Kinda freaking out...

Kimberly5307

Went to the doc today for my breast issue. Constant itch, discloration on breast and nipple. This has been going on for months. He is concerned for IBC but after researching a bit-wouldnt I have the swelling by now? Breast sometimes feels more firm than other, doc also said skin is harder? Setting me up with an appt with a breast specialist. Not sure what to expect and wondering if this is really a possibility? Im 40...3 children. My dad has lung cancer, my mother had a hysterectomy in her 20's due to pre-cancerous cells. Not sure if that even makes a diff. I empathize for everyone to goes through waiting games such as this....

Faith316

Not everyone has all the symptoms meaning that you don't definitely have to have swelling for it to be IBC.  It is good to have it checked out for sure.  Having said that, it is most likely not IBC but best to pursue it.  Please let us know how it goes.  It is definitely hard to wait and scary.  We've all been there and most of us freaked out, too.  Don't google too much or you'll just scare yourself more than you are now.  Try and keep yourself busy to keep your mind off of it as much as possible.

Kimberly5307

Faith-Thank you for responding. I agree its best to have everything checked out and Im "trying" to stay away from google I appreciate youre reaching out. Waiting stinks as everyone is well aware of. I trult appreciate the kind words:) 

Kimberly5307

Thank you Bonnie. I guess every personeach has their own set of symptoms through their experience which of course makes things more complicated:) Of curse after suffering from an itchy breast for months I did some online research (especially after noticing discoloration and such)...got myself all in a panic and expected my doc to not even now what IBC was. He surprised me though..happily. He also said that he has ony seen one case of it and the swelling was extreme so I felt relieved by that. I swear the lighting in the docs office made my breast look ten times worse than what it does at home though. My breast looked entirely pink-which I didnt see at home. Apparently I live in a cave? lol Anyhow, with all my symptoms I am staggering on trying to keep positive but the next moment Im convinced it just cant be. SO my nipple may be brown now...whose to say that the pink one is the correct one? lol I go back and forth. Thank you for your response and encouragement; I wish you well. Curious about my dermatologist stated that I must have some kind of auto immune disorder laast year after suffering from hives for 3 months with no apparent reason...connection?

CuterWCurves

I actually have the opposite issue. Those over head lights wash me out so pale I look like I am deathly white and it washes any pinkness and redness right off of me... But as soon as I am in natural lighting my skin shows all of it.

I think it is just awful lighting in general... I am long accused it of hiding things on my skin.

Kimberly5307

Bon-

As to the lighting issue for me...I came home right away and looked in the mirror-didnt see any pink-go figure lol Anyhow-I have suspicion of Paget's also because the past few weeks the itching is now the nipple and surrounding area. The doc is the one who pointed out that my nipple is dark and thickening skin around it. When I spoke of discoloration, I was referring to the breast which turns tannish brown on the side where the itching is. Im about to rip my nipple of and drop it off at the lab myself:) I get the call tommorrow as to when I see the Breast specialist. I hope he/she is willing to just do the biopsy on breast ad nipple to rule out both-I just need an answer. I have also noticed small blood spots on my bra for the past week or so but that could just be from itching...although Im more prone to pulling than itching. Im seriously one of those patients who never go to the doctors, sadly. My last GYN appt 12 years ago when I gave birth to my third daughter. I suppose Im asking for trouble but thats a whole other story;P

ibcmets

Kimberly,

Glad you are getting it checked out.  Hoping it's not ibc.  I hate to say I also have not seen a obgyn since diagnosed over 2.5 years ago with bc.  I just got a bladder infection so it's time to get checked.

Terri

Kimberly5307

Bon-

Good info there...thank you:) Symptoms are pretty similar for IBC and Pagets...except the lump. I got the call this morning...going to have a mammogram at 9 am then meeting with the breast specialist in the afternoon. Not sure what to expect...afraid I will have to argue for biopsy...also afraid that I wont have to....happy they are seeing me so quickly...and scared as to why they are seeing me so quickly. Apparently, Im hard to please lol. I suppose after all this WE should make an appt to the Gyn...mind as well lay it all out on the table....(shiver at the thought). Have a great day...I hope I get some answers tommorrow but Im probably expecting too much.

Kimberly

Kimberly5307

Terri-

The "WE" in my above post was a reference to you-also making a GYN appt:) Isnt it funny how when pregnant a woman goes to a GYN more often than anything else but once that baby is born we avoid avoid avoid! Its as bad as the dentist for me...

Kimberly5307

So is it at all possible I will get any kind of information tommorrow or is this just another waiting period?

jenn333

Hi Kimberly -

Depends on the center you go to.  At some centers when you are going in for a diagnostic mammo/US (as opposed to screening) they schedule you so that the radiologist can review the films immediately.  In those cases, if the radiologist thinks the lump (or whatever) is suspicious for malignancy, usually he/she will tell you that and schedule you for a biopsy immediately or very shortly thereafter.  That's how mine played out and I was glad it did.  

Best of luck.  Let us know what happens! 

Kimberly5307

Thanks Jenn:)

Im hoping Im not just sent home to continue the waiting game..thank you for responding:) I will let ya know what happens tommorrow:) Thanks again!

Kimberly

Anonymous

Happened upon your post.... I didn't have IBC...but I understand the difficulty of the waiting game.  Just wanted to send some positive vibes your way!

Kimberly5307

Susan-THANK YOU:)))) I could use some positive vibes right about now!

Kimberly

ibcmets

Kim,

Thanks Kim, I did see obgyn today, got in right away.  Apparently the antibiotics I took last week for the bladder infection caused a severe yeast infection.  It's always something.

Good Luck with your test results.

Terri

Kimberly5307

Terri-

Yes, it is always something:) Glad you took care of it promptly though...could have gotten worse. Senseless suffering! Kinda strange that a antibiotic for one infection can cause another type of infection...

Kimberly

Faith316

Antibiotics ALWAYS cause yeast infections for me.  That is why i only take an antibiotic if it is absolutely necessary.  And, when I do, I go ahead and get a rx for Diflucan while I am still at the doctor's office.

jax

just want to say i understand what ur going through, ive waited 2 whole weeks to see the breast clinic my appointments tommorrow. ive got allot of inflamtion, nipple lumps oozes , its got worse very quickly for me and today more lumps are coming up through the skin can feel in in my chest wall and under my arm , im freaking myself out and have been for 2 weeks. hoping the can tell me something tommorrow , my thoughts are with you hope its good news for you x

Kimberly5307

Oh Jax-

2 weeks? I cant imagine waiting that long without losing my mind. I pray that the phone rings tommorro and they can get you in sooner. Seems so inhumane to wait that long....

Kimberly5307

Well, today was the day. Went to 9 am mammogram. On car ride home-phone rang..."can you come in at 10:30 to see doc instead of 2:45"? ...Of course .... started to panic thinking they saw something that why they want me in earier...Saw doc. She said mammogram showed thickening and hardening of the skin and they want to redo mammogram and do a ultrasound-then possibly have me come back for a biopsy if it showed the same.  2nd mammogram showed same results; as did the ultrasound; also ultasound found a few cysts. Doc explaining this to me decides to do a punch biopsy now instead of waiting-while also explaining that she does not think its IBC but just wants to make sure.....I was told she would call me y Friday with results and heres to hoping its some kind of dermatologiist disorder???....Anything stand out to anyone on this? They didnt do a biopsy on the nipple even though its been bleeding a bit...said after these results will go from there....

Anonymous

Friday?  It's only Tuesday ...you would think they could have results from the biopsy sooner than that?  I had my biopsy on Wed afternoon and the doc had the results by Thursday....but wouldn't tell me until my appt on Friday.  ... I'd be a squeeky wheel and call tomorrow to see if results are in....so you can find out it's just a dermalogical thing.

Kimberly5307

Wow Susan, I thought waiting till Friday was fast...I will call tommorrow and ask-thank you for the advice, I find it odd that a derm issue can cause all of this, especially since I have been on steroids and (ALL creams) etc for hives in the past....but I am in the dark here for sure. Thank You:))

Anonymous

I guess the speediness of results could depend on where you live...if it is a local lab, etc.  But it can't hurt to call, right?

And don't get me started on dermatoligists..... I was very discouraged when I had an allergic reaction to a hair product.....scratched my scalp from the itchiness....and then my scalp became burning itching and extremely tender.  Went to both my regular doc and dermatoligist.  My regular doc suspected staph infection....dermatoligist totally poo poo'd staph infection (even though the test came back positive for staph!!) and said I had a classic case of psoriasis and told me to use a special shampoo for the rest of my life and sent me on my way.  My (compentent) doc prescribed antibiotics for staph ... and it went away, never to come back again.  I should have gone back to the dermatoligist to let her know she was wrong.

Kimberly5307

I also have little to none confidence in my derm. Had hives for 3 months...my thighs the worst part..woke up to find them blue/purple one day. He said my arteries were bleeding. I was barely conscious that day and felt ...well I cant really explain how I felt. He put me on prednisone...which didnt help and only turned me into a aggressive angry road rage 24/7 type person. Went off that but continued feeling that way for weeks anyways. The hives left almost overnight while on nothing.  I will have to find a new derm if thats the case...

And I agree, it cant hurt to call...which I will def do:)

Kimberly

jax

hope today went well for you i was thinking of you while i was also going through the same thing.

i have to wait for slide results were they will test for cells or something its all a bit of a blurr right now  but mammogram showed something but they wernt concerned by that to much. its the nipple discharge there worried about waiting on results but the signs are good for me.  was hoping for a sense of releif to wave over me but its not happened yet its a waiting game everythings crossed for you x

Kimberly5307

Oh Jax..thanks for thinking of me:) I hope you get fast good results from the slides. The waiting game is horrible...I just wish i could sleep for afew days so it goes by faster..Beautiful weather out and I dont care...gotta just stop this nonsense:)

Kicks

My biopsies were done Thurs afternoon and had the path. report by 8 the next morning.

jax

its pretty hard to focas on anything to do with normality isnt it.. my mind has done alsorts even convinced myself that i definately have cancer.i tell myself to forget it think positive then in creeps the thoughts ,when you said gotta stop this nonsense it  was exactly the same things ive been telling myself its been the longest 2 weeks of my life waiting for the appointment. luckily the breast care center here is awesome they have labs everything and results are given to you while you are there .except for the one test im waiting on. hoping for u time flys fast or they call you early. you will remain in my thoughts until you get the all clear we all pray for

Kimberly5307

Thanks Jax

Im really feeling quite pathetic myself. Housework done at minimal...dinner-extra simple. Id rather just sit in my chair and wait...and wait. I sympathize with you and your 2 week of tourture waiting period. I hear the advice-keep busy....I dont think they meant sit in my chair like a sloth as keeping busy. Maybe tommorrow I can "get back to normal" but for this night....I sit and wait. (and try not to scratch:)....

Kimberly

inkworks

I read this thread last night. My name is Kimberly too! I've been having some of the same symptoms as you but have not had any tests done. I've been thinking of you since last night and I'm praying that you post soon with good news.

Cindy_O

I am also "kinda freaking out".  A month ago I found a redness on my left breast, about the size of a half dollar, with two other lighter spots, making the whole thing look Mickey Mouse.  I do not have swelling or itching (although I used to itch a lot, then it stopped).  I already had the mammo and ultrasound, which didn't reveal anything other than a "thickening" of the skin.  I also had a punch biopsy on Mar. 13, and I'm nervously awaiting the results.  Everything you said about waiting, minimul housework, etc. really hits home.  Let me know what you find out.  After reading your post, I feel a little less alone!