This may be a stupid question...

I found a lump at age 30 and had an FNA, atypical but benign, been following it since then and it's been relatively stable.  Now at age 35 I found considerable changes to the same breast over a 6 month period and they're suspicious - I already had the mammo and ultrasound and now I have to go for an MRI.  

Now, around the exact time I found the original lump at age 30 I started to experience considerable fatigue (and major water retention) that has worsened over the years and has been unexplained even after many, many types of tests (including a sleep study).  

Here comes my possibly stupid question: you read so much about fatigue in cancer due to the treatment.  Has anyone found they experienced strange fatigue before they were even diagnosed?  There's virtually no research on this, but especially with estrogen positive cancers maybe it's not as crazy as it sounds.  Hormones can cause all kinds of things.

[katarina777]

A large number of women, when looking back at the time before they were diagnosed with bc, in hindsight, do remember feeling 'not right' during this time.

For myself, I had considerable water retention and weight gain before I was diagnosed, and my muscles were weak, and I was generally very weak and/or tired. Easily short of breath as well, and my shoulder hurt.

Hope this helps, Katrin

[SueYoung55]

Yes! My symptoms were not "defined" either. I became a couch potato (which I'd never been) thinking my job was wearing me out, my bra never seemed to fit on the right side and my breast hurt.

10 cm mass. Invasive lobular carcinoma.

Best wishes with your MRI.

[tiredpoet]

Thanks for these responses.  It's not that I'm looking to "confirm" that I might have cancer, but I do think it's important to look into.  If God forbid I get unfavorable results then I would like to let my doctor know.  I have had this relentless fatigue and muscle ache/weakness that just doesn't feel right and that doesn't fit with any diagnosis, so if this could potentially help for doctors to know for future patients I want to put it out there.  In my opinion too many primary care doctors dismiss fatigue as "depression" (even in patients who present as clearly not depressed, like myself), or some other lazy explanation for it (for lack of a better term).
I also think that after a cancer diagnosis it must be such a stressful, tiring, scary time with so much to think about that discussing how one felt before the diagnosis would never even come up, so I'm just trying to keep notes here.  Silly I know, as there's a much larger chance that I don't have cancer, but as I said, can't hurt to cover all bases.

[lillyrose314]

Whatever happened?  Did you have cancer?  I'm going thru the same thing as you right now.  My double biopsy is Wed and then I get to wait until Fri or Monday to find out the results. I have been sooo tired.  I have to lay down on the bed for a few minutes after showering! When not at work, i sleep 15 hours out of a day!