Friday, January 9, 2009

A cyst

Two weeks ago when on the day we returned from Deep Creek, I took off my clothes and noticed a big red bump on my breast. I thought I had gotten some kind of bug bite (actually a spider bite first came to mind - I hate spiders!). It was really red and really large. I called the nurse on-call through my insurance and she said if it goes down I shouldn't worry about it. It quickly went down and within 3 days the redness was completely gone. I was left with a hard bump that you can feel but not see.

On Monday I mentioned this to my midwife. She suggested I go to my primary care physician for a lyme disease test - totally precautionary. I went today and showed it to my pcp, and he said "I don't think that's a bug bite - you've got a cyst." So we did the lyme disease test just for precaution - results will be back in 7 days. But now I have to go to a breast surgeon to get the cyst checked out.

I felt my eyes get really big when he said 'cyst'. He said it's nothing to worry about but I should get it checked out. I sat there while he filled out the paper work thinking all of the worst thoughts - what if it's cancer? what if I need kemo-therapy? I can't get radiation while pregnant. what's going to happen to me and the baby? what if I have to get my breast removed? can I still breast feed? and on and on...

I'm trying to be calm. It's probably nothing. Well, it's probably a cyst. But what does that mean?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

((hugs)) Try not to panic. I don't do anything having to do with the medical profession, nor have I ever been pregnant. That will not stop me from suggesting that many changes probably occur in your breast during pregnancy. Cysts can form for all sorts of reasons due to hormones. Try not to think the worst.

BTW, I had a lump in my breast six years ago when I was 25 and it turned out to be nothing. I, of course, thought that it was inevitable that I had been cursed with some agressive type of cancer. What I learned from that experience is that many young women have cysts and lumps in their breasts that turned out to be nothing. You are doing the responsible thing by getting it checked out.

Good luck! I'll have my fingers crossed for you.

GOB said...

Women of our age also just sometimes get cysts--remember I had one when I was 27 and it was nothing.