Concerned I have IBC
Hello. I am a 22 year old female and have never been pregnant/breast fed. Around three months ago my right nipple became inverted. I really didn't think anything of it at the time, I thought it was fairly common and just a problem aesthetically, plus at the time i was having other health problems (terrible migraines that were eventually just put down to work related stress by my doctor after lots of blood tests and brain scan), so I basically ignored the nipple and wasn't worried about it.
Three weeks ago while on holiday I felt a lump in my right breast. It was already fairly big, probably about the size of a large.. grape, maybe bigger. I'm really not sure if it had just shown up suddenly or had been there a while, I have very large breasts that are naturally quite lumpy and to be honest (and now I feel really stupid about it) I very rarely check them and I don't actually know how to properly check them, plus I feel that a new small lump may be hard to notice in my breasts due to the size of them. But this was a definite lump that wasn't always there, and then combined with my recently inverted nipple I began to worry a bit.
I got home from holiday last week and got the first doctors appointment I could which was last friday (5th aug). The doctor didn't seem worried. She said due to my young age it was very very unlikely to be anything (and wasn't concerned at all about the inverted nipple?), but she felt a lump and would therefore send me for a mammogram/ultrasound in 2-3 weeks but it was probably an infection as I'm young. At the time of the doctors appointment I wasn't in pain, but since then the lump seems to have grown, I have been experiencing a lot of pain. My breast is hot to touch (I don't have a fever), it feels very hard all over and extremely heavy. My nipple has been hurting too, a burning sensation that comes and goes and above my nipple there is what looks like bruising developing and the vein that runs down my breast appears a lot more prominent. On friday I had virtually no pain, besides feeling a LITTLE uncomfortable when examined, but since then this has all developed very suddenly and I am in A LOT of pain, like, I can barely remove my breast from my bra because it hurts to touch it, and when I take off my bra and my breast isn't supported it really really hurts. There is a constant ache with occassional stabbing pains even when i'm not touching it, just sitting here now.
So obviously I know something is wrong now. Perhaps I have an infection, I've read about mastitis but I have never breast fed and I don't have a fever or a raised temperature whatsoever. I also found out since friday that my dad's mother had breast cancer when she was 25 and eventually died of it when she was about 30. My doctor on friday wasn't aware of this, I said I knew my grandmother had cancer but I didn't know it was breast cancer (she died when my dad was less than a year old, so we never really talked about her) and I wasn't aware she developed it so young.
I am still waiting for my mammogram appointment to be sent through the post. Yesterday I thought about going to A&E because I was in a lot of pain and worrying that 1) if it is an infection then it might spread too quickly before I get my appointment and 2) if it is cancer then.. well i don't know. I ended up not going and today I feel like I'm in more pain. I rung the doctors surgery and I have an emergency appointment in a few hours. They told me not to go to A&E. I'm not sure what I'm asking you all, just I'm worried that the doctor is just going to tell me it is an infection without obviously being certain, because I am "young" and because I have a lump when it is apparently uncommon to have a lump with IBC. Obviously from researching on the internet I realise that young people do get IBC, and some people do get lumps with it too.
I guess I want to know whether IBC symptoms can develop that quickly (from having no pain to 5 days later having lots of pain, growth of the lump and heaviness/hardness, bruising) and what you think I should do.
Thank you all for reading this, I realise it's very very long!
Comments
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I'm so sorry you've had to come here and are going through this scare. I had IBC that developed after I found my initial lump but before chemo. So, yes it can come on quickly, it seemed mine did overnight. I never got an inverted nipple but my breast was very hot and red. Mine didn't constantly hurt or ache but had sharp jolts of pain throughout the day & I also had the heaviness but no bruising. You're grandmother having bc so young is a big concern and your dr should know this, so maybe they can get your mammo earlier. I found in my journey I had to be my own advocate so don't let them brush you off, if there is a lump a biopsy should be done. I pray for you it is an infection, we're here anytime so keep us up to date on things.
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If it were me, I would go back to my doctor as these are new symptoms (pain, heat, swelling) since you last met. Let the doctor decide if urgent as he/she can expedite the mammogram based on any new findings.
You must be pretty scared/stressed out. Remember that it may not be breast cancer but you need your doctor to diagnose. When I was in my 30s, I had a lot of pain and heat/swelling in one breast and was diagnosed with ductal ectasia and told it would get better on its own. It took a couple of months to get better but it was not cancer. You never know but I would not wait three weeks for a mammogram without seeing your doctor again.
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You should get this checked out asap. Ask to be referred to a breast specialist and get a mammogram quickly. Hopefully it is nothing but having an inverted nipple and swelling and feeling a lump are all concerns. Don't allow the doctors to dismiss your worries just because you are 'young'. Good luck and keep in touch.
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I've just got home from the doctors (just a general practitioner at my local doctors practice). It was a different one to who I saw last friday. I told him about my grandmother and explained how my symptoms have come on suddenly since friday when I had little pain. I am having a mammogram and ultrasound on friday 12th- 2 days away. He still said it's most likely an infection that has turned into an absess due to my age and the rapid onset of symptoms - he said that it is unlikely that IBC symptoms would appear so suddenly? he has given me some antibiotics, but I'm not convinced. I'm glad I am having the mammogram/ultrasound in 2 days, but after reading a lot of the posts on here it says that IBC can not always be detected from these? I mean, I am praying it is just an absess but I'm so worried.
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By everything you have written here, you need a biopsy to RULE OUT IBC. This can be done by a general surgeon. IBC can come on overnight, this is true. Your symptoms could be an infection, but without a fever? Not likely. And, you are not too young. Sadly the youngest we know about was 12. Another 15 ... The Young Survivors Network can show any doctor how young most women are. Please see a specialist in IBC. Dana Farber/Boston; Fox Chase/ PA; Seattle Cancer Care/Seattle; and other hospitals that have doctors who have seen many cases of IBC. Rule it out and then go from there. A mammogram usually will not see the 'sheets' that IBC shows up as.
I pray you will get a doctor who is familiar with what you are worried about, and set your mind at ease.
Patti Bradfield, President
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation
www.eraseibc.com
You can call our toll free line and they will transfer to me if you would like to talk: 1-866-944-4223
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Yes, IBC can develop quickly. Mine started with itching & tender nodes in my armpits. Then over night I got a 4 inch in diameter rash. We had recently moved so I didn't have a doctor yet. I was able to get into a Obgyn but only saw the NP. She prescribed anti-biotic which is the usual first course of treatment. In 10 days it wasn't any better so I was referred to a breast specialist.
The first skin punch biopsy was negative. I was set up for a mammo that was negative, they also did US but couldn't see anthing. The BS ordered the MRI that found the 3mm area. The second biopsy was positive. I had IBC & Triple-negative. So within a few months I had IBC.
I thank God for my breast specialist. Because she found it so quickly I was still Stage 3b with 5 positive nodes. It could have very easily been stage 4. I knew it was IBC from the first day of the rash.
As the others state, keep pressing for tests. You are you own best advocate. As Patti stated, only a biopsy can rule out IBC.
Sending love & support. NJ
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I am echoing all of the posts above, be vigilant!! Yes, IBC can come on very quickly and age does not matter! Age doesn't matter at all for any type of breast cancer, that's one thing I learned very quickly. I was diagnosed at 33 with both Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (lump) and IBC. Since being diagnosed I hear more and more about young women with breast cancer of all types. Please be persistant and don't let them blow you off because of your age! Sending you lots of hugs and prayers.
Holly
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I don't have experience, but I am thinking about you and praying you have a localized infection and no cancer of any kind. These ladies are giving you good advice, keep getting tests til you are satisfied you have an accurate diagnosis. (((hugs))) to you!
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Sabboyh, I sincerely hope that you have followed Patti Bradfield's advice and have seen a breast specialist who is familiar with IBC. I am a 4 yr survivor of IBC and now volunteer with the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation. It is very important for us to reach out and educate both the general public and the medical profession about this highly aggressive form of breast cancer. Mine also came on almost overnight. Although I only had one of the symptoms of IBC, I knew something was wrong. After a diagnostic mammo and ultrasound showed "something", they authorized a biopsy (actually 3 types of biopsies) and I got my diagnosis...IBC. Please let us know where you are in this process. We all care.
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