Breast has formed into a hard mass!!!Please help...!

felly

Hello Ladies!I feel so scared......I'm 2 ys post surgery/chemo/rads for IDC....I tolerated rads well....my skin was healed very quickly....but for the past few months I've been feeling my radiated breast really hard...cement hard....can't press it at all!!Started having stubbing pain all over breast and armpit...and my arm was killing me too......extreme pain which seems to be relieved after antibiotics...and it's getting darker..and a bit red.......all over!!!I'm still on antibiotics....My rad onc says it's radiation fibrosis.....I 'm freaked out.......cause I read and read and read..and all I see is IBC symptoms.....!!......I would really appreciate your help......thank you so much in advance!

dlb823

felly, what you're describing sounds very painful!  I had to look up radiation fibrosis, and I see that it's something that can happen weeks or even months after radiation, although it also sounds like it's extremely rare.  But I think if I was in your situation, I would want a second opinion, perhaps from your breast surgeon, just to be sure that's what it is, and for a referral for whatever tx is recommended.  The article I just read made it sound like lymphedema can be involved, so perhaps a referral to a highly qualified LE specialist is in order, after your BS reassures you there's nothing else going on.

So sorry this has happened to you, but hopefully an LE therapist will know what to do to relieve the tissue hardening and pain.   (((Hugs))), and please keep us posted on what you find out.      Deanna

SelenaWolf

I have read that a hardened breast can, indeed, be a side effect of radiation treatment.  It's not a usual side effect, so -  like dlb823 above - I think a second opinion may be a good idea, if only to put your mind at rest.

Tomboy

google radiation recall. i think somebody wrote about it on this site, I only heard about it yesterday. I am just now getting ready for radiation and am totally freaked out about it as i already have lymphedema seveverly in my arm, and partially on the breast from surgical removal of 30 lymph nodes. but i did read that a good  lymphedema therapist can be a great help. 

anonymice

Hi felly,



I am so sorry that you're having so these problems! i feel like i should also suggest that your results sound like Inflammatory Breast cancer (which mimics infection), so perhaps a bunch biopsy or other would eliminate other possibilities.



Having said that, though, well I had a double mastectomy prior to starting radiation. The skin and underlying tissue really did become very, very hard and started to soften after about a year (and remember, that' not a whole breast that has to "soften" up - yours might take more time.



But do keep the IBC in mind i you don't start getting result, or you have ongoing or increasing symptoms.