Bumpy Breasts

[@llli*azrael499]

I have very fibrous breasts and always think I feel a new lump. I have been breastfeeding now for almost 20 months and now I think I feel another lump. I should be getting my period soon (I'm a little late but it is not probable that I could be pregnant...sex is not that frequent with a toddler in our house and we are always cautious and use protection)...and also know that your breasts get bumpier then also. I have been very stressed and my period is late and milk supply seems a bit lower when pumping. I think it is stress that has been causing a lot of this but it doesn't seem like I have a blocked duct. My grandmother (father's side) had breast cancer so I have been nervous about this since I was younger and therefore I think I make myself a hypochondriac. I would just go to the doctor again to get checked but with my new insurance it is a $50 visit fee to see the gyno and I really don't have the money. Just wondering if anyone else is like this...looking for words of empathy. I'm sick of stressing myself out

[@llli*mommal]

Mama, I can totally understand why you're stressed. But since you're nursing, I think there's every likelihood that this bumpiness is simply related to either your impending period or to a minor plugged duct or semi-plugged duct. As a wise mama here told me not long ago, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

But if this is really impacting you... Invest $50 in your mental health and get checked. I know that's easy for me to say, but I know I have thrown away at least $50 in $10 increments getting my kids checked out for things that turned out to be nothing. But it was worth it to me to know that they weren't sick.

[@llli*kmanih]

Jaime, I almost posted something very similar. My breasts have always been fibrous and dense--so much so that I've already had two mammograms and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy a couple of years ago (I'm 37 now) because even the doctors say that they can feel a "mass" or something of the kind. It always turns out to be normal but very dense breast tissue.

Now with breastfeeding my breasts still feel lumpy and bumpy, in a different way (to be honest I don't even remember how they felt before breastfeeding!). I often get paranoid... some bumps swell when the breast is full of milk and disappear when it's empty. My ob/gyn checked six months ago and told me they felt normal, but I still have my paranoid moments... And like you I've been debating whether to go in for a visit just for peace of mind.

I must say I like mommal's point about the hoofbeats. I am the kind to always think zebras and sometimes I'm afraid I'll drive myself crazy!

[@llli*azrael499]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

I have never had a mammogram but I do get checked as often as I can. I am thinking about asking if I could have a breast exam every 6 months for piece of mind.

I have not been doing self-breast exams as much as I should since I have been breastfeeding. I always think I feel a lump and make me more anxious than anything.

Thanks again

[@llli*auderey]

For what its worth, the research shows that almost all lumps are found by the woman or her partner, NOT by her health care practitioner. They even thought about ending them as part of a normal checkup, but thought people would freak out. So by all means start doing your own breast exams, and listen to your body and your instinct, but dontcounton your hcp to notice.