Mastitis after breast cancer

bluedasher

I haven't been around for a while since I completed rads over a year ago and finished Herceptin last fall.

This is kind of weird. Monday last week, while out of town, I got a really high fever -running between 102.7 and 103.7 while on Tylenol. (I'm suppose to avoid Ibuprophen and aspirin because my creatinine has been elevated since treatment.)  The next day the fever was down, but my breast (the side that had cancer) was red, painful and swollen. I found a doctor, who said it was mastitis and prescribed antibiotics. 

Once the swelling went down, I noticed that there was a dent in the side of my breast (not in the area where the lump was removed) and my breast is noticeably smaller than it was. It is still slightly pink and painful. The size to the side of the dent seems to fluctuate and it feels funny - kind of like a water balloon. 

Almost all the information I've been able to find on mastitis is about mastitis while breast feeding and when I search on mastitis and breast cancer, just stuff on distinguishing mastitis and IBC comes up. Almost two years ago when I was diagnosed, there was a benign cyst next to the cancer lump. Perhaps this was another cyst that burst?

I'm not normally a worrier. I was calm all through BC discovery and treatment, but this seems so off the beaten track. I have an appointment to see someone Wednesday.

gillyone

This is so amazing. Another member (thegoodfight) and myself have had the same thing last week. She started a thread called the panic returns and we have exchanged info there. I am a year out from dx and last weekend my bc boob suddenly started hurting, was pink and warm. I had fluid aspirated and it turns out I have a staph infection. I am a week out from starting antibiotics and the pain is gone but it still is a bit pink. I had 4 shots in the butt and 2 weeks of oral septra. What kind of doc are you seeing on Wednesday? Keep us informed.

chrissyb

Hi blue, I can't give you any ideas on your problem but maybe I can give you a little love and support to help you  get through until Wednesday.  Perhaps you are right when you say that maybe this 'thing' really is another cyst that has burst because there really is a couple of different types of cysts.  Twelve months after my initial dx, at my checkup mamo they found what looked like a small tumor in my other breast.  I did the same as you and I sort of freaked out.  My mind went absolutely haywire and took my nervous system with it.  Needless to say, by the time I had my appt with the BS, I was a quivering jelly inside.  He took one look at the mamo and said with a very soothing smile that it was just a normal fluid filled cyst.  I told him I didn't care what it was filled with, it could be whipped cream but I wanted it out of there !!! He very calmly escorted me to the treatment room, started his US prepared and empty syringe with a very large needle attatched and proceeded to drain the little blighter while I watched the screen to make sure that it really was gone.  Oh what a relief.  You too will feel the relief I am sure when you see your doc on Wednesday. Love n hugs are coming your way, get ready to grab them.....loooooooooooove.........(((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))   Got'em? Great ! chrissyb