26 yr old w/ painful breast lump

[noodlegirl]

i'm 26 yrs old and for the past few months, i've had a painful ,rather large lump in my right breast.  it's located on the outside, upper part of the right breast--like at a 10 o'clock position, i guess.  it is very tender and painful starting about a week or so before my period and lasting about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks---then the lump and pain go away for a while.      what is this??  i have a grandmother and great aunt who have had breast cancer, but in their 60's. is this cancer?????

[angelea_98]

I too had a lump after the birth of my second child at the age of 23.  My first GP diagnosised it as a cyst, (no medical tests)just said that he knew that was what it was a cyst and to not worry about it. It was painful and getting larger.  5 yrs later at the age of 28, I was scheduled for an ultrasound and biopsy.  After the ultrasound I was informed that they couldn't biopsy because the each cyst in the cluster was too small.  So again I was told to live with it.  Again 4 years later (now 32)again it was ultrasound and presented clearly as a larger cyst cluster with a recommended re-check in 8 years.  I am now 37 years old and have had to undergo surgery to have something removed that wasn't a cyst. I then had to go through a second surgery 2 weeks later to remove more tissue.  I had been living in pain for all those years with a growth that was using my own blood supply to grow itself bigger.  I was finally referred to a breast surgeon that felt that I was justified in asking to have this removed.  I wished that I had went with my instincts earlier and then I wouldn't have had to have a large mass removed almost 14 yrs later.  I am now 4 days into recovery after the second surgery again waiting for results.  I recommend seeing the specialist.  The specialist was the one to point out that a cyst would have been soft and mushy not the hard lump that I had been living with. I live in a rural area so the specialist doing the test and feeling the lump wasn't the specialist that was reading the test.  The breast surgeon did everything in her office and I have felt that I received better care there.

[cyn17]

I'm not a professional, but I'd say you have a fluid filled cyst (generally benign). It is common to have the syptoms you discribe with a cyst. I would suggest you have your doctor evaluate the situation.

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear noodlegirl:  It is not uncommon for lumpy breast tissue to swell and become painful around the time of the menstrual period.  However, if you are concerned, you should have a doctor examine your breast.