Help. girlfriend has lump

[raggedjimmi]

mates. bloody hell I need you all now.
During pillow talk a few moments ago my girlfriend told me to feel here, pulled my hand down and pushed against her breast. she has a lump. not too big, about the size of a pea. she only noticed it herself a few days ago. I'm the first person she's told. shes going back to university on tomorrow but the doctors are closed. effectively she wants to go to the docs next weekend! because she has lectures apparently on Monday. I was just "no bleedin way, you're staying here and going docs on monday"... y'know!

anyways i dunno. im just really scared .very scared. shes only 19. 20 next week. shes so beautiful. god i dunno. its probably a cyst. i have no facts to prove that or any doctor knowledge but y'know :)

so yea.

[Applespider]

Try to stay calm and yes, going to the doctor as soon as possible is the best thing.

At her age, it's more likely to be a something benign. But at that size, even it were cancerous, it should be early enough to be able treat it successfully. I have two friends who have both had breast cancer and survived it.

Stay with her, hold onto her and let her know that you love her and will stick by her... good luck

[Patmian212]

mates. bloody hell I need you all now.
During pillow talk a few moments ago my girlfriend told me to feel here, pulled my hand down and pushed against her breast. she has a lump. not too big, about the size of a pea. she only noticed it herself a few days ago. I'm the first person she's told. shes going back to university on tomorrow but the doctors are closed. effectively she wants to go to the docs next weekend! because she has lectures apparently on Monday. I was just "no bleedin way, you're staying here and going docs on monday"... y'know!

anyways i dunno. im just really scared .very scared. shes only 19. 20 next week. shes so beautiful. god i dunno. its probably a cyst. i have no facts to prove that or any doctor knowledge but y'know :)

so yea.
Mate, it might be nothing. . . Does she have history of cancer in her family? If not then I dont think its cancer. But Im not a doctor. . . I say make her go monday!

[2nyRiggz]

Stay calm and be with with her every step of the way. She will be looking to you for the strengh and support so now you must become the wall that she needs. Go to the doc and make sure that everything is alright....i think she might wanna skip class for that one.

Hope everything is alright...stay up and strong.


Bless

[Kernow]

This must be a scary time for both of you, but you don't know anything for sure until she gets to the doctor. As you point out, it could be a cyst, or some other benign growth. It is important that she gets to the doctor's as soon as possible.

My ex had a lump in her neck (not quite the same, I know) that initially the doctors said could be cancer, but when the tests came back, it was a blockage in the lymph glands. These things don't always turn out to be the worst. From experience, the best thing you can do is provide support and be strong and be there for her.

Good luck, and if you need support, we'll all be here.

[savar]

anyways i dunno. im just really scared .very scared. shes only 19. 20 next week. shes so beautiful. god i dunno. its probably a cyst. i have no facts to prove that or any doctor knowledge but y'know :)

so yea.

a lump can be many things, i agree with you, get her to the doctor ASAP, next week is too long. even the thought of what it could be will drive you crazy, so keep your hopes up and focus on the facts, don't beat yourself up brooding over it.

[evoluzione]

try not to worry too much fella, as 2ny said, you gotta be her rock right now. it's probably nothing to worry about, especially as it appears to be relatively small.

however, now is probably a good time to evaluate certain things, like your (her) diet. try and stay away from processed foods, and anything not natural, basically try and eat fresh and organic, the way it should be.

anyway, be there for her, especially at the doctors, even if she doesn't want you with her, she'll appreciate the support afterwards.

above all, don't worry, or if you can't help but worry (which is totally understandable) try not to show it, or take out any aggression or anything like that on her, keep your feelings in check, it's easy to have some strong feelings at times like this, and it's no ones fault...sounds odd i know.

again, don't worry! i'm sure everything'll be fine lad. give her a hug and tell her you love her, more than you normally would, she'll be feeling insecure about your relationship at times like this...

chin up

[jefhatfield]

definitely go to the doctor

and also get a second opinion...that's what i did for my wife and it has helped immensely for her cancer because a second opinion group of medical professionals tend to act more quickly, yet more carefully

[w_parietti22]

My mom found a lump a month or 2 ago. It was very scary at first. Luckly, she went to the doctor the next day and get checked out and then found out a couple of days later that she was fine.

Tell her to go to the doctor asap. 1. the sooner its found the easier it is to cure and 2. the sooner you know if shes ok.

[Doctor Q]

Yes, get her to a doctor right away. If they think it's malignant, I think you should go to a cancer specialist or a treatment center with that speciality, not just the campus health clinic. If it's benign, find out whether it needs to be treated anyway, which is sometimes the case.

If the consensus is that it's nothing to worry about (I hope that's the case), she should still check regularly for any changes in hardness or size, and get checked again by the doctor every so often.

(I'm not a medical doctor.)

[BakedBeans]

My GF had one, I **** myself too.

Turned out to be a cyst - most do apparently, do your best to keep calm. Catching it early is a good thing.

Let us know how you get on mate

[mkrishnan]

Mmmm, wow, you and her are in my thoughts. :( I'm glad you're encouraging her to get an eval as soon as possible, and I hope that, as 'Spider says, that it does indeed turn out to be benign.

[Abstract]

People talk about lumps and cysts and chances. Doesn't matter what it is, just get her to a doctor. She wants to go to Uni instead of the doctor because she's stalling......she doesn't want her fear to be realized, so she's putting it off until next week. Just get it over with.


And if you get treated at a hospital, go to a teaching hospital because they're better than other hospitals, and probably other cancer centres as well.

And please get a 2nd opinion no matter what the doctor tells you. I do research related to prostate cancer treatment, and one time a man (who's giving me a LOT of money as a scholarship) told me that he had prostate cancer several years ago and his doctor gave him 3-4 options, and eventually he ended up going for a prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate), but ended up getting prostate cancer recurrence recently (it sounds impossible to get prostate cancer after it was taken away from you, but it is), and he didn't really know what to do.

After I spoke with him for 10 minutes, he realized that there were 2 (major) treatments that his doctor didn't even mention that wouldn't have required such a radical procedure and yet would have had a similar success rate. :rolleyes:

[Counterfit]

If I were in your position (I'd love for a girl put my hand on her breast :o), I wouldn't let her go back to school until she went to the doctor. I think her professors would understand.

[Jaffa Cake]

I know that I'm just repeating what a lot of other people have already posted, but she needs to get this lump checked out at the earliest opportunity. Chances are it's benign, but you just can't take the risk. I went along to the docs myself a couple of years ago to get a lump checked out, so I know how scary it can be – it turned out to be nothing remotely life-threatening but I'm certainly glad I went, if only for the peace of mind.

Get her down that doctors first thing tomorrow – don't take no for an answer! Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

[raggedjimmi]

update...

she told me about it, then we watched X-Men 2 :) till about 3am. I had 3 dreams last night each one ending up with this lump. I kept waking up thinking... nah. it was all a dream.
anyways shes now with her mum. going church later and that. probably tell her then. her mums going to take this very seriously which is what Caroline (eep, my girlfriend, sorry I haven't mentioned her by name yet) needs I think. see cancer killed a lot on her mums side of the family. but neither carolines parents have had cancer, and they're 50 and 60. so I suppose thats good?

I'm trying to change her diet. she's got a student diet. everything tinned or fast food. I think something like this might kick start a healthy regime, even if its something miniscule like a cyst.

I feel better now. it doesn't feel as serious. maybe I'm confusing myself with false hope, maybe not.

funny though. all night I was hugging her. I've never done that before. get too hot and stuff. but last night I just couldn't pull myself away from her.

[acceber]

I'd be roughly the same age as your gf and from what I know breast cancer is generally unheard of under the age of 25.

But, if she's got a history of cancer in her family (regardless of whether it's maternal/paternal), get her to check it out asap. I'm not sure how much one's diet would affect the likelihood of developing breast cancer but kicking that "student diet" sounds like a good idea.

And it's great that she's checking for lumps (make sure you tell her that!), my friends and I are complacent about this sorta thing cause really, the mindset is "it's never going to happen to me".

[raggedjimmi]

I'd be roughly the same age as your gf and from what I know breast cancer is generally unheard of under the age of 25.

But, if she's got a history of cancer in her family (regardless of whether it's maternal/paternal), get her to check it out asap. I'm not sure how much one's diet would affect the likelihood of developing breast cancer but kicking that "student diet" sounds like a good idea.

And it's great that she's checking for lumps (make sure you tell her that!), my friends and I are complacent about this sorta thing cause really, the mindset is "it's never going to happen to me".

I was surprised she was checking! Just that she's a bit reserved and shy. but yea its great thing and I'll be sure to tell her that... cant believe I forgot myself :o

I just told my mum about it. she was taken back but then went on about cysts and stuff. I mean my brother had a cyst in a delicate place for a whole YEAR before telling anyone. a bit daft but nevermind. nah my mums quietly confident that its all going to be ok which has really helped ease my mind.
balls in her court now. hoping she'll tell her mum who'll instantly book her into the doctors for tomorrow. just to ease my mind as much as hers! :)

[Angelus]

Hey man, very sorry to here about your girlfriend. It must be really scary for the both of you. I know i'm repeating alot of what has been said here but a lump doesn't automatically mean she has cancer.
There are a whole range of benign conditions that could cause this, from a cyst to a benign mass. Its very easy to say don't worry about what it is at this stage but really your main priority right now is to make sure your girlfriend goes to the doctor immediately. This has two functions, if its benign then it puts an end to both your worrying.
if, and i stress the 'if' cause she's very young, it should happen to be something more serious then you've caught it early and you can tackle it together.

The main thing is that you are both there for each other during this time.
Oh and if it ever gets too much over the next few days, make sure you talk about it, be it to a close friend or here.

Best of luck.

[bevo]

how old is she?

if she's young, it could be and most likely be a fibroadenoma(?). Its relatively common in young women.

You press on it, is it freely movable? Is there any pain when you push on it? Any blood nipple discharge?

Could be a cyst as well.

Should go see a physician. Depending on her age might have ultrasound done on her and/or a mammogram.

Basically, the differential of the lump comes down to 1) her age 2) family history (does any other person in her family have a history of breast cancer and at what age)

good luck

nvm - I see thats she's 19 years old. It would be highly unlikely for her to have breast cancer at that age.

[raggedjimmi]

Panics over, i think. just got off the phone to caroline, she says that its going down. also told me she had this last month too! that it went down to nothing!

leads me to believe its a swollen gland. shes still going docs tomorrow though, i mean anything like this needs to be checked out.

So the panics over. I wish she would have told me that its happened before last night! I might have had more than 3 hours sleep! :) *wipes sweat of forehead*

[katie ta achoo]

Panics over, i think. just got off the phone to caroline, she says that its going down. also told me she had this last month too! that it went down to nothing!


Awesome!! That's such good news to hear!

If she gets it on a monthly basis, it could just be related to her cycle. I'd still get it checked out, though. Lumps and cancer don't fsck around.

my mom has had this happen to her before. She's had biopsies on no fewer than 7 lumps, and they've all been benign. It's flippin' terrifying, to say the least.

[Patmian212]

Panics over, i think. just got off the phone to caroline, she says that its going down. also told me she had this last month too! that it went down to nothing!

leads me to believe its a swollen gland. shes still going docs tomorrow though, i mean anything like this needs to be checked out.

So the panics over. I wish she would have told me that its happened before last night! I might have had more than 3 hours sleep! :) *wipes sweat of forehead*

Great to hear man. . .Im happy for you!!! :) Phew!

[skoker]

Panics over, i think. just got off the phone to caroline, she says that its going down. also told me she had this last month too! that it went down to nothing!

leads me to believe its a swollen gland. shes still going docs tomorrow though, i mean anything like this needs to be checked out.

So the panics over. I wish she would have told me that its happened before last night! I might have had more than 3 hours sleep! :) *wipes sweat of forehead*

Gla(n)d to hear it!


(sorry, felt we needed a bit of humor here now)

[raggedjimmi]

Gla(n)d to hear it!


(sorry, felt we needed a bit of humor here now)

Mate I'm always after humour :)

its all good. she booked herself into the docs but they are full until Friday.

INCIDENTALLY... she lives in Hyde, Harold Shipman used to be her GP :eek:

[bevo]

if its a monthly thing, its probably tied to her menstrual cycle. Guess she's not using the pill?

either way, it sounds benign.

go get a beer now

[jefhatfield]

i am happy for your good news...and it's also good that you are getting it checked out

routine mammograms are being suggested for younger women these days

[Abstract]

INCIDENTALLY... she lives in Hyde, Harold Shipman used to be her GP :eek:

Yeah, congratulations, although it is a little bit early for it, I guess.

Anyway, your gf survived visits to Harold Shipman, so she'll probably survive this as well. ;)

[Dave00]

Panics over, i think. just got off the phone to caroline, she says that its going down. also told me she had this last month too! that it went down to nothing!

leads me to believe its a swollen gland. shes still going docs tomorrow though, i mean anything like this needs to be checked out.

So the panics over. I wish she would have told me that its happened before last night! I might have had more than 3 hours sleep! :) *wipes sweat of forehead*
She definitely should have the lump checked out by a physician. That is standard practice for any breast lump. Her age, the fact that it varies with her menstrual cycle, and the lack of a family history are all reassuring. However, I've seen a 24-year-old woman with recurrent breast cancer, and most breast cancer occurs in women without a family history. Most lumps of the type you are describing are fibroadenomas, which occur with equal frequency on each breast but are most commonly found on the left, with the reason being that most men are right-handed. ;)

I honestly wouldn't fart around with student health, because your probably going to wind up with a biopsy and they almost never do those at student health.

For what it's worth, dietary history has been found to have very little, if any, relationship with breast cancer.

Good luck.

Dave

[raggedjimmi]

Yeah, congratulations, although it is a little bit early for it, I guess.

Anyway, your gf survived visits to Harold Shipman, so she'll probably survive this as well. ;)

yea AND she survived a broken neck! I swear shes the most unluckiest girl around. had Shipman as her GP, broke her neck flying a stunt kite, had a lump scare. its like a living breathing soap opera

[Jaffa Cake]

On the contrary, I'd say she's been lucky to survive a broken neck and Harold Shipman. Had she been unlucky, she wouldn't have survived. ;)

Fingers crossed she'll be equally lucky this time and get the all clear.

[Littleodie914]

Haha wow, sounds like a wild one! ;) Glad to hear everything's alright though. Stuff like that can be pretty scary, especially when you're in that waiting period when you don't know who to tell, or what to do, and all you can do is uncontrollably plan out 37 versions of the worst outcome! :eek:

[iGav]

Harold Shipman only killed old folk.

So she was perfectly safe. ;)

[raggedjimmi]

Haha wow, sounds like a wild one! ;) Glad to hear everything's alright though. Stuff like that can be pretty scary, especially when you're in that waiting period when you don't know who to tell, or what to do, and all you can do is uncontrollably plan out 37 versions of the worst outcome! :eek:

yea, i mean it might be something sinister. but the combination of it slowly going down and caroline being quite... well she seems very hyper/happy/excited right now so that's easing my mind a little.

[GorillaPaws]

Glad to hear things seem to be better, just to reiterate though, it's definitely worth gettting checked out. My dad's a general/vascular surgeon, and he said that when a breast lump is discovered it's usally malignant about 5% of the time (and I'd imagnine that it'd be much less for someone so young). But don't let that stop her from getting a mammogram, just something you can tell her to make her feel even better. Best wishes for you both.

[raggedjimmi]

Well that was a load of nothing. A few weeks ago she had a biopsy that said it was nothing more than clumped up fat. funny, she's only 7 stone too, made a joke about fat talking to each other "hey there's no fat here, let's get together!", in which she laughed and then slapped me.

anywho. so it's all over :)
sorry to bring up this old topic, just wanted to give the results and be on my way.

the end!

[eva01]

Well that was a load of nothing. A few weeks ago she had a biopsy that said it was nothing more than clumped up fat. funny, she's only 7 stone too, made a joke about fat talking to each other "hey there's no fat here, let's get together!", in which she laughed and then slapped me.

anywho. so it's all over :)
sorry to bring up this old topic, just wanted to give the results and be on my way.

the end!

wait it took them THIS FRACKING LONG to do anything about it?

That is absolutely fracking horrible.

[Jaffa Cake]

Glad to hear it was good news. :)

[sobolobo]

Great!

[jelloshotsrule]

good to hear it wasn't anything bad. does seem odd it took so long though... what the heck?

[Abstract]

Wow, so long to get results? Is this the NHS in action?

[Doctor Q]

Even delayed great news is great news. What a relief, raggedjimmi!

[®îçhå®?]

My girlfriend had a lump like that too. She was only 16 and it was not cancerous, it was just a cyst that they left and it disappeared after a few months. Seriously, go to the doctor ASAP. You never can tell what it is so get a professional opinion and stay by her. Go with her to the doctors every time she needs to for this and comfort her if she gets upset or depressed.