lumps and breast feeding

HillBillyNana

Is it unusual to have a cancerous lump while breastfeeding?

carkris

I dont know if it is
I dont know if it is unusual, but it happened to me the first time. I think it is still rare and most lumps during breastfeeding are benign or clogged ducts. However in my case it was malignant. butin a way it saved my life as I was probably more aware of my breasts and found it early!

HillBillyNana

carkris said:

I dont know if it is
I dont know if it is unusual, but it happened to me the first time. I think it is still rare and most lumps during breastfeeding are benign or clogged ducts. However in my case it was malignant. butin a way it saved my life as I was probably more aware of my breasts and found it early!

Thanks
Thanks carkris for your reply. I have a young friend who is breastfeeding her third child (11 months old). Today she noticed a good sized lump in her breast. I urged her to see her doctor as soon as she can. That will be Monday.

mamolady

HillBillyNana said:

Thanks
Thanks carkris for your reply. I have a young friend who is breastfeeding her third child (11 months old). Today she noticed a good sized lump in her breast. I urged her to see her doctor as soon as she can. That will be Monday.

Anytime there is a question,
Anytime there is a question, you should see the doctor. While she is nursing, they would probably do an ultrasound as the milk could obscure the image in a mammogram, unless she is totally empty.
Breast cancer doesn't care when it hits. It could easily be just a clogged or even infected milk duct, but it is always better to check it out.

Cindy

Corinna11

mamolady said:

Anytime there is a question,
Anytime there is a question, you should see the doctor. While she is nursing, they would probably do an ultrasound as the milk could obscure the image in a mammogram, unless she is totally empty.
Breast cancer doesn't care when it hits. It could easily be just a clogged or even infected milk duct, but it is always better to check it out.

Cindy

I agree that the only way to
I agree that the only way to know is to have the dr check it out. Did she have any lumps with her other children she breastfed?
One other thing, please make sure the dr doesnt make her stop nursing till they find out what the actual dx is. Stopping nursing now will make any situation with her breast worse and perhaps cause an infection and make it difficult to make a dx. Plus the longer she breastfeeds her child, the better. If she needs to stop in the future, her child will be able to just eat regular food with the family then and it will be less of a burden on your friend. Please keep us posted.
Cory

carkris

Corinna11 said:

I agree that the only way to
I agree that the only way to know is to have the dr check it out. Did she have any lumps with her other children she breastfed?
One other thing, please make sure the dr doesnt make her stop nursing till they find out what the actual dx is. Stopping nursing now will make any situation with her breast worse and perhaps cause an infection and make it difficult to make a dx. Plus the longer she breastfeeds her child, the better. If she needs to stop in the future, her child will be able to just eat regular food with the family then and it will be less of a burden on your friend. Please keep us posted.
Cory

It is important to have it
It is important to have it checked out. I did immediately. had a biopsy and the rest is history. i had to wean her over a weekend which was hard. best wishes for your friend!

Lynn Smith

carkris said:

It is important to have it
It is important to have it checked out. I did immediately. had a biopsy and the rest is history. i had to wean her over a weekend which was hard. best wishes for your friend!

It can happen
Breast cancer can happen to women nursing.I know of a 22 year old who found a lump when nursing and it was malignant. I agree with another post that if a person had a tumor they would likely be aware of it breast feeding.

It would have to be stressful and worriesome to know your breast was cancerous and you were feeding your baby. A friend and classmate of mine had uterine cancer when she was pregnant. She had bleeding problems but they never dx it till after her daughter was born.

Lynn Smith

survivorbc09

HillBillyNana said:

Thanks
Thanks carkris for your reply. I have a young friend who is breastfeeding her third child (11 months old). Today she noticed a good sized lump in her breast. I urged her to see her doctor as soon as she can. That will be Monday.

Yes, have her see her
Yes, have her see her doctor. It could be nothing, but, always best to have these lumps checked out.


Let us know.


Jan

CypressCynthia

I do not know the statistics
I do not know the statistics on this, but I do know that I had repeated mastitis in my left breast while nursing my daughter. Breasts are very "ropey" feeling while you are nursing so that it is hard to tell if anything is going on. When she was four, I was diagnosed with Stage 3A in the same left breast. Was something going on with that breast back then? I'll never know, but estrogen levels soar during pregnancy and that may have begun a lesion in my particular case. My cancer is estrogen dependent.

I think this is unusual, but I do strongly believe that, if you feel that something is wrong (and you are not a hypochondriac ;-), keep checking it out. My instincts have been correct more often than not.

carkris

CypressCynthia said:

I do not know the statistics
I do not know the statistics on this, but I do know that I had repeated mastitis in my left breast while nursing my daughter. Breasts are very "ropey" feeling while you are nursing so that it is hard to tell if anything is going on. When she was four, I was diagnosed with Stage 3A in the same left breast. Was something going on with that breast back then? I'll never know, but estrogen levels soar during pregnancy and that may have begun a lesion in my particular case. My cancer is estrogen dependent.

I think this is unusual, but I do strongly believe that, if you feel that something is wrong (and you are not a hypochondriac ;-), keep checking it out. My instincts have been correct more often than not.

I also asked about it , and
I also asked about it , and it does not harm the baby to nurse with a malignant breast. They do say the baby does not prefer the side perhaps because it is harder to nurse. this was the case with me. to this day, it makes me sad, to be diagnosed when you are preganant or nursing, has its own different burdens on the psyche. (that baby is 18)

Kristin N

CypressCynthia said:

I do not know the statistics
I do not know the statistics on this, but I do know that I had repeated mastitis in my left breast while nursing my daughter. Breasts are very "ropey" feeling while you are nursing so that it is hard to tell if anything is going on. When she was four, I was diagnosed with Stage 3A in the same left breast. Was something going on with that breast back then? I'll never know, but estrogen levels soar during pregnancy and that may have begun a lesion in my particular case. My cancer is estrogen dependent.

I think this is unusual, but I do strongly believe that, if you feel that something is wrong (and you are not a hypochondriac ;-), keep checking it out. My instincts have been correct more often than not.

♥It's always best to have
♥It's always good to have a lump looked at by your doctor, whether you are nursing or not.

♥ Kristin ♥