Very tender breasts...

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Okapi42
Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
in Motivation and Support
...no, I don't mean chicken breasts.

Not sure this is the right place, but here goes: every few months, my breasts develop big lumps - sometimes the size of golf balls - that are very sore. I've been to see a specialist about it and she says it's benign, it's just glandular tissue and it's probably swelling because my hormones are out of whack.

While that's reassuring, it doesn't solve the problem of these things being annoyingly painful, especially if I then do high-impact activities like running or riding horses.

Anyone else around here have a similar problem, or better yet, a solution?
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Replies

  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    Id see another specialist. This isn't typical.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
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    I would get a second opinion, or at the very least find answers to these questions from the person who diagnosed you. I would assume they would have reasonable means to prevent prolonged discomfort. Frankly, if I were regularly dealing with random uncomfortable lumps forming (and going away I assume?) I would definitely want a lot of answers especially on the how to prevent them, and then on the how to cope with them on active times.

    Good luck!
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I second the second opinion and see what he/she suggests.
  • dynamitegalxo
    dynamitegalxo Posts: 299 Member
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    your lymph nodes might be full/backed up. a lot of times breast tenderness comes from having too much fluid in the area because your lymph nodes aren't draining properly. the lumps you feel may be just that. there are specific massage therapies that deal with draining lymph, it might be worth it to check out. either way, i'd get a second opinion to have something done about it.

    good luck, i hope you feel better soon!
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
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    I developed this problem in my late twenties & was told the same thing. I went to another doctor, and was told the same thing. Get another opinion, it's a smart thing to do. You cannot be too careful. I've found that if I watch the caffeine, chocolate, sodium, etc., it is not a big deal most of the time. I had to have a biopsy in 2008, but it was fine too. Get that second opinion so you know it's ok.

    Edit: Fibrocystic breast disease ....is this what the doctor said by chance? That's what I have. Or had. I'm 51, symptoms are def better theses days.
  • JuliaLee67
    JuliaLee67 Posts: 149
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    I would get another opinion, maybe see if you can find a doctor who'll do an ultrasound.

    I've had smaller lumps and thickenings in both breasts that came and went with my TOM for years, and I was always told by various docs that they were normal and I was just one of those women with lumpy period bewbs, but a few years ago, I developed a large, painful lump in one breast that felt like half a ping pong ball in there. My doctor sent me to a specialist who did a mammogram and an ultrasound, and it was a big cyst (I had two other smaller cysts as well). It went away on its own, and since I've cut way back on my caffiene intake (on both my doc's and the specialist's reccomendation), I don't seem to have those lumps/thickenings much anymore.
  • melb_alex
    melb_alex Posts: 1,154 Member
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    Oh wow this does not sound normal! I would get a second opinion :(
  • mjculbertson4512
    mjculbertson4512 Posts: 157 Member
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    May be Fibercystic Disease. Sore, tender, lumps, etc. I am still hard to take a mammogram and I am in menopause! Cutting caffeine, Vitamin E and Ibuprophen got me thru the tough stuff.

    Did not let the surgeon aspirate any of mine. (long story, but I walked out of the exam room in a gown- :grumble: )

    The best part is when your gyn asks if you do self exams. Yes ma'am I do, but how do I tell one lump from another. :wink:
  • iluvprettyshoes
    iluvprettyshoes Posts: 605 Member
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    Sounds like Fibrocystic breast disease. I've had it for a long time due to hormonal imbalances. Losing weight helped me. Thing is its harder to lose weight when hormones are acting up.
  • runbyme
    runbyme Posts: 522 Member
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    I would get a second opinion...just because Drs can make mistakes but I would also monitor my caffeine intake. My breasts would get very tender every month and my Dr asked me how much coffee I was drinking. Something about the dense tissue in my breasts would get tender because of the amount of caffeine I was ingesting.

    Quit drinking coffee=no more sore breasts!

    My breasts look like a kids sack of marbles. Big lumps, small lumps, crazy lumps. I've had numerous opinions, mammograms and ultrasounds and it all comes back the same...dense tissue and benign lumps!

    Good luck to you!
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    Id see another specialist. This isn't typical.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    Oh wow this does not sound normal! I would get a second opinion :(
  • Ruthannlandsman
    Ruthannlandsman Posts: 4
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    Hi

    Yep been there!! Ive been told it was just blocked ducts, due to hormonal swings. Some things to try; limit caffeine, and alcohol. Add evening of primrose and vitamin E to your vitamins in the morn. Wear very supportive bras. Also try reading "The Breast Book" I forget the author.
    For me, that ended with menopause.... but then the hot flashes began..... I just cant win!! lol
  • Hopelessone
    Hopelessone Posts: 270 Member
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    The best part is when your gyn asks if you do self exams. Yes ma'am I do, but how do I tell one lump from another. :wink:
    [/quote]

    I can so relate to this ^^^ :huh:

    I agree with everyone who said to get a second opinion. I have the same problem and have had 2 cysts removed because I was told they would keep getting bigger, but that they were benign :). I have even had cysts burst during mammograms, it is scary when you don't know what is going on. Good luck
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Sounds like Fibrocystic breast disease. I've had it for a long time due to hormonal imbalances. Losing weight helped me. Thing is its harder to lose weight when hormones are acting up.

    Indeed - and yet, they all seem to say losing weight will be the key to solving the hormone problem (which caused the weight issues in the first place), so I'm trying my hardest!

    Lots of you seem to find that caffeine makes a difference, so I'll try cutting that out (or at least reducing it) for a while. I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I do have plenty of tea.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    (As for the second opinion - even the first one took long enough to get on the NHS!)
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I was diagnosed with fibroids in my breasts, but they don't hurt. You need to get some biopsies done. They freeze your breast so it doesn't hurt. You'll bruise quite badly but that won't hurt either. I even had my period when I went for the biopsies so my breasts were already tender. You need to get them looked at. If they move or separate, they can hit your chest cavities. That's what i was told, so my lumps get monitored quite regularly.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    IF it is fibrocystic breasts try evening primrose oil. If I RELIGIOUSLY take 2 a day I can run all month. If I get lazy it's extremely painful to run for a good part of the month.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
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    I used to get a sore lump every now and then when I was in my twenties. I had a couple checked out by ultrasound and was told they were fluid-filled cysts that would come and go with my cycle, and so it proved to be. I was told to make sure my bra fitted well so that there was nowhere squeezing and everything was supported evenly. They stopped after I had breastfed my first child, but if you didn't want to do anything that drastic a warm pad helped with the discomfort.

    I sympathise with your NHS delay, but if you were worried I would definitely pursue it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease when it comes to health services in the UK.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Hmmm, I might try the evening primrose oil as well, can't hurt, at least. I suppose it is somehow connected to my cycle, because they come and go, but every few months, they get huge and painful. And I work with kids, so I constantly have to stop myself automatically rubbing them...

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