend to write and write because it's a good way to vent our fears, anxiety, emotions etc.

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited October 2020

    My surgeon did an oncology surgery fellowship. He specializes in removal of all sorts of malignancies, not just from breasts. It's not uncommon for a surgeon to do more than breast surgery.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited October 2020

    My mastectomies were done by a general surgeon. I think she does mostly breast now but many breast surgeries are done by general surgeons.

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited October 2020

    I guess my surgeon is listed as a general surgeon but she only does breast surgery and her office is in the breast center where mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies are done. I love the one-stop care. I didn't have to go elsewhere except for the oncologist, who is in the same hospital complex but in another building, and the radiologist, who is in the main hospital building, and of course the surgery was done in the main building. And this is considered a small hospital in this urban area.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited October 2020

    There is not a formal “specialty“ of breast surgery. They are all considered general surgeons, even if breasts are all they ever do. I have a friend who is one. Harvard. MSK internship. All she does is breasts but she is considered a general surgeon

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited October 2020

    That's why I'm glad my surgeon was part of the breast center and I didn't have to shop around for one. The list of general surgeons my insurance accepts is pretty overwhelming.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2020

    JessiGirl - Your statement yesterday morning was interesting. Okay, my anxiety is gone today finally, well it started fading yesterday. Hope everything goes well for you now.


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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    Yes, anxiety fades it doesn’t just turn off one moment. I hope it goes well too. I’ll let you all know, that way if another freaked out young lady comes here she can see my outcome which has a high chance of being a positive outcome.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2020

    6 more days! 6 more days and I’ll have my ultrasound. I hope I can look back and laugh at how I over analyze things. Better safe than sorry though.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    Well good news and uncertain news!

    Bi-rads is 4A (which is great because it means a low low low chance of !!!)

    Visible mass is a “Small Cyst with debris, intraductal inspissated debris."

    Measuring 0.5 x 0 3 x 0.5 oval


    Non visible mass “Intraductal papilloma, inspissated intraductal debris. Though cannot be entirely excluded, DCIS"

    Measuring 1.0 x 0.5 x 1.0 cm


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  • jzq15
    jzq15 Member Posts: 9
    edited November 2020

    Hi JessiGirl - are you referring to the mass that has a bumpy surface or the other mass? Just curious since I have a bumpy mass that has dents. Glad you received some news and on the way to getting a final answer!

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    The one with more concern is the bumpy one. Where are you at in your process?

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  • jzq15
    jzq15 Member Posts: 9
    edited November 2020

    The area I am concerned about has been checked in the past and showed as normal breast tissue. I had 2 ultrasounds and mammo. Plus my routine mammograms. I have an appointment next week for my mammo and will speak to my doctor. It could just be that - normal breast tissue. Its just stressful having a lumpy area that has not shown up. Not sure if I should be grateful or worried. I also have cysts but that is not my concern.

    Why did you refer to the one mass as non visible? Is that the one of concern? Intraductal Papilloma? I am assuming this will be benign?

    Best of luck!

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    Both mine show on ultrasound, including the tiny bump next to the cystic one.

    Visible because I can see a bump on my skin and non visible because I can’t see it on the skin unless I lay down and even then you have to know a lump is there to notice the fine detail that a lump is there.

    For me the concerning one is probably an intraductal papilloma or possibly dcis.

    I did not have a mammogram and went straight to ultrasound and now going Monday to talk to my Surgeon again. Luckily that appointment was already made for the just in case.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    Excisional Biopsy Monday! The day after my birthday to have both removed!!! The fact that no one is freaking out is great. The fact that they look at my imaging like hmmm and tell me 3 different things it could be for one of them is very interesting. I understand imaging can only give a visual idea. Surgeon isn’t worried enough to take more of the surrounding tissue and explains because I have smaller breast he doesn’t want to take to much unless needed.

    Radiologist says, cyst with debris and the other intraductal papilloma, with ductal debris and can’t rule out dcis

    Surgeon says, cyst with a solid component next to it and maybe intraductal papilloma, he disagrees with ductal debris and expressed even if it’s dcis it’s small but not as likely. Great news but still uncertainty in it all so removal it is!

    Lots of things to get done before next Monday including my birthday on Sunday!!! He said about a week for pathology.

    Got my blood tested to make sure I’m not anemic and I’m not sure what else for.

    Thursday is pre-op and Covid testing.

    With the multiple puzzles eyes I’m not worried just Intrigued that it’s not so straight forwar

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited November 2020

    Medical professionals don't "freak out". Any who do should be reported.

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    Oh we was calm just seemed puzzled, which actually might of been because he didn't fully agree with the radiologist report but he did not specifically say the radiologist was wrong, but wearing a mask all you can go by are eyes. He was great and gave me accurate measurement of the larger one is actually 1.05x0.55x1.01cm which honestly means nothing to me because I'm not a medical professional.

    I just wish it was more straight forward on ultrasound as to what it is.


    the more cystic one is 0.54x0.25x0.51 cm

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited November 2020

    I don’r understand why they are removing them instead of doing ultrasound guided core needle biopsies first. That is the usual protocol

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  • JessiGirl
    JessiGirl Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2020

    oh I was offered either an ultrasound guided biopsy or an excisional biopsy.


    The way the surgeon described it was like look at your shirt, I go in grab a piece and I only get a light blue strand, looks good right. Yet you also have white and dark blue on it and I have no idea the other colors are there because we only took a strand.

    So excisional biopsy it is.

    Please don’t tell me I’ve should have done the other because decisions made and I decided on it after a long weekend of praying and what’s best for me mentally. I already am sad I’ll have a scar but for me better safe than sorry later

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