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NicolaKirwan
NicolaKirwan Member Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)

Hello,
 
Within the last couple of days, I noticed a patch of skin on my areola that was very sore and felt like a ridge, where the skin had thickened.  My doctor sent me for an ultrasound that came back normal.  But I am still concerned.  I am only 24, but both my mother and grandmother had breast cancer.  I am also African American, and while I have confidence in the competency of my doctor, I don't know if he is used to recognizing these issues on patients with very dark skin (my skin doesn't get "red," for instance--even if there is a problem with it).  I've also recently noticed that when I pull the skin around the ridge, there are tiny dimples in it that I've never seen before.  All this is quite noticeable to me because I've never really had anything like this before or anything else abnormal with my breasts.  I learned about IBC when I was doing research about my mother's bc.  Would you suggest I try to get another opinion?  How aggressive can I be in asking for tests? 

Is there a normal condition that could cause this?
 

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  • Caseysmom
    Caseysmom Member Posts: 507
    edited May 2009

    Nicola:

    I would get a second opinion from a breast surgeon also I would make sure that he/she has heard of IBC.  IBC is very rare and there are so many doctors that have never heard of it.  The only sure way to get the correct dx of IBC is a biopsy of the skin in involved.  Ultrasounds and mammograms do not pick up IBC. 

    With your mom and grandmother have bc you can be very aggresive about asking for any test. 

    Please keep us post.

    Praying that this is just dry skin.

    Laura

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  • NicolaKirwan
    NicolaKirwan Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2009

    Thank you for your advice.  My regular doctor isn't concerned about it, saying that the ultrasound was completely normal.  Knowing that this doesn't show up on those, I'm not convinced.  I also went to the dermatologist today to see if something was up, but the girl (intern) barely looked at it as they rushed me through.

    We do have a breast cancer center at the hospital only a couple of blocks from me, where my mother has just finished her treatment.  I'm just going to go there and see what they say.  I'll probably leave out the fact that I had an ultrasound done already.  I don't want that to prejudice the breast surgeon's opinion.  Would they even do an ultrasound for thickening where no lump is felt, or would they just go straight for the skin biopsy?   

    I found it rather irritating that they went looking for signs of a lump on an ultrasound, when I made no mention of a lump being present, and then basically said, Well, no lump is there!  In the past couple of days, the thickening has hardened some, and while it's not sore anymore, none of the doctors have yet said what the thickening could be from...they're being somewhat inattentive.

     I'm afraid to mention IBC for fear that they'll automatically peg me as a hypochondriac.  Maybe I'll just press for an answer and if he says he doesn't feel a lump, I'll just say, "Is there a normal condition that would cause my skin to do this?"  I've honestly not experienced anything like it before. 

     Anyway!  We'll see.  If it is bc, and it's much too early to even say that it is, I think it would hurt my mother so much.  Our family's been through something terrible these past years.

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