So worried...& 3 months post partum

Nap036

I gave birth to my first born on December 28th, 2019. Around January 10th I noticed an odd red bump on my breast. It eventually opened, and faded to a flat purple sp

ot after a week or so. Everyone told me it was probably nothing, so I forgot about it. I've had mastitis twice since, high fevers both times but no lump ever...

I've heard mastitis is often a misdiagnosis of IBC. Last week I woke up and noticed 2 new red dots on the same breast. They've done the same thing, opened, peeled and fading to a purple spot. My breasts ache. Everything on the internet 😐 days inflamitory breast cancer. I went to the dr on Tuesday and they are treating it as folliculitis or sore from breastfeeding. My gut says neither. Getting a mammogram on Wednesday and im.very nervous. Has anyone had these issues? Or IBC? Idk what else it could even possibly be 🙁 I'm having a very hard time with this, crying every time I look at my 3 month old daughter and imagining not being there for her and watching her grow 😭

Salamandra

Lots of places are setting up emergency mental health support for this crisis. I encourage you to call if you have that available to you.

It's great that you are getting a mammogram on Wednesday!

For what it's worth

• IBC is one of the most frequently mis-self-diagnosed ailments ever
• breasts do all kinds of strange things, many of which are never properly understood but still not serious
• guts have a much lower success for accurate diagnosis than the tools of medical technology, especially when under extraordinary circumstances

I know it's hard but try not to borrow trouble from the future. Whether or not you will get to watch your daughter grow up was just as unknowable and out of your control one month ago as it is now as it will be one month from now, regardless of the outcome of your next steps. And if something were to happen that limits your time with her, I promise you will not look back and wish you'd spent more time crying about it than being with her when you had the chance.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. None of this is easy. But you are a parent and an adult now and it's up to you to take the best care of yourself that you can. In addition to getting the mammogram, that might include an emergency PCP or mental health consult to get some emotional support and/or meds to help with the anxiety - so that you take care of yourself and your daughter as much as possible in the meantime.

Beesie

"Idk what else it could even possibly be"

Probably exactly what your doctor said, which is either folliculitis or your breasts are sore from and reacting to breastfeeding.

Take your advice and guidance from your doctor and other medical professionals; don't take it from Dr. Google. Dr. Google is a hack.

And if you notice, when you read about IBC, there are about 6 or 7 common symptoms, and it progresses very quickly. You have maybe two of the symptoms (purple spots and achy breasts) - and the two symptoms that are also most common and most likely to be caused by things other than IBC. You just had a baby, your hormones are going crazy and you are breast feeding. It seems to me that this much better explains what might be going on with you than the possibility of IBC.

Good luck with the mammogram.

blue22

I had IBC - I did not have spots on my breast that opened up and peeled... Also, only the affected breast had pain, but I wouldn't call it an aching pain.

I'm not saying it is not IBC, but it is definitely not like what I experienced.