Oh No | Just Diagnosed

Saninbham

I really really just thought it was swelling from the COVID vaccine. You can’t feel it during a regular self exam or on mammogram, but if you turn slightly you can feel it and it’s huge! How could I have missed that

PaulineJ

I did the same thing in 2012 at first.The mammogram was telling me,but they said it was benign.So I did an exam to myself and felt the bump.I tried to get a second opinion at Boston Medical and she told me she didn't find a bump.So I asked someone who saw a doctor for a long time if she would see me since my doctor left around that time.I called Carney Hospital and she made an app.immediately and sent me to a surgeon within a week.to skip all the details I had the first surgery That same month of July than 2 weeks after I had the lymp noyeds and he taken out 6 out of (? He told me ,but I forgot.)And had me see an oncologist ater starting radiation and arimidex.I had stage 2

beachbum5817

Hi, Saninbham, welcome to WhatNext. I am sorry that you needed to find us, but we are here to help you on your journey. Try not to beat yourself up about not noticing your tumor sooner. I had a mammogram done at the middle of September, 2013. The report showed no evidence of disease. About 6 weeks later, I moved my hand over my upper left breast and felt a lump. It was not small. I had a biopsy and was told that I had cancer on Dec. 10. At that time I was told that it was 2 cm, no node involvement and the cancer was HER2 positive and ER, PR negative. Jan 2, 2014, I had a double mastectomy. It turned out the tumor was 3 cm, and 4 lymph nodes were positive. If I hadn't pursued it, I probably wouldn't be here now. You know your body better than anyone else. Do not let anyone shrug off your concerns, Keep us posted on how you are doing. Take care.

ChicagoSandy

Hi, Saninbham. Don't take this the wrong way, but good thing you noticed a lump, so you could get diagnosed & treated sooner. I didn't have a lump--on my 20th annual routine screening mammo, they noted a "focal asymmetry" in the L breast that wasn't there the year before. Because of that, I was called back in for a "spot compression" (close-up) mammo and then an ultrasound (estimated 7mm), which led to the biopsy that diagnosed a 9mm Grade 2 ER+/PR+/HER2- ("Luminal A") tumor. By the time I had my lumpectomy two weeks later, it was 1.3cm. Fortunately, the nodes were negative, margins clear and my grade & receptor status the same--stage IA. That was almost 7 yrs. ago, when I was 64. So far, so good. I shudder to think what would have happened had I followed the then-standard medical advice to get a screening mammo only every two years.

Listen to your body. Though a vaccination (of any type) can cause temporary gland swelling (your immune system thinks it's an infection), it's sore and as I said, temporary. But if it's painless and looks & feels like a lump, don't take "no" for an answer--be an advocate for yourself. Hope all goes well.

ImWorthIt

Sandy, I completely agree about being your own advocate. No-one knows our bodies like we know our bodies.

Sometimes it is "good" to find the lump so it can be addressed-whether it turns out to be cancerous or benign.

For me, the opposite was true. I am glad I went for my mammo. I didn't feel anything at all. Mine was so tiny- like little grains of pepper- that it might have been much more invasive if I had waited until I felt a lump.

As they say, this journey is different for everyone. No two people have the exact same cancer journey.

I am always interested to read your posts, as they always bring some clarity and a chance to step back and say "I need to pay attention and get it in gear" or "Okay, take a breath. The sky is NOT falling today."