Breast pain

I didn't have pain, but I could definitely feel a sensation/lump. I received the result of the biopsy today and it's cancer (fortunately still early stage). I've also started a formal complaint against the GP who wouldn't refer me.

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Having just had my second mastectomy I would like to say both mine started with pain and at first my g p said you don't usually get pain if it's cancer but referred me obviously it was cancer which wasn't detected in mammogram a few months previous so ladies insist on referral if worried .

Thanks Growstuff

PinkCosmos

I have had breast pain on and off for a few years. Since the menopause really.

I have had routine scans which have all come back clear.

I think that it might have been muscular as it seemed go across my breast from my breast bone and across. It was more of a shooting pain.

I do worry that mammograms can miss lumps and that scans are better, or is this not the case?

A mammogram picked up my lump, even though the GP couldn't feel it.

GrannyLaine

growstuff

GrannyLaine

LadyWee

Just hopping on to say - breast pain isn’t usually part of the 2 week referral criteria. Plus GPs cannot normally order USS/mammograms etc. Normally breast referrals go through the breast team and they will
Arrange investigations. Sometimes when posters advise people they need something when they don’t meet the NHS criteria I can imagine it can lead to a lot of distress for those involved as they have unmet expectations.

Good post LadyWee, absolutely agree.

But I did meet the criteria!

Fair enough.
But the thread is about breast pain and LadyWee's post was a general comment, not specifically to you growstuff

Explanation accepted. As you can possibly understand, I'm feeling quite fragile at the moment. I did meet the criteria for referral, but my concern wasn't believed. I'm no medic, but I do know what is normal for my own body and I knew something was wrong. If women have concerns, my only advice would be to read the NHS guidelines and push for referral.

Moving on from the op, I think the issue is that GPs are no longer "family doctors". I can't help thinking that 20 years ago, when my practice only had three doctors who had been there for ages, they would have known that I don't make GP appointments for trivial reasons and that I genuinely did have a concern.

It seems that the government wants us to move to remote consultations, sometimes not even with a GP. That works for some conditions and some people some of the time, but the downside is that patients aren't treated holistically. Doctors don't have a clue about the person they're speaking to and people don't always fit the handy algorithms. I don't suppose GPs are happy with the situation either, but I wish they'd campaign with patients rather than moaning about how they waste time and have unrealistic expectations, etc.

Sorry - I haver had routine mammograms not scans

I have had breast pain on and off for a few years. Since the menopause really.

I have had routine scans which have all come back clear.

I think that it might have been muscular as it seemed go across my breast from my breast bone and across. It was more of a shooting pain.

I do worry that mammograms can miss lumps and that scans are better, or is this not the case?

growstuff

GrannyLaine

LadyWee

Just hopping on to say - breast pain isn’t usually part of the 2 week referral criteria. Plus GPs cannot normally order USS/mammograms etc. Normally breast referrals go through the breast team and they will
Arrange investigations. Sometimes when posters advise people they need something when they don’t meet the NHS criteria I can imagine it can lead to a lot of distress for those involved as they have unmet expectations.

Good post LadyWee, absolutely agree.

But I did meet the criteria!

Fair enough.
But the thread is about breast pain and LadyWee's post was a general comment, not specifically to you growstuff

GrannyLaine

LadyWee

Just hopping on to say - breast pain isn’t usually part of the 2 week referral criteria. Plus GPs cannot normally order USS/mammograms etc. Normally breast referrals go through the breast team and they will
Arrange investigations. Sometimes when posters advise people they need something when they don’t meet the NHS criteria I can imagine it can lead to a lot of distress for those involved as they have unmet expectations.

Good post LadyWee, absolutely agree.

But I did meet the criteria!

LadyWee

Just hopping on to say - breast pain isn’t usually part of the 2 week referral criteria. Plus GPs cannot normally order USS/mammograms etc. Normally breast referrals go through the breast team and they will
Arrange investigations. Sometimes when posters advise people they need something when they don’t meet the NHS criteria I can imagine it can lead to a lot of distress for those involved as they have unmet expectations.

Good post LadyWee, absolutely agree.

LadyWee In my case, I didn't have "pain". I could feel something which felt like a lump and I could sense something inside my breast, which felt like a pea. If I pressed against that part of my breast, there was a sensation - I wouldn't describe it as pain, but I could definitely feel something and that's what I described to the GP.

I waited patiently for my routine mammogram, which confirmed there had been changes. I was recalled at that point and had an ultrasound, which showed up a lump. Fortunately, it's still small (11mm), but is not a sebaceous cyst, which I've had before. I've now had a biopsy. It will be removed, whether or not it's cancerous.

LadyWee I wasn't relying on advice from GN. I had read the same as you posted. I had an unexplained lump (without pain), which the consultant at the breast team told me should have prompted a referral. He still couldn't fell anything, although I could and should have been believed. The point is that the GP couldn't feel anything when she examined me and didn't believe me when I said that I could. She obviously dismissed me as some kind of fantasist or hypochondriac.

Just hopping on to say - breast pain isn’t usually part of the 2 week referral criteria. Plus GPs cannot normally order USS/mammograms etc. Normally breast referrals go through the breast team and they will
Arrange investigations. Sometimes when posters advise people they need something when they don’t meet the NHS criteria I can imagine it can lead to a lot of distress for those involved as they have unmet expectations.

I also had breast pain about 3 years ago. GP I saw was reassuring and examined me, checked my screening results and said it could be referred muscular pain or a poorly supporting bra! It did get better and has not recurred.

I don’t blame you for being angry, Growstuff. That’s simply not good enough. I’m wishing you all the best for next week.

I’m not surprised you’re hopping mad growstuff I’d use stronger words, but get barred from here, all power to your elbow.

I would far rather a GP ordered tests, if there's the slightest suspicion of anything. It's far cheaper and less traumatic to deal with most things if caught early.

I've since discovered that the GP I saw has a reputation for dismissing people's concerns and for being quite rude and arrogant. I don't see a GP very often, so I'd not come across her before. She's a partner and in her 50s ( I would guess), so not inexperienced.

With us it depends on which GP you get to see in our practice. We’ve got a couple who are let’s say over zealous and will send you off for scans even when you don’t expect it. I guess it’s always wise to check anyway.
All the best Growstuff.

Growstuff You have been through the wringer. Everything crossed for you.

Thank you to the people who have sent me good wishes. I'm trying hard to remain optimistic, yet realistic. I'm frustrated that my concerns were ignored and I was treated as an ignorant hypochondriac. I've started a formal complaints process because I don't want other people to have to go through months of worry, as I have.

Rosina

growstuff nine times out of ten the lumps are nothing at all, just pieces of fatty tissue which a surgeon refers to as a 'breast mouse'. Keep that chin up - chances are it is nothing to worry about. xx

I've had a fatty lump before, but the consultant who did the ultrasound and biopsy was concerned. I trusted him enough to know the difference.

I'm angry because it was the GP's fault that I wasn't fast-tracked for a two week assessment on the first place, which the hospital said she should have done.

growstuff nine times out of ten the lumps are nothing at all, just pieces of fatty tissue which a surgeon refers to as a 'breast mouse'. Keep that chin up - chances are it is nothing to worry about. xx

Good luck rafichagran

Good luck growstuff

On undressing for bed one night, I noticed a blood stain in my bra. Made an appointment with GP first thing next morning. I was referred immediately to the Breast Clinic - biopsy done within a week. Happy to report, it turned out to be benign.
Come to think of it, I can’t remember whether I had a follow up scan etc. Maybe I had. It was a few years ago.
For anyone who is panicking and has just noticed something unusual, please be calm but please make an appointment to see your GP asap. Even the worst symptom (bleeding, in my case) can be something quite benign.