New (sudden) Breast pain, Lump, and Asymmetry

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Hstuckey96
Hstuckey96 Member Posts: 2
edited January 2021 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

hello! So I've been experiencing weird symptoms since about February last year. Odd tingling, tenderness, and bilateral chest ache. Along with swollen collarbones off and on. Last week I went into my local clinic for well woman and she confirmed there is indeed a lump like I had thought. She also observed that my breasts were asymmetric. Now I am my own worst critic when it comes to myself. I surely would have noticed this looking in the mirror. But it took until tonight to notice the left is significantly smaller. I'm experiencing pain in my armpit now. The unproblematic right side, is now lumpy in texture. I recently started taking a collagen supplement back in late December, so it hasn't even been a full month. I read collagen can cause tumors and masses to grow rapidy. Scheduled for left and right ultrasounds this coming week so hopefully I'll have some answers. But what does it seem like is going on?

Thanks!

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited January 2021

    Hi Hstuckey,

    Do you mind me asking how old you are? I hope they have scheduled you for a mammogram in addition to the ultrasounds. I think you are headed in the right direction with regard to next steps. I do want to ask, is this clinic your sole provider? Are you seeing a physician or is there a physician available for consultation?

    Jane

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  • Hstuckey96
    Hstuckey96 Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2021

    hello Jane,

    I am 24, soon to be 25 in a few days. The office I visited was not my primary physicians, but rather, my gynecologist office. I’m unsure as to whether I am scheduled for a mammogram though. My EHR says I’m down for “MammoBreast Us Complete”. So I’m hoping so!

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited January 2021

    Hello again,

    It sounds like you will have a mammogram with an ultrasound - good first steps. I don't think your one month of a collagen supplement is not much of an issue but you might think avoiding this for now until you speak with your physician. OB Gyns normally do great breast exams. I don't want to say don't worry because it is in our nature to worry. You have done the best first step in seeing your physician so try to let time take its time until you have testing and more decision from your doctor.

    Keep us posted & all the best,

    Jane

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited January 2021

    Welcome Hstuckey! So glad jhl responded and I'm sure there will be others too... Glad you have the ultrasounds scheduled and hope those include mammogram as well. Sounds like you trust your OBGYN and they are being proactive for you! Please let us know how things go.... Do what you can to distract yourself until the scans, as difficult as that may be...

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited January 2021

    Hstuckey, don't be surprised if you just get the ultrasound. Because very young women have very dense breasts, mammograms tend to be of very limited valu, i.e., trying to see a snowflake in a snowstorm

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited January 2021

    Hstuckey, I was going to post exactly what MelissaDallas did. With younger women, usually an ultrasound is done first, and then it's determined whether or not a mammogram is necessary. Mammograms are not routinely done on younger women, even when coming in with a known concern, because they usually don't show much with young patients who have very dense breast tissue. That's not to say that you won't be given a mammogram, but to explain why you might not be.

    From what you describe, with the fact that you have issues across your chest, your collarbone and bilaterally, this sounds as though it possibly could be something other than a breast issue. Breast cancer is usually isolated to one breast and one location, not causing the types of wide-spread changes that you describe. That's not to say that it's not possible, but it's unlikely. Lumpy breasts in younger women are very common (and usually harmless) and the breast lump that was felt might be incidental - women your age develop benign lumps such as fibroadenomas and cysts, and these types of lumps wouldn't cause the type of issues that you mention. Sometimes what feels like a lump is just an area of breast tissue - I had that and you'd swear it was a lump but years of ultrasounds and mammograms proved that it wasn't - it was just how my breast tissue felt that in area. So stay open-minded and if the screening doesn't find anything of concern (and hopefully it doesn't), don't conclude that the imaging failed you but consider that this might be something else, such as an autoimmune problem or a systemic infection.

    Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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