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Avatar universal

hard lump and breastfeeding

I am currently breast feeding my 5 weeks old baby.  2 weeks after i started breastfeeding i felt pain on my left breast and 3-4 days after pain started i felt a pretty large lump in the same area. I was checked by the Ob/gyn a few days later and he suggested massages and warm compresses for 2 -3 days thinking of trapped milk. After doing the appropriate massaging, it did not seem to improve. It also became hard.
He ordered an ultrasound. the ultrasound revealed 2 lumps in left breast around 9 o'clock and 11 o'clock position of breast, the largest one about 3,8 cm. The radiologist suggested to wait 3 months and re-evaluate again. the Ob/gyn said should not wait and referred me to a surgeon to be evaluated again. The surgeon suggested i should do a mammogram and mri but after talking to the same radiologist informed me to wait for 2 more weeks and see if the lumps change in any way. He said, because of the milk in the breast the mammogram and mri would not show good information about the lump. he also said the biopsy would not work either.

Is there any chance a mammogram or mri still show more information about the lump if i empty the breast very well before the procedure?
I just cant seem to be able to wait 2 more weeks for a verdict on this.
In case I stop breastfeeding, how soon will the imaging show correct information about the lumps?
3 Responses
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi.  I can understand your concern that if those lumps are cancer, the condition might progress during the 3 months you have to wait it out.  There's really no way of telling for certain how much a cancer will advance if left undiagnosed and untreated for 3 months.  On the other hand, having the diagnostic procedures done at this time increases the possibility for both a false positive result (because of the high circulating hormone levels) and a false negative result (because of the milk).  Having the mammogram or MRI done now gives you the advantage of getting a diagnosis sooner, but the accuracy of the test result might be questionable.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you much for your replay. As i understood from both radiologist and the surgeon, they are trying to rule out breast cancer. I was told, chances are small, but in case cancer is the cause of the lumps, waiting for 3 months how much can it advance?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi.  I would tend to agree with the radiologist's opinion to wait for 3 months before re-evaluating again.  This is not only because the milk will interfere with the imaging procedures.  Another reason is that at 5 weeks post-partum, your body's hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone) have not gone back down to what they were before you were pregnant.  The breast lumps that have been noted may only be temporarily enlarged because of the still elevated hormone levels at this time.  I can understand your anxiety at this point, but if you want a more definitive and less erroneous test result, I strongly suggest that you wait it out for a few more months before having the tests.
Helpful - 0
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