Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
lumpy breast
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
lumpy breast
by 1217, Sep 22, 2003 12:00AM
I am 31 years old and completely paranoid about my breasts. Last spring I felt a lump, it was determined to be a cyst by ultrasound. However, a follow up mammogram was ordered of that breast and it was normal. This past week I felt what I thought was another cyst. I made an appointment and was seen by a nurse practitioner. Fearful that she would pass me off as not serious I said that I would feel better if a mammogram or ultrasound were performed instead of waiting through a cycle to see if it went away. After the mammogram and ultrasound the radiologist said he say NOTHING abnormal. However, a surgeon palpated both breasts for good measure and said he felt NOTHING abnormal and couldn't find anything to biopsy. My questions are...Knowing that I have lumpy breasts is it a safe rule of thumb to compare one with the other and if the nodularity is the same I am okay? and would a cancerous lump feel differently from the other lumps ini my breast. I just have really lumpy breasts...feels like small beans around my areola area and I get paranoid of them all. Thank you for your help.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-JS, Sep 22, 2003 12:00AM
Dear 1217, What you are looking for or feeling for when doing a breast self exam is changes. If you tend to have lumps that come and go with a menstrual cycle it makes sense to wait through a menstrual cycle to see if there is a decrease or the lump goes away. It is impossible strictly by feel to determine if something is cancerous or not, but there may be more or less suspicious findings that would lead to further checking. For example a new lump that does not decrease in size over a cycle, one that feels different than usual, something like this you would want to have checked out.
