What is this lump?

I am 27 with four small children (all of which I breastfed). About a month and a half ago I started to have pain in my left arm and on the outside of my left breast. After doing a breast self exam I found a small pea size lump at the two o'clock postion. Sometime I get pains in the breast area but nothing contstant and terribly overwhelming. I went to the doctor and he felt it as well and said that it felt mobile. He said that he didn't think that it was anything to worry about but wanted to make sure via an ultrasound. I had the ultrasound done and they were unable to see the lump on the ultrasound, even though you can feel it. I am a military wife so next week I go to see a new doctor since mine is being restationed during this process.My question is, Is that a good sign that nothing showed up in the ultrasound? And, I am a constant worrier. Also, do i take the docotrs word if they say it is nothing or do I stay persistend until I find out exactly what that lump is?

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

A breast lump is caused due to various causes - fibroadenoma, cyst, lipoma, lymph node being the most common causes.

You could be having either of these. In rare cases is the lump malignant or cancerous.

Have you noticed any abnormal features on breast self examination like skin changes or nipple discharge?

Does the lump increase or decrease in size, pain and tenderness in relation to your menstrual periods?

It could be that the lump is too small to be picked up on ultrasound or that it regressed in size due to hormonal fluctuations at the time of the ultrasound examination.

It is important to get a proper clinical evaluation got done once to have a confirmed diagnosis. You would need to get a mammogram and  repeat ultrasound if required.

Let us know about how you are doing and if you have any other doubts.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[AmyNLittleD]

I went to the doctor today to get my formal results from the ultrasound on my left breast. They came back as: No solid masses, cysts, areas of architectural distortion, or ares of abnormal shadowing are seen. BI-RADS Catergory 1: Negative. I saw a new doctor today ( since mine has been deployed). She still felt the lump and said that the pain I am feeling in my arm, armpit, shoulder, neck, and side may all be from some sort of cyst. I have an apt. next week with a surgeon to see if he wants to do a biopsy. The doctor did say that the lump was mobile and not attached to my ribs. Which  I belive is a good thing. Although now she has me worried because she felt my neck and said that my thyroid is a bit larger than what is considered the average. She because I have a very thin neck it may just stick out more, but she wanted to do some blood work. Could this all be related to breast cancer? I am 28 with four small children and in very good health. So this has me all stressed out.

[mamarec]

On saturday I'm laying on the couch, sleepy,  with my hand on my stomach. Somehow my hand touched the right side of my right breast and I felt a rock.  Believe me all sleep disappeared.  I felt my breast and discovered a lump about 3" in diameter deep near the breast wall.  Today, Monday, I visited my GP and she immediately put in a call to my breast surgeon (in 1/2007 I had a biospy on my left which was benign calcium deposits).
I'm scarred about tomorrow.
Since Saturday it's grown double in size from the base to my nipple.  Originally, I could feel the mass only when lying down.  Now I can feel it when I'm sitting up.

I'm 52 now and I also breastfed my daughter for an entire year when I was twenty-five.
I always believed that breastfeeding immunized the breast against breast cancer because I read it in a "La Leche" book, a book about breastfeeding.
  I still believe.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

The chances that this is due to cancer are minimal but you should still get all the relevant investigations done so that you have a confirmed diagnosis.

A BIRADS 1 is a good news - the lesion is benign according to the radiologist.

Talk to your doctor about pain relief medications and also get a thyroid function testing done.

Let us know about how you are doing and if you have any other doubts.

Post us about what your doctor advises.

Regards.

[AmyNLittleD]

I got the first round of blood test back and it came back as abnormal thyroid. Could this be related to the lump in my breast or just something the doctor happend to stumble upon? She said it may be the reason I bounce back to my normal weight after having baby , so I assume that is over active thyroid, but I have not had that confirmed yet. Also, is it a good thing that it is mobile? And, if they do end up doing a biopsy, am I going to have to take any time of work? I am a server in a restaraunt.