So if you saw my weekly check-in Sunday you would have seen I had to attend a breast clinic after thinking I found a lump and experiencing pain in one of my boobs. I started to get this weird pain in my boob around 6 months ago…I know what your thinking 6 months but when it first started I had no idea what was going on. The pain comes and goes and lasts a few hours before going away again so I waited a few weeks to see if it would just stop and I didn’t think to feel for lumps at the beginning. However, when the pain kept coming back I decided to have a feel when the pain started to see if I could feel anything and it scared the life out of me the first couple of times I felt the lump.

Once I felt the lump while I had the pain a couple of times, something told me to check for the lump when the pain wasn’t there. I couldn’t find it which then made me question what I felt when I had the pain and put me off ringing the GP straight away. However, when the pain kept coming back and was seemly getting worse I decided it was probably time to contact someone about it. I was honestly shocked by the advice my GP gave me when I explained what was going on over the phone, I didn’t even have a face-to-face appointment. The GP told me to take Iburphen 3 times a day for 2 weeks and if the pain continued then to ring back, there was no mention on sending me to a breast clinic or for her to even see me. I was honestly shocked as I had stated I was unsure of what I had felt or was going on.

After the 2 weeks, I will admit the pain stopped for a while but it kept coming back again so I kept taking the tablets each time the pain started but after a while, they were doing less and less and the pain was becoming more frequent. I also started to notice marks appearing on my boob, enough was enough I wanted to have it checked and I wasn’t rolling over this time. When I spoke to my GP she agreed to send me for a 2-week urgent appointment for the cancer breast clinic. After nearly 4 weeks I finally got an appointment Saturday, I was so nervous and dreaded the idea of them finding something worrying. When you hear cancer clinic you freak out which I think is a normal reaction, I’m only 24.

They were lovely at the breast clinic and as awkward as I felt I can’t fault the consultant or nurse who I saw. We spoke first and I went over everything that had been happening. The consultant then asked me to remove my top and bra, put on this cape thing and sit on the bed. I had no idea what to do so I was trying to be modest while showing her where the pain was and where I see the marks when they come. However, she removed the whole cape and started to check my boobs while creating small talk… Nothing worse than having someone play with your boobs while asking about your day and job.

Once she finished examining me she told me she found the lump I was feeling but it wasn’t a lump in the breast tissue. I have a lump where my bone meets the cartilage on my third rib. She wanted to do an ultrasound just to check what was exactly what she was feeling, which was confirmed. We then had another chat and she basically told me there’s nothing we can do about it as it is connected to my Hypermobility Syndrome and connective tissue issues. I have never been so relieve there’s nothing majorly wrong and I was glad for it to be over.

So take this as your reminder to check your boobs for any lumps. Be safe x