I apologize for the length...need advice!

steph31

I am 31.  I found a lump in my left breast right below my nipple on November 16, 2011. It felt fairly large and was very painful.  I saw my GP on Nov 18th, and he also felt the lump.  He ordered a mammogram and ultrasound to further investigate and gave my T3's for the pain.  Within a few days the skin above the lump began to turn red.  My nipple was changing, being pulled in and the skin was thickening.  I had also started having pretty severe "flu-like" symptoms (fever, head/body aches, sore throat, swollen glands, fatigue, etc) and was unable to work.  Saw the Dr again on Nov 21.  The Dr thought maybe I had an infection so I started on antibiotics.  He made some calls and fast tracked my appt for the mammogram and ultrasound for Nov 30th with a radiologist present.  Over the next couple days the lump went from red to purple and my flu like symptoms were not going away with antibiotics.  Saw the Dr again for follow up on Nov 25th and he prescribed a different antibiotic to start taking.  There was no improvement in the lump or my other symptoms with the new antibiotics either but I finished taking them nonetheless.

Had my first mammogram and ultrasound on Nov 30^th (half done my second round of antibiotics with no improvement).  The mammogram showed asymmetric density in the area of the palpable abnormality which was along the medial and the inferior aspect of the left nipple, contiguous with the dermis.  It spanned approx 2 cm on the mammogram. The lump on the ultrasound  measured 2.5cm in length x 1cm AP x 1.7 cm.  The radiologist showed me live on the ultrasound that there was liquid moving around in or around my lump and asked if she could do an ultrasound guided needle aspiration - I said yes.  The liquid was very viscous and difficult to remove and was mostly blood.  There were also prominent lymph nodes (at least 6) the largest one measuring 1.9 x 0.8 x 0.9 cm within my left axilla.  The lymph nodes had preservation of reniform shape and central fatty hila but had areas of asymmetric cortical thickening, the most conspicuous area of thickening measuring 3mm. The readiologist said the lymph nodes could just be reactive.  The radiologist wanted to send the liquid off to test for infection and wait and see if the antibiotics would clear it up. She said she wanted to see me for a follow up regardless of the outcome.

I saw my GP on Dec 9^th for a follow up.  I found out that there was no infection found in the bloody liquid.  The lump was now purple and black and had not decreased in size from what I could tell.  My Dr sent me to an internal medicine specialist that same day, December 9th, and told me he is not certain that my feeling of malaise is related to the lump in my breast.  He also said that he will look into referring me to a breast surgeon since the lump is not improving. I see the internal medicine specialist that same day in the ER.  He did some blood tests and he diagnoses me with mono. He also tells me that he thinks the lump in my breast is unrelated and that he also thinks I should be referred to a surgeon.  He tells me the mono diagnosis explains the swollen painful lymph nodes, extreme fatigue, headaches, chills, sweats, etc. I am told to stay off work and rest as there is a chance my spleen could rupture if I overexert myself.  I am advised to continue taking my T3's as well as advil to deal with the pain.  He prescribed me methylphnidate (ridilin) and says it will make me feel more mentally alert and should help with my excessive fatigue.

I had a follow up with my doctor on December 16^th.  He told me that I had a follow up ultrasound on Dec 29^th.  I told him that I thought he was going to refer me to a surgeon, and he said that the surgeon would need another ultrasound anyways and that the radiologist wanted to see me back first.  So another 2 weeks of suffering with my mono symptoms and painful breast.

I suffer through the holiday season, and my "mono" symptoms are getting worse and worse.  At this point I have been ill for 6 weeks and unable to work. I am constantly taking T3's and Advil just to take the edge off the pain.  Also the pain in my breast has shifted - it is not so tender where the lump is, rather now am feeling pulsating and shooting pains through my breast, as well as pain "radiating" to my shoulder and down my left arm.  The nipple is inverted, the aereola looks different, and the skin over the lump is still hardened and purple/black - like a bad bruise. 

I went for my follow up ultrasound on Dec 29.  There was no visible liquid on the ultrasound but the lump was still there.  The radiologist told me that she was hoping the lump would have "cleared up by now".  She asks me again how old I am - 31.  She says she wants to do a core biopsy of the lump to test for cancer but that my chances are low because I am so young.  So she does it on the spot - removed 4 pieces of tissue to be tested.

I am now waiting for the results...with the holidays and my Dr being on holidays I am not sure if I will get the results this week or next.  In the meantime my lymph nodes have become so swollen in my neck and behind my ears that I can barely swallow and each time I do it is so painful.  I can not move my head without pain.  I am sensitive to light and sound and have started feeling nauseous every so often.  I have vomited on two occasions.  I am getting scared, and frustrated. I am starting to wonder if I have been misdiagnosed.  I have started researching symptoms and other people's stories online - trying to take things with a grain of salt but also getting irritated that the Dr's have tried to say the lump in the breast and my other symptoms, especially the swollen lymph nodes are unrelated.  I have done a lot of crying this week, due to the pain, the exhaustion and the emotional strain of waiting for my cancer results.

I was out of painkillers and desperate for some relief from the swollen lymph nodes and general achiness of my entire body.  I called my GP on Jan 3 and asked him to see me immediately (I wasn't able to get a hold of the internal medicine doctor).  When I went in they still didn't have the results from my biopsy last week which didn't surprise me because of the holidays.  My doctor looked at my throat and asked me if I wanted Percocet when I told him the T3's aren't really helping with my pain.  We talked a bit about how the Percocet might make me feel and decided I would try them at night and continue taking T3's during the day. I asked him if there is any way that what's going on could be something other than mono - I hadn't seen the blood work results so I don't know how they determined I had mono in the first place.  I know it was through blood work and I got my results quickly (within a couple hours) so I assume it was the monospot test.  He didn't answer or speculate - but he did send me to the lab to redo all my bloodwork.  My GP said he would call the internal medicine specialist and ask him to see me that same day or the next day.  He tried calling twice while I was there with no success.  I did not get a call back Jan 3 or 4^th from either Dr. 

So once, again I am just waiting and suffering.  Also now that I think back, I had had tenderness in my breast probably for about 5 weeks before discovering the lump.  And even further back than that, I recall having frequent feelings of a brief pulsing feeling in my left nipple as well as itchiness around my nipple.  The other thing I recall feeling was phantom itchiness on my scalp and on my legs mainly.  I remember feeling slightly off balance as well at work many times, like I wasn't quite able to focus my eyes.  I am not sure if or how these things relate but I don't want to dismiss them in case they are related to some overall issue.

Again sorry for the length, I have been keeping a written document along the way and I just cut and pasted it in was not sure how to shorten it   Anyone experience anything similar?