about breast cancer

[sunberst]

i am 24 and active & healthy. i know you are suppose to give yourself a monthly breast exam, and sometimes i fail to do this for several months or so.

the last time i was at the gyne was in may of 2002, so just over a year ago and all was good.

a few weeks ago my one breast felt harder than the other to me. i noticed it when showering of putting on clothes. didnt think much of it though.

today i noticed it again so decided to give myself an exam. sure enough one feel really different than the other. the other feels soft & "normal" and the other feels like it has a rock in it. it feels maybe like it is about 2" or so in diameter and is just above the nipple.

i dont want to panic or anything, but decided it was best to call my gyne and make an appointment since i should have been in may any ways. but of course they are closed now, so i have to wait until monday. :rolleyes:

for some reason i keep thinking about it. am i took young to develop breast cancer? could there be another reason why my one breast may feel hard and the other isnt?

[LaraW]

There could probably be lots of reasons why you have a hard spot in one of your breasts. I agree with you that it is best to have your doctor look at it, but there could be other reasons too, such as a cyst of some kind. Also, if you are due to have your period soon, that can cause some irregularities in the mass of your breasts. I've always heard that the best time to do the exam is the week after your period.

Try not to worry, and call the doctor on Monday for an appt.

[sammeybella]

sunberst,

Unfortunately you are not too young to develop breast cancer. That having been said maybe this will make you feel better.

About a year and a half ago my left breast started to bother me. It felt hard sometimes, sometimes warm, lots of times itchy and one time even leaked a white fluid. I was having a fir trying to imagine what could be wrong and didn't want to see my doctor fearing the worst.

Finally went to Doctor and it was a yeast infection. In my breast. Who knew? Bizarre. So it may be something really simple and easy to fix.

Good luck!

T - of the strange boob thingy

[wallycat]

(((((((((((sunberst))))))))))))
There is nothing worse than not knowing and the holiday making you wait will be difficult.

First, the bad news...you can get breast cancer at any age; even men can get breast cancer. Is there breast cancer in your family?

Now, the good news...
MOST lumps turn out to be nothing. It could be a fluid filled cyst, it could be a fibroid of some sort; you could have fibrocystic breasts which will alter how they feel depending on what time of month you are examining them. Also, if you have not been doing regular exams, your body may always have felt different from one to the other, you are just noticing.
I had a a rope like thing my doc felt and it was nothing, but it felt hard and about 2" as well.

I wish they offered emergency mammograms...but I'm not aware of anything like that.

My thoughts will be with you...and try to remember that over 80% of things felt in breasts is nothing serious.
Post back please :)

[greysangel]

<raises hand> I have that fibrocystic thing going on...which makes it very difficult to do self examinations. My gyn recommended me doing it a few days after my period (ie same time every month), but I do notice some times it feels more cystic than other times. There were a lot of body changes when I hit 30 for some reason :rolleyes:

Jeanne

[sunberst]

well i learned a lot so far from this thread!

i didnt know you could develop a yeast infection in your breast!

and i also did not know about fibrocystic breasts, so that is interesting to know.

had my period just over a week ago, so it is an okay time for me to do the self test.

it is so good to know that 80% of things are NOT breast cancer. nobody has had cancer in my family that i am aware of. my family is weird in the fact that they dont talk about stuff like that. it is so hard when i go to the doctor and they ask me my famly medical history and i have no idea! i have asked my family countless times, and i always get vague answers. not sure what the big deal is!

going to go do some research on those things you wrote about, and i will make a doc. appt. anyways because it cant hurt to go just to be sure.

thanks so much for your responses. it makes me feel better. i have never had anything "unusual" with my body, but lately i feel like my body is really changing. i have noticed a few moles on my thighs that i never had before. i swear they popped up overnight. the veins in my hands are starting to be more raised and noticeable and they never were before. now my boob is hard. all in the past week. just not use to bodily changes yet!

[Shirley Panek]

Sunberst -

It never hurts to get it checked out to have peace of mind. Last year I felt a lump in my right breast, sometimes my breast in that area would be very tender, sometimes it wouldn't. I debated whether to get it looked at or not. My mom, during the same time period was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Needless to say, that decided it for me. I had a mammogram and ultrasound - they couldn't find anything. I went to a specialist who said I have "lobular breast tissue" (?) - it's a thicker-type breast tissue, I believe. I still keep an eye on it, but I just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. :)

[lifeboard]

sunberst ... any update from you? I have been thinking about you so when you are ready, please let us know what you found out.

<<sending positive energy to you>>

[beccathebaker]

Sunberst-

Just wanted to make sure that you are o.k. Definitely check things out with the M.D. and if you don't feel like you were well checked, find another doctor.

I would never want to freak you out, but at 20 I had uterine cancer and this was at a time that I was a vegetarian runner. My doctors pooh-poohed all of my concerns, so it took a year to diagnose and my cancer went to stage 4. It is always best to go to the doctor as soon as things seem out of sorts.

Like everyone said, lumps are very common and it will be reassuring to have your doc tell you that i t's nothing.

I will be thinking of you.

-Becca