Posted by Sarah T. on January 11, 2006, at 0:28:58
In reply to Re: Scared, found lump (or is it a rib?) in breast!, posted by Tabitha on January 10, 2006, at 23:48:43
Hello, Deneb,
Tabitha is right. You have to get the lump checked by a doctor (ANOTHER doctor's appointment for you!). I'm a lot older than you, and I've had several breast lumps in my life. I found the first one when I was a bit younger than you are now. It was the first time I'd ever done a breast self-examination. Back in those days, we didn't have the Internet for doing lots of research on breast lumps; in a way, that might have been better for me. Instead of reading about all the things it could possibly be, I told my Mom and my boyfriend, and the very next morning, I called the doctor and went for an appointment. That lump turned out to be a fibroadenoma, which is a benign lump. I've had a few more lumps over the years, and since I've had Internet access, the lumps have been much worse for me. By that, I mean that the Internet provides me with infinite opportunities to drive myself crazy reading about them BEFORE the doctor's appointment.
After lots of experience with breast lumps, I will tell you, there's only one thing to do, and that is to go to a doctor, preferably a gynecologist. Be sure to tell the receptionist that you've found a lump and want it checked immediately. I can't stress enough the importance of getting an appointment as soon as possible. That way, you'll have much less time to diagnose yourself with all the diseases you read about online. The doctor will have had lots of experience feeling breast lumps, and she or he will be able to get an idea from the way it feels about what to do next. They'll probably want to do some diagnostic imaging, such as a mammogram and/or sonogram. And there's a possibility they might want to sample some cells via a biopsy.
Deneb, the only thing you should do now is get an appointment with a good gynecologist. Do you have a doctor you can call for a referral? Perhaps your family doctor can steer you to a colleague. Don't think about it anymore. Just do it. You have to be almost like a robot. Just go through the motions of getting the appointment so that the doctor, who will have had lots of experience with this sort of thing, can put your mind at ease. Don't read any more about breast lumps until after your doctor's appointment.
Sarah
poster:Sarah T.
thread:597828
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20051214/msgs/597844.html