Recurrence after double mastectomy 4 years ago????

I am stage 3C IBC breast cancer and I have a local recurrence. My oncologist said that I am still stage 3C since the recurrence is local, not distant..

JennJ I'm hoping it will be negative and I hope they get the biopsy back soon for you.  Its unusual, about 5%, but I was one of the unlucky ones.  Reach out if you find out and let me know if you have any questions. 

Jenn-I also had a recurrence after a double mastectomy.  I have actually had 2 recurrences, one after the initial lumpectomy and then one after the mastectomy.  The recurrence after the lumpectomy was near the scar and was 3 years later.  The recurrence after the mastectomy was in the lymph nodes(same breast) and was one year later.  I am now a year and a couple of months out and finishing up my second round of herceptin after completing 9 rounds of taxol.  I am triple positive.  I also did cyber knife radiation on the lymph node area this time around

I can not begin to tell you how devastated I was after I recurred so quickly after my surgery.  Somewhere in my head I believed that having the mastectomy was a sure fire way to keep the cancer from returning. I know that is not the case but I do think a lot of women believe that.   I hope that your news is better than you are expecting and that you will not have to go down this path again.

JennJ, I had a double mastectomy.  Cancer was in the left side.  The right I did because it was already on watch and I thought this way I'd be done with all this!  I was ER+, PR+.  Oncotype said I had low risk of recurrence and only needed tamoxifen.  Two years later my breast surgeon found the nodule in the same breast and ultrasound and biopsy were done the same day.  Positive.  Scans were all clear so I had the tumor removed, sentinel node removed (clear) and did chemo and radiation.  It has been a year since I finished radiation and so far, so good.  

This time they recommended chemo based on a study that had just come out on chemo and local recurrences.  It was less clear if chemo was going to help the hormone positive, but it was very clear that it helped triple negative.  

It feels horrible to get that news again.  I can totally imagine how awful it is to be facing another possible diagnosis when you had moved on and even had a baby, which is such a joyous event.   Hang in there and let us know what you hear. 

mel147-my tumor markers went up and although my MO said it was probably nothing she recommended that I do a scan.  The cancerous lymph node popped up right away.  I went to my breast surgeon who was sure it was nothing, and the biopsy came back that it was cancer.  I was still doing my reconstruction from my double mastectomy 9 months before. It was removed at the same time as my PS did my nipples.

I was never able to feel it, it was really far up in there.  My BS could finally feel it but she had to really dig around.  I think that your doctor is probably right with your surgery being so recent but if you are worried then you should go see your BS. If there is something wrong you want to handle it as quickly as possible.