Strange pimple-like bumps, not going away

Adelaide77

Hi. I have been two years cancer-free now after being diagnosed at age 32 with Stage 1 IDC in my left breast. I required a mastectomy on the affected breast (multicentric tumor) and opted for a prophylactic mastectomy on the unaffected side. No radiation or chemo required. Tried one year of tamoxifen (with a few breaks along the way) but had to stop (with MO's blessing) because of severe mood side effects. A little over two months ago I noticed a pimple-like bump smack dab in the middle of my chest, on my sternum. I do not believe it to be a pimple though; it never came to a head, and two months later it is still here. It has decreased in size (not nearly so raised) but it is still red and very noticeable. Over the last week, several other similar bumps have started popping up in the same region. I'm not scheduled to see my MO till March. Any thoughts on if this is something I should bring up sooner? Does the fact that the first bump decreased in size on its own somehow rule out any possibility of skin mets? Or can skin mets/lesiosn change appearance independent of treatment? Hope my questions make sense. Thanks!

Meow13

Well I am on Ai's and I get weird pimples that dont seem to heal. My MO says it is the exemestane. My dermatologist found it infected from me touching it. I got some sample cream and it cleared up. Also if you exercise it might be a result of perspiration.  I have to shower immediately after exercise to prevent chest break outs. Call your doctor and have it looked at. Don't worry it probably is nothing

annie7216

I get pimples on my reconstructed breast a lot, and they never fail to freak me out. And mine also don't come to a head and I'm not on any meds. I think post menopausal pimples are different than the typical acne that younger people get. I actually have a pimple now on the outside of my areola and I'm trying to stay calm but it's not easy. Your bumps sound more like a skin condition than a cancer spread. Our skin definitely changes as we get older and new raised areas are quite common. However, it will difficult to put this to rest so why not schedule a dr appt so that you can stop stressing about this. That's what they are there for. All the best.

Adelaide77

Thank you, ladies. I am going to contact my med onc after the new year (scheduled to travel for the next few weeks or else I'd call her sooner) and see if she wants me to come in.

I love that I can come here and express my concerns/worries and others understand. Sometimes I feel like Chicken Little when my mind immediately turns to mets, but I always feel a little more normal when I come here and connect with other survivors, knowing that others struggle with worries, too.

Thanks, ladies! :-)

flannelette

Adelaide - I do hope this is nothing, too. But I was checked by my br surgeon every 3 months for 2 years - he would look carefully at my MX scar area. When i asked him what he was looking for he said "little bumps". He did not say red pimple-like things. But at about year 4, when he was giving me my now every 6 months exam, he said - "What's that red bump" and i said "What???" and he said here, right on your MX scar and guided my finger to it. WTF? then he said - actually it looks like an insect bite & I said yes flea season had started & one had jumped off me that morning (from my cats, of course) and he said yes they're around but if this hasn't gone away in 3 months it should be biopsied. Sure enough it was a flea bite as it went away in about 4-5 days.

So, he thought a 3 month waiting period was OK. but he WAS looking for bumps - evidence of recurrence. NOT that that's what you have but, I would not think skin mets - rather recurrence. Hope this does not freak you out but yes you can wait a bit, but good thing to have it checked.

MrFu54

Adelaide, You should have it check. I had my follow up appt with my radiation onc last week Friday, 12/12/14, and he told me that if I develope a pimple like that does not go away within a couple of weeks that i should have it check right away.

I hope yours is nothing. Millie

Golden01

My problem is not exactly like yours but I developed a lump (about pea sized) on my scar line along with welt-like redness on Saturday. I convinced myself it must have been a bug bite but got a doctor's appointment for this morning. Long story short, the BS said it definitely was not a bug bite and I'm going in for surgery on Thursday to have it removed. She feels it may be a cyst and of course it could be a recurrence. I leave on Saturday for two weeks with family and my mother's 90th birthday. I have so much work to do before my vacation, I hardly know where to begin and am having trouble thinking about anything but Thursday. Send good thoughts my way. I'm trying to remember to breathe.