Painful Lump

[neckbonetwo]

I discovered a lump in my breast in February. I went to the doctor. Upon examining it and performing an ultrasound in her office she said that she felt that it was a cyst. She also said that she would not be able to drain the cyst. At that time the cyst was only painful at times. Therefore, I decided to leave the cyst alone and wait and see. Well, the cyst has grown much larger (double in size / to about 3 inches wide) and is much more painful. Upon having my mammogram and ultrasound the radiologist concluded that it is not a simple cyst. She also mentioned that there were echos there. I am scheduled to have the mass removed August 8th.

I would appreciate any information that anyone can share on the subject matter. I am trying to stay as positive and optimistic as possible. But it's hard especially when the initial diagnosis was incorrect.

[neckbonetwo]

Thank you.

[Dennis MD]

Hi.
I understand what you are going through.
A breast cyst can increase in size after several months.  That is the reason why patients are advised to perform self-breast examination, in order to check for any changes in the character of the cyst (like increase in size, presence of associated symptoms, etc.)  There are also cases when the cyst regresses in size after several months.
I agree with your decision to have the mass removed.  The specimen will be sent to the pathologist for evaluation.
Good luck and stay positive.