Found a Breast Lump in Ajax? Understanding the Next Steps

Noticing a lump or a change in your breast can stop you in your tracks. Some people find one in the shower, some while getting dressed, some when a partner mentions it. The moments that follow are often filled with questions, and it is natural to want answers right away.

This article does not try to tell you what a lump is or is not. Nobody can do that from a description, and no article should try. What it can do is explain the path that usually follows, so the next few steps feel less like a maze. The single most important message is simple: contact your health-care provider promptly to have the change checked. Everything else in this guide is about understanding what may come after that call.

It is written for women and men in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and the rest of Durham Region. Breast changes can happen to anyone, and the advice to get them checked applies to everyone.

Step one: book an appointment with a provider

Call your family doctor or nurse practitioner and tell the receptionist that you have found a new breast lump or change. Say it plainly; it helps them understand that you need to be seen soon rather than at your next routine visit.

If you do not have a family doctor, or cannot get a timely appointment, options in and around Ajax include:

• A walk-in clinic or virtual care service that can examine you or refer you on.
• Health811, Ontario’s free health advice line, to speak with a registered nurse about where to go.
• A sexual health or community health centre, if that is where you usually receive care.

Some changes call for urgent attention rather than a regular appointment. If your breast becomes suddenly red, hot, swollen and painful, especially with a fever, or if you feel very unwell, seek same-day care at an urgent care centre or emergency department.

Why not just book a screening mammogram?

This is one of the most common questions we hear, and it is an important one. Our clinic is registered with the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP), and women aged 40 to 74 can book routine screening with us without a referral. But routine screening is designed for people who do not have symptoms. A lump, nipple change, skin change or new breast pain is a symptom. It calls for a provider’s examination and, if needed, diagnostic imaging ordered by that provider.

If you are due for screening anyway, mention it to your provider when you discuss the lump, and let them decide on the right test.

Step two: prepare for the examination

A little preparation helps you make the most of your appointment. Before you go, jot down:

1. When you first noticed the change.
2. Where it is, for example upper outer part of the left breast, or near the nipple. Some people find it helpful to describe it like a clock face.
3. What it feels like to you: hard or soft, fixed or movable, tender or painless. You do not need to get this “right”; just describe it in your own words.
4. Whether it has changed, and whether it seems to vary with your menstrual cycle, if you have one.
5. Other changes you have noticed, such as skin dimpling, redness, nipple discharge or inversion, or swelling in the armpit.
6. Your history: previous breast imaging and where it was done, previous biopsies or surgery, and any family history of breast or ovarian cancer that you know about.
7. Medications, including hormones.

Bring someone with you if you would like support. A second person can also help remember what was said.

Step three: understand why imaging may be ordered

After examining you, your provider will decide what, if anything, should happen next. Imaging is commonly part of the plan. The tests you may hear about include the following.

Diagnostic mammogram

A diagnostic mammogram is different from a screening one. It focuses on a specific concern and may include additional views of the area in question. Like all mammography, it uses low-dose X-ray to image the breast. Your provider will send a requisition describing what they would like examined.

Breast ultrasound

Ultrasound uses sound waves and can show whether an area is fluid-filled or solid, and what it looks like in more detail. It is often used together with mammography, and in younger people it may be the first test chosen. Your provider decides which combination makes sense.

Further tests

Depending on what imaging shows, your provider may recommend additional steps. These can include more imaging, a follow-up appointment, a referral to a specialist or breast assessment service, or a biopsy, where a small sample of tissue is taken for examination. Being asked to have further tests is part of how a finding is properly understood. Ask your provider to explain what each step is for.

Our clinic offers mammography and ultrasound. When you have a requisition for breast imaging, call us and we will confirm which of the requested exams can be booked with us and what preparation is needed.

Step four: get ready for your imaging appointment

If your provider requests a mammogram, our standard mammography preparation applies, and we will confirm any extra details when you book:

• Skip deodorant, antiperspirant and powder on your chest and underarms that day, because particles can show up on the images.
• Wear a two-piece outfit so you only need to undress from the waist up.
• Bring your health card and your requisition, plus the name of any clinic or hospital where you have had breast imaging before.

Tell the technologist where the lump is and anything else you noticed. It helps them make sure the area of concern is fully captured. If you are pregnant or might be, say so before any X-ray-based examination.

If this is your first mammogram, our article on first mammogram preparation and comfort walks through what the examination feels like.

Step five: the wait for results

For many people, this is the hardest stretch. After imaging, a report is prepared and sent to the provider who ordered the test. That provider is the right person to explain it and to tell you what happens next. Our article on how imaging results reach your doctor describes the process in more detail.

A few things can make the wait more manageable:

• Know when to follow up. Ask your provider when you should expect to hear from them, and call their office if that time passes. Do not assume that silence means anything in particular.
• Keep your notes together. Requisitions, reports and appointment details in one folder or phone note save confusion later.
• Lean on support. Talk to someone you trust. Waiting alone with worry is harder than waiting with company.
• Be careful with online searching. Forums and search results cannot assess your situation and can add to anxiety.

If new symptoms appear while you are waiting, or the lump changes, contact your provider rather than waiting for the scheduled follow-up.

Step six: keep going until you have a clear plan

The aim of all these steps is a clear answer and a clear plan. Sometimes that comes quickly; sometimes it takes several appointments. It is completely reasonable to:

• Ask your provider to explain the result in plain words.
• Ask what the next step is and when it will happen.
• Ask for a copy of your report for your own records.
• Ask for a second opinion, or return if you remain concerned about a change.

If you were told to come back for a follow-up check, put it in your calendar straight away. Follow-up appointments are easy to let slip when life is busy.

A word about the future

Once this episode is resolved, think about how you want to look after your breast health going forward. That might include being familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel, so that you notice changes, and discussing with your provider when routine screening is right for you. If you are between 40 and 74 and have no symptoms, the OBSP allows self-booking; our guide to booking an OBSP mammogram explains how.

Key takeaways

• A new breast lump or change should be checked by a health-care provider promptly.
• Routine screening mammograms are for people without symptoms; a lump needs an examination and any imaging your provider orders.
• Diagnostic mammography, ultrasound and sometimes further tests may be used to understand a finding.
• Your report goes to the provider who ordered it, and they will explain the results and next steps.
• If something changes, or you do not hear back when expected, follow up.

Imaging close to home in Ajax

Rossland Diagnostic Clinic is at Unit 102, 300 Rossland Road East in Ajax, with free parking and ground-floor access. We are open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday from 8:00am to 3:30pm.

If your provider has given you a requisition for breast imaging, call us at 905-426-3111 or request an appointment. Our team will confirm the details and help you book as soon as possible.