Thickened skin - worried!

Mebelissa, another cause of skin thickening is lymphedema. Left untreated it lays down a layer of fibrotic tissue beneath the skin that can show up on an MRI.

When lymphedema is in the breast or chest and not the arm, it's called truncal lymphedema. Sadly, few doctors know how to recognize truncal lymphedema (and some have never heard of it), so it can go undiagnosed for a long time. You might ask any doctor on your team for a referral to a well-trained lymphedema therapist for an evaluation. Here's how to find one near you:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

And here's information about truncal lymphedma:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/breast_chest_trunckal_lymphedema.htm

Hoping you get real answers soon!
Binney

Mebelissa, yes, certainly--it can show up anywhere in that quadrant of your body, even in your back. Any surgery to the breast creates a lymphedema risk, even without cancer, and the area that's affected can vary considerably--it will depend on which drainage paths were cut or blocked, and that's not predictable. We have several gals here on the Lymphedema board with truncal lymphedema and no arm lymphedema, and the areas of swelling have nothing to do with where the surgical scars are. Truncal lymphedema is not uncommon, but doctors do seem to have a hard time diagnosing it.

Lymphedema increases your risk of infection considerably, so you'll want to get an evaluation as soon as possible to see if it's lymphedema you're dealing with. Also, it's progressive, so without treatment hardening of the tissues will get very slowly worse and can limit your strength and range of movement in that quarter of your body. At present, a good lymphedema therapist should be able to reduce both the fibrosis and the swelling and get the lymph flowing, which will also reduce your infection risk. All good!

In the meantime, you might want to switch to wearing a sports shirt (like Underarmour) rather than a bra, in a size smaller than you'd normally wear, and turned inside out so the seams don't irritate your skin--this can help control swelling and it's less constricting of the delicate lymph vessels just beneath the skin. Stay really well hydrated (it dilutes the lymph fluid and helps it flow better), and do some deep abdominal breathing at intervals throughout the day (it stimulates the largest lymph vessel in your body). Stay away from extreme temperatures, either hot or cold (a warm shower or bath, not a hot one; no ice packs on the area).

Sure am wishing for some quick answers for you--you've been hanging long enough! Gentle hugs,
Binney