Not a clear answer as of yet...

abharper83

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

Here is the conundrum of my life:

I used to be very large breasted. I wore a 42L. I was unable to do home self exams because of the density and the size. March 23rd I had a breast reduction with a free nipple graft. I felt so much better! I was told no more yeast rashes and my back would feel amazing..and it did!

Six weeks ago I found some lumps in my breast. The plastic surgeon told me to massage those out and it would be fine.

About a month ago I started getting a rash on the upper part of my abdomen. I thought nothing of it and treated it at home. It didn't go away but didn't get bigger. I called my PCP 2 weeks ago requesting a visit and telling them about the rash. The receptionist would not give me an appointment any closer than a month out.

Monday I woke up and the rash has spread, its around my waste. My right breast is red and itchy and anything I tried did not help. I try until Wednesday when I was up all night so itchy and my breast felt warm to touch. I still don't have much feeling in them after my breast reduction so I cannot tell if there is pain. The size of my breast is about double the size of my other. It is very dark red and boy it itches. The redness keeps swelling.

Anyways, I went in to urgent care Wednesday morning. At first I show the Dr. my stomach rash and she calls it shingles and yeast rash. I then show her my breast. She froze. She mentioned that my breast has characteristics of cancer but would like to try a round of antibiotics first to make sure its not an infection from my surgery. As she is talking to me she is telling me to get into her office by Friday (today) to follow up. As I am leaving her receptionist can only get me in on Monday.

On my drive home I call the plastic surgeon for a look. He didn't say anything about my breast, just gave me a pill for fungal rash and told me to come back in a week if it didn't get better or got worse.

At first I was upset that the 1st doctor would just spit out "cancer" at the first sight. I didn't have any other signs. I had just had a breast reduction and they tested me for cancer and the tissue they removed as well.

I am on day three of taking the fungal pill, and day 2 of the antibiotic. My breast is still very swollen, the rash is still present, and I ITCH like crazy!

Monday I go in to see a Dr, the one that seen me in Urgent Care set me up in her office for a visit. Crossing my fingers for the best of news but I feel I am on a journey of a lifetime......

Best of luck to all of you other ladies!

Moderators

abharper83, thanks for your post. It is indeed really upsetting that your first doctor said "cancer" without any testing. We sincerely hope that you are not on that journey, and that the meds you are taking kick in and reduce your symptoms! Please keep us posted.

ElaineTherese

abharper,

I agree with you that the urgent care doctor shouldn't throw around the word "cancer" so casually. If it helps any, remember that urgent care doctors are generalists, not specialists. My sons were diagnosed with thrush by an urgent care doctor when they were little. It was thrush, but then the doctor started talking about diabetes. While it is true that adults with diabetes might come down with thrush, little kids get thrush for a variety of reasons. When I called my family doctor, he laughed when I asked whether the boys might have diabetes. He said -- in lieu of other symptoms of diabetes -- it was highly unlikely that they had that disease. Anyhow, if your rash doesn't calm down, you might be better off with a specialist -- maybe a dermatologist or a breast specialist.