SYMPTOMS BUT NO DOCTOR/SPECIALIST OVER THE WEEKEND

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Cheyne
Cheyne Member Posts: 30
edited June 2014 in IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)

I woke up this morning with a red patch on my left breast. It swiftly became painful, raised, ridged and dimpled. My breast is not swollen though. I went to the out-of-hours at about 11pm and was told, after a breast examination, that I have enlarged lymph glands and lumps in the left breast. However, I was told that nothing can be done over the weekend and I must wait until Monday and then visit my Doctor.

I know its silly for me to expect to see someone over the weekend, but I am so scared. I want to see a specialist right away. I'll pay if I can. I don't want to wait three days until Monday.

Help... 

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  • Cheyne
    Cheyne Member Posts: 30
    edited August 2010

    P.s. By the way, I'm a 31 year old woman with a 13 year old son and a lovely husband of ten years. I'm so scared. Could it be anything else?...

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  • Cheyne
    Cheyne Member Posts: 30
    edited August 2010

    I think I may have inflammatory breast cancer - the most rapidly spreading and deadly form - which usually shows no symptoms until stage 4. That's why I'm so concerned about waiting days...

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  • Cheyne
    Cheyne Member Posts: 30
    edited August 2010

    help, somebody please answer. there are no helplines over the weekend

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited August 2010

    You need to calm down.  I think you are panicking.  It is scary, but you need to wait until Monday.  Try not to scare yourself too much. I did not have IBC so I cannot relate to those symptoms.  I wanted to let you know that there are others out here and we are here for you.  Try and relax.  I know it;s hard.  I know others with IBC will be along to help you.

    XOXO

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  • Cheyne
    Cheyne Member Posts: 30
    edited August 2010

    oh thankyou, i've been up all night worrying myself silly, looking at hundreds of horrendous images on the web. Everywhere I read describes IBC in such scary terms. One woman on a utube news broadcast said "the younger you are, the more invasive it is; we wanted to bring a young person on to speak, but there weren't any left".  - I felt like hitting her. But thank you so much your kind words. It makes a massive difference to find this place, where so many women are awake, and can support each other. 

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  • thegoodfight
    thegoodfight Member Posts: 560
    edited August 2010

    Cheyne,

    I don't know if I can really help you but I do want to let you know we are here.  It is scary and very unfortunate that it is a weekend, but you have to let that go and accept it since there really is nothing you can do until Monday.

    I will share this with you.  I am two years out from my IDC diagnosis and a little over a month ago I had a scare and thought it was IBC.  As it turned out it was a mastitis infection even though I have not nursed a baby for over 30 years.  I was told it is probably a result of my compromised lymphatic system as a result of my radiation treatment.  My point being, I was also scared and imagined the worst and it was not IBC.  It is a very rare cancer so the odds are definitely on your side.

    I know it is next to impossible, but try to stay calm.   Keep busy.  Please let us know what happens on Monday.  We are all thinking about you.

    Caren

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited August 2010

    Cheyne, you are never alone here.  That's whats amazing about this website.  Are you aware that since you just joined, there are limitations on the number of posts you can do daily?  I forget what the number is but I'm sure someone else can let you know.  I think it's something like 5 or 10 posts a day.

    Hang in there and keep yourself busy this weekend. 

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited August 2010

    Cheyne...please stop looking at the images.

    Like Linda said you can only post 5 times in 24 hour period until you reach 50 posts. After that there is no limitation.

    Look at the top of the screen where it says Private Messages. You can Pm as many times as you want. Choose someone, click on their name and a new page will open up. On the upper right side of the screen it says Send Member a Private message click on that and write your message.

    When you see a pink sign on the Private Messages it means someone sent you a message.

    I will send you one just to make sure...

    Hugs

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  • leisaparis
    leisaparis Member Posts: 587
    edited August 2010

    Cheyne -- First and formost...Please calm down....Even if it is IBC, the weekend will not determin life or death. I do want you to know that IBC DOES present itself at stage 3(that's me and a lot of others like me). On rare occasions it will be stage 4, but most of the time it's stage 3. IBC is an automatic stage 3, the rest of your diagnosis(ER/PR +/-, Her2 +/-, lymph node involvement) determines if it is stage 4.

     I don't know what broadcast you found, but that woman doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. YES, it is a very fast growing, most of the time it is a mass and not a lump. Mamograms and sonograms usually do not detect it either. Most of the time you have to have a biopsy to know for sure. Everyone presents differently, some have only 1 symptom while others, like me, have almost all of them. From the time I saw the dr. a week after the first symptom presented to the time I got an OFFICIAL dx. was 2 weeks.

    There are also other women who will come on here and tell you that it was nothing at all, just mastises. So lets hope that's what they find out for you on Monday. However if you do end up having IBC, this is the place to come for comfort and understanding, yelling and screaming, cussing and bitching. We have heard and said it all.

    When you are new you are limited to 5 posts a day for a few days. Then you will be able to talk as much as you want. However at any time you can PM anyone on here. Just click on them and it should take you to where you can PM them. I also want you to know that IBC is a lot more common than you would think. It's just that most dr. DO NOT know the symptoms and they dx it as something else, like IDC,etc.

    You will be able to read as much as you want, but only post like 5x a day. Let us know what you find out and if your personal dr. does not give you answers that you are comfortable with get a 2nd oponion. Preferably from a breast dr. (((HUGS))) Good Luck and God Bless. I will be praying that you DO NOT have IBC.   Leisa

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited August 2010

    Good Night.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited August 2010

    Cheyne,

    Take a slow deep breath, no matter what you will be okay.  You may or may not have IBC, so I will share part of my experience.

    I got my first symptoms of IBC overnight. We had just moved & I had no established doctor yet.  A friend recommend a gynocologist who was the first doctor I saw. It took about 2 week to get into this doctor. Typically they will put you on a round of antibiotics for 10 days, if it is mastitist, it will clear up. Mine didn't and I was referred to a Breast Specialist. 

    I had a mammagram & ultrasoudn that was negative. When I got into the breast specialist, she did a biopsy of the skin which was also negative.  After that I had a breast MRI where they finally found the cancer, only 3 mm.  The specialist performed a biobsy in that location and finally got my IBC diagnosiss. 

    This whole process took 2 months.  Thankfully we did catch it quickly and I was only stage IIIb and it had not spread to other organs.  That was almost 3 years ago and I am still walking & talking. 

    So be patient, Lord willing you don't have IBC.  As others stated, it is very rare.  

    If you want to pm me, please feel free to do so. 

    Love & prayers. NJ

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  • Cheyne
    Cheyne Member Posts: 30
    edited September 2010

    Hello lovely people,

    Well, I went to the doctor last Monday, by which time the rash had gone and what looked like a bruise remained. The doctor examined me and said that my breast was somewhat lumpy and that she could feel lumps under my arm, but that she was not concerned and thought it was probably because I had my period. She wanted me to return in a week for another breast examination, after which she would refer me to the breast unit if things were still lumpy.

    I said I was not happy with that and would prefer things move a little faster. So she referred me to the breast unit at the local hospital. I went to the breast unit and they examined me and found the same lumps in the breast and under the arm and the rash was now just a little purple mark. They gave me an ultrasound which found nothing, so they said I was fine and not to worry. They said young women often have lumpy breasts, that one is often lumpier than the other and that we will probably never know what the rash was, but "not to worry", and sent me home.

    I feel fine now. My breasts felt a little swollen since, but the rash is now gone. The place where it was is still a little tender and painful but no longer hard.

    Should I put this behind me and conclude that I am fine? Is it possible for a rash related to IBC to go away when the cancer remains? I know that the ultrasound does not always show IBC but the doctor who did my ultrasound said 'IBC always shows up on an ultrasound' - which does not put my mind at rest as to his expertise in this area...

    Love and best wishes to you all. Let me know what you think,

    Cheyne. 

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  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 12,678
    edited September 2010

    Glad to hear they did not find anything.  Now, you have to do what makes you feel comfortable.  If you are okay with what they told you, walk away.  If you are still uncomfortable, ask for more testing.

    Congrats!

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  • leisaparis
    leisaparis Member Posts: 587
    edited September 2010

    Well your dr.'s full of shit. I have IBC. Had 2 mamograms and 2 ultra sounds and none on them showed anything, Took a skin biopsy and a punch biopsy to find it on me. Just saying IBC DOES NOT always show up on an ultrasound. Just my 2 cents. 

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