How To Properly Deal With Finding A Lump After A Breast Self-Exam

It is important to periodically check yourself and your breasts by doing frequent self-examinations and assessments to ensure your body is healthy. You should be the one that is most familiar with yourself, and understanding your health should be a priority. If you find a lump during one of your examinations, this does not immediately mean you have cancer, but there are certain things that you should do.

Getting It Checked As Early As Possible

If you have performed a self-exam and found that you have a lump on your breast, this is usually a concern for many women. This can lead to anxiety and fear, so it is important that you go to your doctor or general practitioner as early as possible to get it checked out. You will present the details of the lump as well as your overall health information for doctors to get a grasp of your health in general. It is important that if you have any health concerns with lumps in your breast that you bring those concerns to your doctors as soon as possible. Most often, you will be able to alleviate any anxiety and stress that you associate with such risks, or if there is cause for your concern, you can begin treatments as soon as possible. Catching these issues early increases the chances of success, and the longer you prolong seeing medical help, the worse conditions can get.

Recognizing Fibroadenoma

Fibroadenoma refers to connected tissues and glandular tissues. These are types of lumps or bumps found in the breast and are one of the most common types that can be found in young women from their late teens and early twenties up until their thirties. The fibroadenomas develop from a large amount of estrogen in the body, especially as the breasts grow. The presence of Fibroadenomas in the breast will feel similar to the lumps you find associated with breast cancer but are not cancerous themselves. In most cases, these lumps are not going to change and become cancerous, and are an extreme rarity. If you do find that you have fibroadenomas, it is important to still have it looked at, as simple fibroadenomas do not pose an increased chance of developing breast cancer, but the more complex fibroadenomas do have a slightly increased risk of developing cancer. Additionally, finding lumps may not necessarily mean cancer, or fibroadenoma, but could be caused by other issues like cysts. Your doctors will know best how to proceed.

Doing An Examination

When you go to the doctor’s office, after they have collected your information, data, and concerns, they will do an examination to determine the severity of your concerns and give you a proper diagnosis. They will provide you privacy in their office, but also have a curtain and request you to strip off your shirt, blouse, or clothing from the waist up. They will examine both breasts, even if your concern is only with one. This provides doctors a control, being able to both sides to see any major differences. The doctors may also examine your armpits and your neck area in addition to your breasts. If a clear diagnosis is unable to be reached, your GP may direct you to a hospital and breast clinic for further testing and examination to determine the causes of the lumps. 

Breast Clinic Examination

As mentioned previously, if your general practitioner or family doctor is unable to determine the cause of the lumps or cannot give a clear diagnosis, they may refer you to a clinic where further testing will be done. If you are directed to go to a clinic, be prepared to spend a significant time there, setting aside half your day to ensure you have enough time set aside. There are three levels that will be followed during your assessment, from the clinical assessment, a visit with radiology which would mean a mammogram or ultrasound, and potentially a biopsy for further inspection. Not everyone will require all the procedures, and this will vary from case to case. You will only receive the tests that are required to get a clear indication and full examination of your health status.

Seeking Treatment

If a lump is revealed to be something more than benign and a risk of cancer, then you must look at medical options as soon as possible. There are different treatment methods you can utilize, depending on the stage of the growth. You will consult medical practitioners for their advice on how best to approach potential treatments, and take it one step at a time.

In most cases, lumps that you find will not be anything to worry about, but it is always best to take them seriously and seek out the counsel of doctors and clinical examination to confirm any issues. It is important that you take your health seriously and seek attention as soon as you can when you are concerned. In many cases, you will be fine, with some small issues that may not require any treatment at all, but it is best to know.