Breast Fat Transfer – One Year Update and Lump In Breast

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I recently found a lump in my breast. If you’re new, you may be wondering what the hell I’m talking about.

So let’s back up real quick.

After nursing my kids, my boobs were wrecked. Like, seriously sad grandma boobs. I knew I couldn’t live with them forever because but I also didn’t want breast implant due to the serious complications that accompany them.

You can read why I got the breast fat transfer, the process and who I chose here.

You can see how it looked a month after surgery here.

And five months after surgery here.

Now, it’s been nearly a year. 11 months. Whatever I’m a few weeks short but close enough.

Finding a lump.

A few weeks ago we found a lump in my right breast. I say we because to be perfectly honest, my husband was the one who noticed.

I had been meaning to do my breast checks, like literally reminding myself and thinking about doing them but always forgot.

Ladies – check your breasts every month! This is crucially important.

So my husband found the lump and I immediately started crying. There are just certain places you never want to find a lump. I knew lumps were possible after surgery, but nearly a year out? It seemed less likely.

We found the lump Monday night as we were going to bed. First thing in the morning, I called a breast cancer center and begged them to see me as soon as possible. I had told them I’d get a thermography scan to bring to the appointment.

Thermography, ultrasound and mammogram.

Thermography is a safe form of breast cancer screening. It doesn’t emit any radiation and therefore is a slightly safer option if that’s a concern, which is it to me. I had always planned on doing thermography scans in lieu of mammograms. This is by no means medical advice, just my preference.

I reached out to a local thermography clinic and explained that I had found a lump. As it turns out, if you have a lump, thermography isn’t recommended.

It is strictly for screening issues like lumps, but if you already have one, you will need a mammogram and ultrasound.

In the future, I may do thermography for screening purposes, but not for diagnostic purposes.

The mammogram and ultrasound.

The breast cancer center had tried to schedule me for the following week, but I convinced them to allow me to get the mammogram and ultrasound on a Wednesday, then a follow up appointment to discuss on Thursday.

I had a huge pit in my stomach waiting for the appointment. It’s hard not to think about the limitation of your life and if it will be cut short. I spent a lot of time crying until a girlfriend called me.

She asked me a bunch of questions about the lump and explained that she has polycystic breast disease. She has to go get mammograms every six months. Her doctor told her that if the lump feels more like a grape with even edges, it was fine. If it feels like a hard little pebble or piece of gravel with rough edges, it’s more likely to be cancer.

Mine felt like a lima bean, so I calmed down a bit.

At the mammogram, the tech was amazing. We joked, which is what I do in uncomfortable situations. She smushed my boobs in the machine and I had no idea where to put my damn head because you’re pressed up a giant plastic screen – but it wasn’t bad.

Honestly, it’s not even painful. Just a bit uncomfortable.

After that I got an ultrasound, and both ladies told me it looked totally normal but to wait for the doctor.

The doctor ended up just telling the ladies to tell me I was fine and I didn’t need my follow up appointment.

The doctor said it was just a lump of fat or a cyst and looked totally normal. It could have been from the fat transfer, it could be just that women get lumps in their boobs sometimes.

THANK GOD.

My breast fat transfer results a year after surgery.

I thought my boobs had gotten so much smaller but looking at these pictures, they’re still about a C. Which is my bra size.

The goal was never to have giant boobs, although admittedly bigger boobs would have been nice.

Like I said in my previous fat transfer post, we went into strict quarantine a month after my surgery. I had zero help with my toddlers because my husband was working so intensely trying to keep everyone in the company paid.

I was picking them up, chasing them, putting them down for naps, wrestling with them, everything – all by myself for literally three months straight. During a time I wasn’t even supposed to be working out or lifting anything, I was lifting two 30+ lb toddlers, sometimes at the same time.

Had I not done that, I’m sure I would have retained more fat. But what could I do? Our quarantine situation was better than most.

Here they are in a regular 34C bra, not a pushup bra, no underwire.