Sharp Pain, Swollen Nodes and Discolouration - 25 yr old Female

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Numberblock
Numberblock Member Posts: 8
edited December 2020 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

Hello everyone,


Since around May, I’ve had a sore spot in my right breast. I wrote it off as being nothing serious until about a month ago when I realized the pain never went away and started to get stronger and I started to have swollen nodes under my arm pit and in my elbow.
I went to my doctor and she referred me to get a mammogram and ultrasound however, this appointment won’t be until mid January.

Since my appointment I’ve developed a light purple slight discolouration above my nipple and my swollen nodes have persisted. The pain has turned into a sharp jolting pain when touched. I’ve also had some stiffening in my breast tissue near my armpit.

I’m not really sure how to think or feel about this as I’m only 25. I’m really worried though. In my gut I feel like somethings wrong. I just feel helpless and am looking for help.

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Comments

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

    Numberblock. I'm assuming you just saw your PCP? Call and make an appointment with your OB/Gyn. Maybe he or she will have other thoughts or can accelerate the testing. If that's the doc you already saw, call back & tell them your new symptoms and see if they can make it happen quicker.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited November 2020

    Ditto on what MinusTwo said. With additional symptoms there should be no need for you to wait until January.... Please be persistent...

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

    By her spelling and use of language she may be in England or elsewhere not in the U.S where waits are longer

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2020

    I’m from Canada, everything takes forever here. I have an appointment on Wednesday with my family doctor to see if there’s anything she can do to speed up the process. The only other option I can think of is going to the hospital and maybe things could be sped up there? I’m genuinely just so lost and I feel helpless. I don’t even know what I should be doing. If my doctor won’t take me seriously then I really don’t know what to do

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

    The ER at the hospital is not the place unless you are running fever and have an infection. They don’t do mammogram/ultrasound and would just send you back to your primary care doc

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  • RebzAmy
    RebzAmy Member Posts: 322
    edited November 2020

    In the UK, the waiting time, if cancer is suspected comes under the "two week rule." In fact when I went to my GP with the lumps, I was referred urgently and was at the hospital three days later having all kinds of scans and diagnostic tests. In the UK, for cancer, the NHS is absolutely fabulous.

    NumberBlock - so sorry you are going through this worrying time. Hope you get sorted asap.



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

    Numberblock, are you in a major city? Because in Vancouver area we can have same day mammos and biopsies within days at the breast health center. Do a telehealth appt with your pcp and ask them to resend a referral labelled stat, or get them to call around the various mammo centers. There almost always is more than 1 place that does them which might have quicker appts.

    Best wishes

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2020

    I live in ottawa, I have my virtual appointment with my doctor tomorrow so I'll see what happens then... I'm going to push as much as I can. If just like some peace of mind.

    I called the clinic where I'm doing my scans and they basically told me there was nothing they could do for me. I asked to be on a cancellation list or to have my appointments be on different days and they said no.

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

    Maybe ask for a referral to the Rose Ages Breast Health clinic https://www.ottawahospital.on.ca/en/clinical-servi...


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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited November 2020

    So sorry you are going through all of this! I appreciate Melissa picking up on you being from out of the U.S. and then moth's ideas as well.... I wish you well with your PCP appointment tomorrow. I sure hope something can happen to speed things up a bit for you!

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2020

    Nothing really came out of the appointment. She decided to mark my matter as urgent on my charts and then told me to google numbers of imagining places around Ottawa. She agreed with the discolouration I’ve been seeing and told me I really need to push and advocate for myself but they won’t make an appointment for me.

    I’ve spent the afternoon calling around. The clinics I have spoken to, either aren’t doing screenings right or most of the clinics are part of a group that screens women ages 50-75. Leaving all of the other clinics backed up. I feel so helpless.

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

    Do you have an OB/Gyn? Maybe she or he would have more pull than a PCP.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited November 2020

    Understandable you feel helpless. It is such a powerless feeling - has to be exasperating. Please don't give up on this though.... I'm glad you've been doing whatever footwork you can. Hopefully there will be other steps you can take even if you're not sure what those are right now...

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

    That's ridiculous. Marking it as "urgent" on your chart doesn't do any good if you have to phone yourself to find a place to do the imaging, and if the imaging place doesn't have your chart or a requisition showing that this is urgent.

    I'm in Toronto and I've usually been able to get my screenings on the same day that my doctor gives me the requisitions, and if not, then within the next couple of days.

    I agree with going through your OB/Gyn if you have one, if they are willing to help you get the appointment.

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2020

    Here’s the thing with going through my OB/Gyn.. she has a couple practices and only works at the hospital once a week. I asked my doctor to put m in contact with her back in a June for an unrelated cause and haven’t heard anything back.

    I’m going to go into my doctors office tomorrow to get my new requisition and send it into the online booking request as they directed me to over the phone.

    Luckily I have a mom who is a radiation therapist. I showed her my breast and explained to her how I’ve been feeling and she said she’s fairly sure it’s nothing, but she does think it’s a good idea I’m getting it checked out anyways so that gives me a bit of peace of mind before I get everything checked out thoroughly.

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited November 2020

    I was able to get an appointment for a clinic outside of the city for next Friday.

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

    Good! Let us know how it goes!

    And good luck! Hopefully this is an infection and nothing more serious than that.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited November 2020

    Soooo glad you were able to get in so much sooner! Please check back in when you get results, ok?

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited December 2020

    I got my results back today and they told me that in the mammogram they saw that my breast was asymmetrical. Then in the ultrasound they found a complex cyst. However this complex cyst was no where near where my pain has been. It’s located at 8 o’clock, 5 cm from my nipple. She said that in the location where I feel pain, they actually weren’t able to find anything.

    So now my next step is to wait three months to do a follow up ultrasound on the cyst.

    I’ve been doing research and it hasn’t given me any peace of mind. I don’t really know what to think and I hate to think I have to wait three months before getting any answers.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited December 2020

    So what I hear is.... It's good news but.... the but meaning you're not comfortable with what you heard/where things are at... I imagine three months feels like forever to you though often these waits are 6 months. I hope that time goes fairly quickly for you. May take some time to put it in the background so give yourself a little time for that. Obviously if anything worsens contact your doc. Meanwhile do what you can to enjoy the next 3 months while this will be on your mind too.

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  • peggysmom
    peggysmom Member Posts: 50
    edited December 2020

    To the OP: I'm assuming your report says Bi-Rads 3 and therefore reccomended a 3 month follow-up?

    If so, the good news is- the radiologists suspicion of cancer is <2 %. Anything more than that and they would have recommended a biopsy.

    So- for the next 3 months try not to worry and let's see what the repeat ultrasound shows.

    BTW what did they think about your lymph nodes?

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  • Numberblock
    Numberblock Member Posts: 8
    edited December 2020

    They also said that I have asymmetrical breast tissues on that one breast. I’m not exactly sure what that means.

    So for my lymph nodes they scanned the ones in my armpit and I didn’t hear anything back about it.

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