Monday, November 09, 2009 CT to CE asks

Q: Areola Discoloration and possible lump

In the middle of august I noticed a darker area of the areola on my left breast - looks like a bruise. It's on the outer edge of the areola between 12:00 and 1:00 position. The area has almost doubled in size, comparable to the size and shape of a lima bean. I haven't felt anything unusual until last week while I was in the shower. There is something unusual under discolored area, but I can't tell if what I am feeling is an enlarged duct, normal breast tissue or something else. It's about the 1.5cm in length and feels maybe about 1cm thick. It's also hard to tell if it's fixed or movable. I only feel this while standing or sitting and not when I am lying down. I guess I have a two part question. 1) Should I be concerned since I only feel the lump while standing/sitting and not while I am lying down? 2) Should I be concerned about the discolored area? Sometimes I feel like I may over react to issues and I would hate waste anyones time. I am 40, no chance of being pregnant, total hysterectomy 8 years ago. I have been on the hormone Evamist since February 2009. Thanks for your help!

Answers (4)

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PJ Hamel

11/ 9/09 4:26pm

Hi - This qualifies as a breast change; and since it hasn't disappeared (and instead, is getting larger), then yes, you should be concerned. Not panicked - just concerned enough to make a doctor's appointment and get it checked out. In situations like this, it's always wise to first rule out cancer, then pursue the diagnostic tests that would show what it might be. Good luck - PJH

CT to CE

11/10/09 10:04am

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I will call the dr's office to make an appointment.

PJ Hamel

11/10/09 10:53am

Glad to hear it- Good luck. PJH

Mary

11/11/10 7:16pm

This sounds exactly like what I'm going through right now. What ever happened? I can't get in to get a mammogram and ultrasound done for 2 weeks. I'm a nervous wreck!

PJ Hamel

11/11/10 8:05pm

Mary, don't panic, OK? If they were really worried, they'd get you in right away. This post is from a year ago, so I don't know what the outcome was. If you click on her name, though, you can send her a private message from her home page. Take care- PJH

Mary

11/17/10 5:14pm

Hello again, have a question. Since I saw the doctor last week I've noticed an unusualy pain in my left breast. It hurts more when I breathe. Some times I feel it in my right breast. Before I even went to the doctor I'd get shooting pain (just twice) in my left breast, then in the morning it would be gone. I've read a lot about breast cancer and they say it's not painful. Have you heard about this before?

PJ Hamel

11/17/10 5:22pm

This kind of pain isn't a typical breast cancer symptom, Mary. As you noted, pain is seldom indicative of breast cancer, especially shooting pains that come and go. I think once you see the doctor and find out that everything's fine, you'll feel a lot better. Hang in there... PJH

Mary

11/18/10 11:18am

Good moring!

Thanks again for your encouragement. The funny thing is I was cancelling my appt. last week. I was on the phone speaking with the person when something made me say, "oh never mind I'll be there." May sound strange, but I normally wouldn't do that. I really fear there is something wrong. But even if there is, hopefully it can be easily fixed. I have until 11/29 for my appt. so I'm trying really hard not to let this affect me. I've had quite a few melt downs. My mom had ovarian cancer and she suffered for 20 years before passing away. I saw what it did to her and our family. So this is why I'm so afraid, also being a single parent. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to me.

Have a great day!

PJ Hamel

11/18/10 2:47pm

Believe you'll be fine, Mary, and keep believing. it's so much less stressful when you believe the best will happen, ratehr than the worst... Its a challenge, but if you keep working, you CAN control how you feel about this; you CAN control your worry. Don't give up; with time, you'll learn lots of coping strategies. Take care - PJH

CT to CE

11/19/10 5:46pm

Hi Mary,

I'm sorry for the delay in response - Mine ended up being just hormonal changes. My doctor ensured me i did the right thing by having it checked out. It gave me a piece of mind. Good luck!

maribrad

11/18/10 8:36pm

Thanks so much for this response. Three nights ago, I found the same breast change described in the original question (discoloration and possible lump--smaller than a pea). I am 51 years old and post-menopausal. My mother has had a double mastectomy (bouts were decades apart)...so the history makes me nervous. On the grand upside, my mother is going to celebrate her 90th birthday in July.

PJ Hamel

11/18/10 9:08pm

Well, with your mom's history, you need to be extra-careful, so hopefully you'll get this checked out. I'm so glad she's done well - here's to survivorhood! And best of luck to you - hope this turns out to be nothing serious. PJH

maribrad

11/18/10 9:32pm

I am ON IT!! Maybe it's because I'm the mother of 3 daughters (29 year old identical twins and an 18 year old--the 'oldest' twin just became the mother of a daughter 3 months ago)--being a mother of daughters has helped me overcome my fear of "knowing." For a long time, I skipped physicals etc. because I didn't want to know if anything was wrong. In the last 10 years, however, I've finally come to understand that if anything is wrong, I want to know NOW, because my daughters and my granddaughter will also face these same breast health issues. Just because my daughters are in adulthood, I am not done paving a way for them. They help me overcome my fear of "knowing."

PJ Hamel

11/18/10 9:36pm

You are SO right.... You've got a great attitude. Chances are that little lump is a passing thing, but why not find out for sure, right? I always say, action trumps worry... Why sit and wonder when you can find out? Once you find out, either way you can move forward. If you don't know, you're spinning your wheels. Best of luck to you- PJH

maribrad

11/18/10 9:40pm

Action trumps worry! LOVE IT! I will let you know how it turns out. I am glad I stumbled upon this website. Thanks so much.

PJ Hamel

11/18/10 9:52pm

You're welcome - come back and visit again soon. Or - hopefully not, since you won't need to once you see the doctor and get the "all clear"! PJH

Mary

11/19/10 11:36am

Hi it's me again :)

I don't know if I mentioned before, oh and thanks to the last person who responded, made me think of this. I'm adopted, my biological family found me about 10 years ago. I'm not in contact with them, but one thing my biological mother told me is her mother had breast cancer. So I don't know if breast cancer skips generations? I know my bio mother has never had it. My mother that raised me died of ovarian cancer and her mother (my grandmother) will be 100 in February. My mom's dad died of cancer of the mouth though. I know my chances are higher since breast cancer has been in the family. Just have to keep my hopes up!!!

Thanks!!

PJ Hamel

11/19/10 2:26pm

Your biological grandmother having had breast cancer raises your risk just slightly, Mary. Other cancers don't raise your risk of breast cancer. Also, breast cancer doesn't skip generations; it's not systematic like that, it's very random. Hope this helps - PJH

Mary

11/19/10 3:02pm

I wasn't worried about my mom's ovarian cancer, I was just trying to put 2 and 2 together since her dad had cancer. Also, she adopted me. I am happy to hear about it being random. I hear all sorts of stories floating around. Thanks.

Mary

11/19/10 1:19pm

I accidently clicked the turn off notifications, how do I change that back?

PJ Hamel

11/19/10 2:27pm

Mary, go to My Home, then My Settings. You'll see a list of things that are "on" and "off" on the left. PJH

Mary

11/28/10 9:09pm

Hey, well tomorrow is my tests, it's been 2 weeks. I'm so scared!! I've had pain in my chest and back. I went to the doctor and he thinks it's stress. I know what I'm feeling is not from stress. I'm super scared, I've been alright but not that it's so close I'm freaking out. I'll update when I get results. Thanks.

PJ Hamel

11/29/10 6:00am

Take deeeeep breaths, Mary. Chances are everything is just fine. Please let us know what you hear - good luck. PJH

Mary

11/29/10 9:57pm

Hello, had my mammogram and ultra sound. The technician said she couldn't feel anything and I told her I couldn't either. She did the mammogram and it was normal. The ultrasound was normal too. The doctor who said she found something messed up on the paperwork as well. She wrote down in 3 differnt places 3 different areas where she said she found something. I'm not going to see this doctor again. It's looking like it was just breast tissue that she may of felt. Thanks so much for your help, support and encouragement!!

PJ Hamel

11/30/10 6:08am

Well - breathe a big sigh of relief! What good news, Mary - thanks for coming back here and sharing. Good luck as you continue to heal- PJH

Q: Areola Discoloration and possible lump

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