From one lumpy-breasted person to another, I would advise you to back to your GP, although possibly making the GP a different one if you can. Is there more than one doctor in your practice? Anyway if you're concerned about a specific lump you will need a referral from your GP. Although the Brook doctor can give you advice you can't be referred by them as far as I know.
Anyway my lumpy breast experience resulted in at the tender age of 18 having a proper solid lump. It feels very solid, it moves when you prod it, and it only hurt if you start prodding it lots - which is what one does when one's found and panicked over a breast lump. It's called a fibroadenoma, which is the most common type of lump in a woman between the ages of 18-40, and is completely benign. This means that whereas it may increase in size it is not going to invade other tissues, and will stay within the breast tissue. It's caused by a thickening of the breast tissue and is simple to remove, something that was only done after 3 years when it began to grow a little too big. It's also called a mouse because it moves about which I always thought was very cute.
When a lump is solid and doesn't move about it may be more serious - the thing about breast tissue that you can feel naturally is that it does move, hence the hurting with the jogging up and down when we run and aren't properly strapped in. When a lump is part of the tissue it's likely to move. Tumours aren't part of breast tissue and I think they're more solid and far less likely to move - when I had my moving lump that was one of the key reasons they thought there was nothing to worry about.
If a lump is squidgy and doesn't feel so solid it's more likely to be a cyst. Cysts are fluid-filled hence the squidgy texture, I don't know if they move about or not.
If you do get referred for tests they may not immediately do a biopsy, especially if you're a lumpy-breasted person. They will do an ultrasound where they can measure the size of the lump and immediately recognise if it's fluid filled or not, and they can do a needle test which means just poking the lump with a needle several times (my Mum very nicely counted and told me it had gone in 52 times after, thanks Mum!). From this they can get cells of the lump and very easily determine if they're cancerous cells.
Good luck, let me know how it goes. If you have any other questions I might be able to help further so don't hesitate to ask.
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Date: 2005-05-09 07:32 am (UTC)Anyway my lumpy breast experience resulted in at the tender age of 18 having a proper solid lump. It feels very solid, it moves when you prod it, and it only hurt if you start prodding it lots - which is what one does when one's found and panicked over a breast lump. It's called a fibroadenoma, which is the most common type of lump in a woman between the ages of 18-40, and is completely benign. This means that whereas it may increase in size it is not going to invade other tissues, and will stay within the breast tissue. It's caused by a thickening of the breast tissue and is simple to remove, something that was only done after 3 years when it began to grow a little too big. It's also called a mouse because it moves about which I always thought was very cute.
When a lump is solid and doesn't move about it may be more serious - the thing about breast tissue that you can feel naturally is that it does move, hence the hurting with the jogging up and down when we run and aren't properly strapped in. When a lump is part of the tissue it's likely to move. Tumours aren't part of breast tissue and I think they're more solid and far less likely to move - when I had my moving lump that was one of the key reasons they thought there was nothing to worry about.
If a lump is squidgy and doesn't feel so solid it's more likely to be a cyst. Cysts are fluid-filled hence the squidgy texture, I don't know if they move about or not.
If you do get referred for tests they may not immediately do a biopsy, especially if you're a lumpy-breasted person. They will do an ultrasound where they can measure the size of the lump and immediately recognise if it's fluid filled or not, and they can do a needle test which means just poking the lump with a needle several times (my Mum very nicely counted and told me it had gone in 52 times after, thanks Mum!). From this they can get cells of the lump and very easily determine if they're cancerous cells.
Good luck, let me know how it goes. If you have any other questions I might be able to help further so don't hesitate to ask.