is it just a cyst?

[naiandra]

hello everyone.  erm, this will probably sound like a dumb question, but here goes:  i noticed a fairly hard mass about 2cm in size in my left breast.  the skin moves over top of it, and it feels like it's attached to the mass of tissue underneath the layer of skin and subcutaneous fat.  after some google-ing, i examined myself and found that the lymph nodes beside the breast were swollen (at least, feeling hard under the skin and creating the appearance of a pocket of fat over the area), although the ones further up into the armpit do not seem to be.  

anyway, i was told it was a sebaceous cyst, and that the lymph node swelling was caused by my constantly touching it (trying to determine the texture, and whether the size was changing).  so i applied heat a few times, with no results.  about an hour after the last time, i was trying to tell if it was any smaller by pinching it, and it felt like it suddenly burst.  i don't know what happened to the contents, but presumably it was ejected somewhere into the surrounding tissue.  the capsule(?) remained, now feeling the same as before but about one third the size, in the same spot.  however, it's been a few days, and the lymph nodes, if anything, have become more noticeable.  

i know this seems like a silly question, but i'm wondering if it's at all possible that it was an encapsulated tumor or something, that i've manually ruptured?  i wouldn't be so concerned, except that i also have a very large, prominent vein with several branches on the same breast, and that i've never had noticeable lymph node swelling like this, as far as i know.  is it still possible that it is a sebaceous cyst?  would it cause lymph node swelling?

if anyone has any opinions, or has had any similar experiences, i would really appreciate hearing about them.  while i do think i'm probably just being paranoid (heh), i've read a few horror stories about women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer after being told it was just a cyst, and during the time in between it progressed to a much more serious stage.  so thanks for any input, and have a nice day :)

[onceinabluemoon]

I am 17 and i have a cyst or i think that i have one and i got a ultrasound done and the doctor said that it was just excess breast tissue and that it comes and goes because of your period. But i had it for like 8 months now and it's still here. The doctor called and said that i will have to do a biopsy if its still there by the next time i go to his office and i'm suppose to go see him in June. I am really scared that biopsy is going to hurt and that the doctory might surgically remove the cyst. Is this normal? Do most teenagers have cyst in their breast?

[naiandra]

hey, thanks for the response!  i'm away from my regular doctor right now, but i think i'll look for a walk-in clinic or something around here.  i guess it's better to be safe than sorry.  and then i can stop worrying. :)

[japdip]

First I would like to know who told you that it was a sebaceous cyst. It seems that you have diagnosed and treated this problem on your own; if so I would advise you to see your Dr. for his/her opinion. If you didn't have some type of imagery (Ultrasound perhaps) then there is no way that you can know for certain what this is / or was. It's always best to leave the diagnosis and treatment to the Physician.  Regards ....