Patient's question:
At night, as soon as I lie down, the lower edge of my breasts hurts, as if something is pushing against it. What could be the reason? Onset time: Test results:Doctor's answer:
Symptom Analysis: Your symptoms may be due to the cramping pain caused by the uterus moving upwards. Occasional sharp pain is normal, but if it persists and accompanied by a lump, it could be due to conditions such as breast hyperplasia, breast inflammation, or breast lesions. You can perform a self-examination of your breasts.Guidance: For a proper breast examination, use your palm to spread flat, with your four fingers joined together. Use the tips of your index, middle, and ring fingers to gently palpate the outer upper, outer lower, inner lower, and inner upper regions of the breast in order. Finally, examine the nipple and areola area. Avoid pinching the breast tissue with your fingers, as this may misinterpret the pinched breast tissue as a lump.
Start the examination while sitting. Any inversion of the nipple, skin dimpling, or abnormal structures are signs of deep breast cancer. If a patient claps their hands above their head to contract their chest muscles, these signs may appear. When women are sitting, it is easier to examine the lymph nodes above the clavicle and in the armpits. Finally, perform a touch examination while sitting, using joined fingers to touch the area below the nipple.
For a more extensive examination, lie down with a pillow under the same breast and raise the opposite hand over your head to spread the breast evenly against the chest wall, making it easier to palpate deep breast cancer. Use the palmar surface of your index, middle, and ring fingers, not the tips, for palpation. The method should involve making circular motions, rotating from the nipple outward horizontally. Pay special attention to the breast extending to the armpits.
The breast examination should first observe the development of the breasts, whether both breasts are symmetrical, if their sizes are similar, if the nipples are at the same level, if there is any retraction or indentation of the nipples, if there is any erosion of the nipple or areola, the color of the breast skin, whether there is edema or orange-peel-like changes, any redness or inflammatory signs, and whether the superficial veins of the breast region are dilated.
Lifestyle Care: If there are any abnormal symptoms, seek medical attention promptly.