Three Months of IBC Worry

angelica_schuyler

I hope I'm not offending anyone by asking for opinions here. I'm a cancer survivor, too - have been clean of Hodgkin's lymphoma for almost 20 years. Because of chest radiation, I am at a high risk for breast cancer and am currently losing my mind.

In late September, I found a small lump in my left breast. I went to my gyno, who didn't think anything of it and scheduled me for a diagnostic mammogram/ultrasound two weeks later. As expected, everything came back fine, BIRADS 2. I was sent on my merry way.

Around the time of the mammo/ultrasound, I began experiencing reddish/purplish blotches on that same breast. They seemed to pop up when I was cold or seated and mostly fade after laying down. Of course, I panicked about inflammatory breast cancer and brought it up with my dermatologist at my annual skin exam in October. She did a punch biopsy which came back, as she put it, "completely benign." Since then, I've had two breast exams by my oncologist and my gyno, neither of whom found any problems with my breasts or surrounding lymph nodes. I don't have most of the big symptoms - redness isn't spreading, skin is often cold to the touch, no orange-peel skin or dimpling or inverted nipples.

Still, I'm afraid that my doctors may have missed something. To me, my left breast feels thicker and heavier than my right breast. I also get stabbing sensations and burning sensations at times and my left shoulder and ribs have been aching. I'm terrified that the wrong spot was biopsied and that I actually have IBC that has metastasized to my bones.

Am I crazy or should I be asking for a second opinion with the symptoms I have? I know IBC is notoriously difficult to diagnose. I'm due for my annual breast MRI soon, and I'm horrified by what they might find.

Thank you for your time and patience.

LoriCA

Hi Angelica, I'm sorry to hear of the symptoms you are experiencing, but I honestly do not believe you have IBC. The initial discoloration that may present during IBC does not come and go, it never fades. Once the skin changes start, the skin continues to show deterioration, often quite rapidly. After several months of undiagnosed/untreated IBC you would likely have very severe symptoms. This is my second go-around with IBC, the first time symptoms progressed like wild-fire. This time the progression is not quite as fast, but still as soon as I noticed a change in my skin the condition steadily got worse every day.

I wish you the best of luck in finding out what is causing your symptoms, I have no suggestions on that, but I do think you can safely stop worrying about IBC.

Traveltext

Angelica, I agree with LoriCA. IBC symptoms need to be persistent and progressive to be the real deal. Keep monitoring the situation, of course, but don't assume the worst.

angelica_schuyler

Thank you both for your responses. I'm so sorry that you've had to face what I fear the most. I'm sure I seem pretty silly to you. I guess, after having cancer once, everything is cancer. My symptoms were unusual and my disease difficult to diagnose, so I'm hypervigilant about anything that goes on in my body. I'm desperately afraid of death and just want to know that I can trust my doctors that there's nothing wrong with me. I can't go through cancer again, especially not one that will never be cured.