Anyone have breast aching, stinging as only symptom of breast cancer?

Posted by joannemm34293 @joannemm30809, Aug 14, 2023

It seems I am a rarity regarding my Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and my only symptom has been my breast aching and stinging. I have had no other symptoms whatsoever and still can not even feel this lump.

I keep reading breast cancer, IDC, is painless YET that’s been my only symptom.

Anyone else only have breast aching or stinging?
I’m STILL waiting on my surgery date which is August 29. I’ve never ever seen soooo much waiting waiting waiting in between abnormal mammogram, then ultrasound, then MRI with contrast, the biopsy, then meet with breast surgeon to FINALLY get scheduled for surgery. Good grief.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group.

I started with the stinging. The burning pain came after about a year the stinging started. I, like you, did not consider cancer.With with the hard pain I came to know as 'the end of the burning'. I left the lump in March of this year, close to the surface.I brought it to my doctor's attention in late April .Immediately I had a mammogram booked for 1 week later.At the second appointment that it was determined 'We don't know what it is but it has to come out'.1 week later I was biopsied and was called and told 'positive for cancer ' DCIS The date was May 28 . 1 had a lumpectomy and sentinel biopsy yesterday.
My surgeon kept reminding me that it was Very early stage, Very slow growing. He agreed that the waiting is the worst part.We, in Canada have a health care crisis.If the pathology comes back telling me I need radiation, I will have to go out of province for it.
I will happily discuss your situation with you! You will be fine ! This ia a wonderful group for support and questions answered!
Sending much love and peace from Newfoundland, Canada!

REPLY
@bettycollins

I started with the stinging. The burning pain came after about a year the stinging started. I, like you, did not consider cancer.With with the hard pain I came to know as 'the end of the burning'. I left the lump in March of this year, close to the surface.I brought it to my doctor's attention in late April .Immediately I had a mammogram booked for 1 week later.At the second appointment that it was determined 'We don't know what it is but it has to come out'.1 week later I was biopsied and was called and told 'positive for cancer ' DCIS The date was May 28 . 1 had a lumpectomy and sentinel biopsy yesterday.
My surgeon kept reminding me that it was Very early stage, Very slow growing. He agreed that the waiting is the worst part.We, in Canada have a health care crisis.If the pathology comes back telling me I need radiation, I will have to go out of province for it.
I will happily discuss your situation with you! You will be fine ! This ia a wonderful group for support and questions answered!
Sending much love and peace from Newfoundland, Canada!

Jump to this post

Maybe you can answer this. My biopsy report said ER+, PR+ and HER2- neu.
So I’m HER2 negative but what does the NEU mean in connection with HER2-??

REPLY
@joannemm30809

Maybe you can answer this. My biopsy report said ER+, PR+ and HER2- neu.
So I’m HER2 negative but what does the NEU mean in connection with HER2-??

Jump to this post

I'm sorry, I cannot answer that , but if you were provided with contact for a health care provider ,I'd use it. We in Canada are in Health Care Crisis mode. I will research it until I find an answer for you - first I will need to sleep off some medication -Thank you SO much , for reaching out !

REPLY
@bettycollins

I'm sorry, I cannot answer that , but if you were provided with contact for a health care provider ,I'd use it. We in Canada are in Health Care Crisis mode. I will research it until I find an answer for you - first I will need to sleep off some medication -Thank you SO much , for reaching out !

Jump to this post

I understand. Sad to say America’s healthcare system is going in the crapper real fast. It took me almost 2 months to get a biopsy. I called around to 12 different surgeons and breast care centers. Every single one of them was 1.5 months to two months out to get a biopsy. Then I had to wait almost 3 weeks to see the breast surgeon. The other surgeons were booked out farther than that for a consultation and now I’ve been waiting almost one month for my surgery and this is at a top-notch Cancer facility Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. But all the other doctors that are standalone surgeons not associated with a big cancer center like Moffitt they are pushed farther out. My husband’s pulmonologist told us last week that he’s absolutely petrified for our community in southwest Florida because we do not have enough hospitals, we definitely do not have enough hospital beds, and just getting a basic doctor appointment to see your cardiologist or your primary care doctor or your lung doctor when the snowbirds are not here in Florida is about 3 to 4 weeks out and when the snowbirds come here, you can’t get in to see a doctor at all. I’m just laying here in bed waiting for August 29 to come around so I can have a mastectomy and cut out this nasty cancer and I feel like I’m just about in a third world country at this point going through what I’ve been through since January of this year regarding my left breast. Absolutely disgraceful. But that’s the politicians in this country for intentionally running this country into the ground.

REPLY

It's sad to see world leaders not getting behind the sick. It's disgusting to me! However , getting results is far more important. I understand your frustration. But, don't let the bad outweigh the good!

REPLY
@sirene

I had gripping pains prior to being diagnosed as well as while waiting on surgery. I had it once since surgery and they did an ultrasound that didn't show any issues. I had one implant due to a childhood issue and had it leak, the second one was "recalled" because it could cause lymphoma. Now, I read that they say they all can cause cancer. When I asked to have mine removed while they were doing the mastectomy on the other side, my dr said that I made a good call because I had cells that had the potential of turning to cancer.

Jump to this post

Did the doctors ever figure out what your gripping pains are from? I would have thought AFTER your surgery that gripping pain would have stopped but you said it continued after surgery. What was the cause of this pain?

REPLY

I had an occasional ache or soreness in the months leading up to my DX. In September of 22 I had an abnormal mammogram and went in for a diagnostic mammo/US about 10 days later. I had two biopsies and they were both benign. Fast forward to June 13th and I was sitting on the couch, and messing with the irritated side. Well I do monthly checks but I also have implants that make it a bit harder but I finally was getting good at pushing hard and feeling for anything. Sooo, I reached over and went right to the spot where I had this annoying feeling and thought I felt a small pea sized lump. My mother in law confirmed she could feel it too. Long story short, went to my primary the next morning (I don’t wait) and she referred me for U/S and I was able to get in two days later! The radiologist told me she’s comfortable watching this every 6 months… I said I want to do biopsy. So we did, got another appointment 4 days later for that, then 3 days after that I got the news. 9mm tumor (by ultrasound so it was pea size) grade 3, ki67 of 85% ER/PR- negative HER2 positive. A faster growing and more aggressive tumor than I’d like to have for sure. However, based on my PETSCAN, MRI, and ultrasound of the nodes, there is nothing detected there which is great & I hope ultimately it never went in any of them so we’ll find out during surgery for sure. Size detected at MRI was 1.1cm. We will check nodes at my mastectomy though to make sure there isn’t anything microscopic. However, I initially started chemo in July so my process moved relatively quick (less than 30 days after DX) to get started. After 4 rounds of chemo I’ll have surgery then 9 more months of infusions after that of herceptin and perjeta. I’m stage 1A, so very early with IDC. I honestly called every day for every scan to check for cancellations and ended up getting my treatment started 13 days sooner! Which for me was a lot! So I’m in the middle of my 2nd cycle and I feel like my tumor is much smaller which is a good sign! My goal is PCR at surgery!

Joanne, I think in your case your tumor pathology must be less aggressive and you have no node involvement based on scans. Depends on your hormone status I’m assuming you’re hormone positive and HER2 negative and that’s why no neoajuvant chemo like I’m on. Your pathology report should show all of this, because we are all so different. They should tell you tumor size, nodes involved or suspected, tumor grade, hormone status, KI67, etc… which you probably already know but that could be your reason of waiting and no chemo yet. Waiting sucks, it’s the hardest and until I started my infusions (I go weekly) I literally could not eat or sleep knowing this thing was not controlled! But I pushed constantly. I called every day! I’m so sorry for your wait! 😔

REPLY

Here is how I feel. I will never remain passive or lukewarm about this topic (breast cancer) because since my biopsy came back as breast cancer on July 25 my eyes have been opened wide to the disgraceful and unacceptable healthcare system, specifically in my case regarding breast cancer.
I will continue VENTING until things change.

-----

America's health care system is disgraceful. Mammograms and ultrasounds missing far too many cancerous tumors (up to 30% of cancers are missed on mammogram).

MRI'S that can and DO catch cancerous tumors (as in my case) that far too many mammograms miss are NOT used in catching these missed cancerous tumors, insurance companies not allowing other imaging machines as a standard up front line of defense.

LONG waits for far too many of us for biopsies. (I waited 1.5 months for a biopsy and waiting additional one month for surgery after waiting two additional weeks to see a breast surgeon) Then LONG WAITS again for many of us to see a surgeon and get life saving surgery and therapies in a expedited manner.

Highway robbery costs to get life saving drugs etc that only the wealthy can afford.

Disgraceful. Unacceptable. More women should be outraged over all this.

Things will never change or improve if we remain accepting of what is unacceptable.

My high definition 3D mammogram and ultrasound totally MISSED my cancerous breast tumor in February and only through MY PERSISTENT attitude did I finally get a MRI on June 2nd that showed this tumor in EXACT location my breast has been aching for several months.

Ultrasound earlier had called this distinctly CANCEROUS TUMOR just a BENIGN CYST.

AND WE WONDER WHY SO MANY WOMEN ONCE THEY GET ON THE SURGERY TABLE AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING AND WAITING ETC ARE FOUND TO HAVE MESTATISIZED BREAST CANCER AND WHY MANY WOMEN DIE BECAUSE OF TOO MANY MAMMOGRAMS MISSING these cancerous tumors or giving false negative results AND way too long in waiting to get to surgery for far too many of us to cut this cancerous out of our body.

Every breast cancer patient should have a pet scan to see, before surgery, if the cancer has spread YET MANY LIKE ME have NOT gotten a pet scan. Surgeons will admit they do NOT know fully the true diagnosis or aggressiveness of your cancer until AFTER the lumpectomy or mastectomy SO why a pet scan is not done at the earliest timeframe is beyond me.

I'm still waiting waiting waiting for my surgery to REMOVE this cancer (August 29 is the surgery) and I still have had no petscan even though my entire body feels like total crap.

Things will never change and the status quo will continue unless we women will no longer accept the UNACCEPTABLE.

Joanne Mulvaney

I have sent this long message or email now to every single news media that I can find in the state of Florida from TV to newspapers to radio to breast cancer groups because I am no longer going to except what is totally unacceptable.

REPLY
@joannemm30809

Here is how I feel. I will never remain passive or lukewarm about this topic (breast cancer) because since my biopsy came back as breast cancer on July 25 my eyes have been opened wide to the disgraceful and unacceptable healthcare system, specifically in my case regarding breast cancer.
I will continue VENTING until things change.

-----

America's health care system is disgraceful. Mammograms and ultrasounds missing far too many cancerous tumors (up to 30% of cancers are missed on mammogram).

MRI'S that can and DO catch cancerous tumors (as in my case) that far too many mammograms miss are NOT used in catching these missed cancerous tumors, insurance companies not allowing other imaging machines as a standard up front line of defense.

LONG waits for far too many of us for biopsies. (I waited 1.5 months for a biopsy and waiting additional one month for surgery after waiting two additional weeks to see a breast surgeon) Then LONG WAITS again for many of us to see a surgeon and get life saving surgery and therapies in a expedited manner.

Highway robbery costs to get life saving drugs etc that only the wealthy can afford.

Disgraceful. Unacceptable. More women should be outraged over all this.

Things will never change or improve if we remain accepting of what is unacceptable.

My high definition 3D mammogram and ultrasound totally MISSED my cancerous breast tumor in February and only through MY PERSISTENT attitude did I finally get a MRI on June 2nd that showed this tumor in EXACT location my breast has been aching for several months.

Ultrasound earlier had called this distinctly CANCEROUS TUMOR just a BENIGN CYST.

AND WE WONDER WHY SO MANY WOMEN ONCE THEY GET ON THE SURGERY TABLE AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING AND WAITING ETC ARE FOUND TO HAVE MESTATISIZED BREAST CANCER AND WHY MANY WOMEN DIE BECAUSE OF TOO MANY MAMMOGRAMS MISSING these cancerous tumors or giving false negative results AND way too long in waiting to get to surgery for far too many of us to cut this cancerous out of our body.

Every breast cancer patient should have a pet scan to see, before surgery, if the cancer has spread YET MANY LIKE ME have NOT gotten a pet scan. Surgeons will admit they do NOT know fully the true diagnosis or aggressiveness of your cancer until AFTER the lumpectomy or mastectomy SO why a pet scan is not done at the earliest timeframe is beyond me.

I'm still waiting waiting waiting for my surgery to REMOVE this cancer (August 29 is the surgery) and I still have had no petscan even though my entire body feels like total crap.

Things will never change and the status quo will continue unless we women will no longer accept the UNACCEPTABLE.

Joanne Mulvaney

I have sent this long message or email now to every single news media that I can find in the state of Florida from TV to newspapers to radio to breast cancer groups because I am no longer going to except what is totally unacceptable.

Jump to this post

I commend you for this. I’m completely flabbergasted that you haven’t had a PET/CT. That was my first test ordered after my biopsy. I love my oncologist team. First of all, the constant MENTAL stress if I didn’t have a PET I would be in a much darker place. It is DAMAGING to your brain and consuming your thoughts. I’m 43 with a 3 1/2 year old toddler and the thought or possibility of leaving her young is is literally the scariest thing ever. Very healthy overall but I’m going to push every test at every angle for the quickest turnaround so we have a quicker plan. Time is of the essence, this stuff grows. Grows slower for some, but for me it does not. That’s why even though I hate to look at it, I read EVERYTHING after every test so I know what you expect and if they think I’m borderline, let’s move up the aggressive scale. I’m here to live and want every chance at the lowest possible recurrence rate so I’m going as aggressive as they’ll let me. I think I’m getting another MRI before surgery (after my chemo) to assess the situation to see how it has responded and what we need to add or change so we can get a PCR. They know this is my very highly sought after goal. I’m only thinking that your nodes were clear on MRI so they didn’t move forward with the PET possibly? But honestly still… it doesn’t matter. They need to stop putting a price on our heads. Or give us the option to pay. I don’t care, I want everyone to have the option. And it’s been this long total?! Ohh wow… I understand your anger! I would be spinning!

REPLY
@joannemm30809

Here is how I feel. I will never remain passive or lukewarm about this topic (breast cancer) because since my biopsy came back as breast cancer on July 25 my eyes have been opened wide to the disgraceful and unacceptable healthcare system, specifically in my case regarding breast cancer.
I will continue VENTING until things change.

-----

America's health care system is disgraceful. Mammograms and ultrasounds missing far too many cancerous tumors (up to 30% of cancers are missed on mammogram).

MRI'S that can and DO catch cancerous tumors (as in my case) that far too many mammograms miss are NOT used in catching these missed cancerous tumors, insurance companies not allowing other imaging machines as a standard up front line of defense.

LONG waits for far too many of us for biopsies. (I waited 1.5 months for a biopsy and waiting additional one month for surgery after waiting two additional weeks to see a breast surgeon) Then LONG WAITS again for many of us to see a surgeon and get life saving surgery and therapies in a expedited manner.

Highway robbery costs to get life saving drugs etc that only the wealthy can afford.

Disgraceful. Unacceptable. More women should be outraged over all this.

Things will never change or improve if we remain accepting of what is unacceptable.

My high definition 3D mammogram and ultrasound totally MISSED my cancerous breast tumor in February and only through MY PERSISTENT attitude did I finally get a MRI on June 2nd that showed this tumor in EXACT location my breast has been aching for several months.

Ultrasound earlier had called this distinctly CANCEROUS TUMOR just a BENIGN CYST.

AND WE WONDER WHY SO MANY WOMEN ONCE THEY GET ON THE SURGERY TABLE AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING AND WAITING ETC ARE FOUND TO HAVE MESTATISIZED BREAST CANCER AND WHY MANY WOMEN DIE BECAUSE OF TOO MANY MAMMOGRAMS MISSING these cancerous tumors or giving false negative results AND way too long in waiting to get to surgery for far too many of us to cut this cancerous out of our body.

Every breast cancer patient should have a pet scan to see, before surgery, if the cancer has spread YET MANY LIKE ME have NOT gotten a pet scan. Surgeons will admit they do NOT know fully the true diagnosis or aggressiveness of your cancer until AFTER the lumpectomy or mastectomy SO why a pet scan is not done at the earliest timeframe is beyond me.

I'm still waiting waiting waiting for my surgery to REMOVE this cancer (August 29 is the surgery) and I still have had no petscan even though my entire body feels like total crap.

Things will never change and the status quo will continue unless we women will no longer accept the UNACCEPTABLE.

Joanne Mulvaney

I have sent this long message or email now to every single news media that I can find in the state of Florida from TV to newspapers to radio to breast cancer groups because I am no longer going to except what is totally unacceptable.

Jump to this post

Did you include Gov and Casey DeSantis on your email list? She was also treated at Moffitt in Tampa.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.