I saw my surgeon for my biannual check up. I had a single mastectomy in 2015. I almost got away with the all clear but happened to mention again about a bony lump almost in the center of my chest but back to the left a bit. It often aches and when I move my arm a lot, bruises show up over the lump as its only a thin layer of skin above the bone. I asked soon after the surgery about it and he said it was just the breast bone but this seems higher than the sternum. Anyway, he has booked me in for a CT scan to check it out as the ultrasounds and xrays aren't picking it up. Trust me to be quirky. Could it be a rib broken during surgery or something?

Unlikely to be a rib brokem during surgery as it takes quite a bit of force to snap a rib and you would have had pain on breathing for weeks. It does seem unusual though. Maybe some arthritis. Wondering if it is an internal stitch which irritates things and has formed scar tissue around it. Was he able to feel the lump?

I doubt its sinister but if I was to have some sort of surgery again, maybe they could smooth the bone down or something? Seeing surgeon for the test results in a fortnight. I have two years left of checking for recurrence so might as well be properly sure of everything before then.

I found a round hard lump as I finally got my long term, very large seroma to shrink. Off to my surgeon. He didn't know what it was either, so an ultrascan. Turned out I had a seroma within the seroma! The body can do some weird stuff. Hope it all resolves well.

I hope it's something easily fixed as there's enough to deal with without having extra pain involved. I have not yet worked out how I can be numb in an area and yet get pain from wearing a bra too long. Bloody breast cancer.

Oh Brenda that sucks! Where do they get off with treating you with that little respect? We all understand that doctors get held up. Infuriating as it is we know the person in front of us could be getting the worst news of their life. But how hard is it to make a courtesy phone call, or send an email or text to say you won't be seeing who you actually made your appointment to see? Grrr. That grinds my gears. Do something nice for yourself today, and try to focus on the good news. Big hug, Kate

Does anyone else have a hard lumpy bit in the chest after a mastectomy?

Zoffiel
Member
7 years ago
I have a similar chunky bit lower on my sternum, just below my implants. It's been investigated over the years but it wasn't until I had a PET scan following my recurrence that I could accept it isn't anything sinister. Being the scar tissue and adhesion queen It makes sense, in my case, that it is just a lump of irritation, but I don't like it either and if I wear a bra for any more than a couple of hours I get bruising over it too.
I've had laser and ultrasound therapy on that spot over the years in an attempt to break it up, but the bloody thing seems there to stay. Hopefully yours is just another weirdo anomaly as well. Mxx
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
Bodies are weird eh?! Seems like there could be lots of reasons. Getting it checked out will put your mind at ease at the very least. K xox
Afraser
Member
7 years ago
I found a round hard lump as I finally got my long term, very large seroma to shrink. Off to my surgeon. He didn't know what it was either, so an ultrascan. Turned out I had a seroma within the seroma! The body can do some weird stuff. Hope it all resolves well.
Brenda5
Member
7 years ago
I took some photos including my contorted face trying to do it all in a mirror lol. The hard bony lump is above the scar line and I get bruising over it with lots of arm movement. It is on my left side and I have SVT heart condition so half the time I am worrying about heart pains and the other half is the bruising with this lump.
primek
Member
7 years ago
Unlikely to be a rib brokem during surgery as it takes quite a bit of force to snap a rib and you would have had pain on breathing for weeks. It does seem unusual though. Maybe some arthritis. Wondering if it is an internal stitch which irritates things and has formed scar tissue around it. Was he able to feel the lump?
Summer_Prevails
Member
7 years ago
Just relating your story back to one of mine, and I have a hardish lumpy bit around the end of my lumpectomy scar which I am told is just (‘just’) bad fibrosis, so just a bunch of heavy scar tissue deep in the breast.

Could your lumpy bit be scar tissue?