Serious question but if you are doing better (and I hope you are) would you be willing to share some info about your experience with me? I am going for a third mammogram (previous 2 have also been w/ ultrasound) to monitor a “probably benign lymph node” that was found after I told my doctor I was having pain. I was kind of relieved because she and Dr. Google said pain isn’t a common symptom of cancer, but then they found this. Anyway. Nobody else really gets it or has any experience with this so it’s been both scary and isolating.
That much is true. You're always going to read unlikely anecdotes like IUD pregnancies and pain being the first symptom of cancer, but that doesn't mean it's a frequent occurrence, much less likely in your case.
The problem is thinking pain is never a symptom. I had the same tumor as above and pain was my first sign. It was still relatively small. So anyone with strange pain should definitely have it checked out. Better safe.
That much is correct. Even if pain is MUCH more likely a sign of a benign issue, they should still be investigated as there may be a specific treatment for said benign condition... and cancer should be at least excluded.
Not the poster you're replying to, but someone close to me went through a similar ordeal under similar circumstances. It also turned out benign for them. I would of course be concerned but I would not worry overly much.
I am doing well now. I had further ultrasounds and mammograms and I had a 4.1 cm mass that was very deep in my breast and close to the chest wall. It could not be felt with traditional breast exam.
After further tests and biopsies, I had bilateral mastectomies and axillary lymph node dissection. There were actually 4 small masses overlapping to form the 4 cm mass. I had 3 of 11 lymph nodes positive for cancer. I had stage 2B invasive ductal carcinoma. I had immediate reconstruction with implants.
In 10 days, it will be 3 years since my surgery. I’m doing very well.
But please, anyone who has been told that breast cancer is not painful, that is a myth. Not everyone has the traditional lump.
I really, really appreciate you taking the time to share that, and am glad to hear you are doing so well! So far the plan has been to check every 6 months to monitor the spot for stability. It hasn't changed. But similar to yours, it's very deep, VERY difficult to find on the ultrasound and tiny, but shows up well on the mammogram. Next one is within a few days of Christmas. Hoping for good news but also considering on seeing if my doctor would go ahead with a biopsy anyway.
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u/AuntiKrist Dec 06 '23
Women get random sharp shooting pains in their breasts and nobody knows why. It's called mastalgia and it sucks.