Suddenly one breast is larger

Any change should be checked. You can get Lymphedema in your breast, so that may be what's happening. Please update

Hi Tressy. I just saw your thread so by looks of things, you had your appointment today. How'd it go? I hope you found out that it was something other than inflammatory BC but as your initial symptom sounds like mine (not to freak you out), I wanted to make sure that your doctor covered the bases. Many doctors like to take a "wait and see" approach to early IBC symptoms because they (and we) are all aware it is "rare" so statistically it's unlikely that you have it. Unfortunately, some of us do have it and waiting to see is a bad idea.Hoping you don't but if you have questions or further concerns, I'm happy to discuss/answer whatever I can. Cheers!

A mammogram would reveal a seroma if you have one (and radiation treatments can make one bigger—I had to go up a cup size for nearly a year before my seroma began resorbing). And as to lymphedema, you would not believe how ignorant most doctors—even some breast surgeons(!)—are about it. If you are otherwise susceptible (especially even mildly obese), had any kind of infection (even a zit) in the area “downstream" of the removed nodes, or depending on from where those nodes were removed, you are at lifetime risk even if only one node was removed. It used to be thought (even by LE specialists) that only those who had ALND rather than SNB—or had more than 4 nodes removed via SNB—were at any significant risk. But since awareness of LE has increased, more patients are noticing symptoms and their doctors are “putting 2 & 2 together" and correctly diagnosing it.

BTW, most medical students get less than 30 minutes of instruction about LE over their 4 years in school—and the average is about 4-10 minutes. Some get none!

Cellulite has nothing to do with toxins or the lymph system. In women, fat cells tend to be surrounded by a sort of mesh of soft tissue, giving our subcutaneous fat cells in certain areas a dimpled “cottage cheese” appearance. It is often hereditary. Men very rarely get cellulite, even if seriously obese. Nature isn’t always fair. There are now anti-cellulite treatments that a skilled dermatologist can administer that are less invasive than surgery (such as excision aka “nip & tuck" or liposuction) and less painful than CoolSculpting.

Lymphedema is not lymphoma—the latter is a type of cancer, the former (to which I assume you refer) is the swelling of body parts downstream of nodes that have been removed or otherwise disturbed. Anything that dramatically increases or decreases the temperature of one of those body parts increases lymphedema risk, as does any temperature change that can cause skin damage (burns or frostbite). That’s why LE patients are advised to avoid frostbite, hot tubs, saunas, and going outside on hot days without wearing compression. If you had nodes removed from your armpit, and from nowhere else, CoolSculpting your abdomen, butt or thighs shouldn’t cause or affect LE. (From friends who’ve had the procedure, they report it is very, very uncomfortable & expensive but it works only on mildly fatty areas (e.g., slight love-handles or mild-to-moderate saddlebags. It won’t remove a beer belly or change an “apple” body shape). Kybella is different—it is an injection of a substance that dissolves fat cells in that area. So if you haven’t had nodes removed (or don’t have swollen nodes at the time you get the shots) in the sides of your jaw or behind your ears, Kybella shots shouldn’t cause LE unless the needle hits your submaxillary nodes. (But they are also expensive, work only on a moderate to severe double chin, and can cause residual pain, a lopsided face and even difficulty in swallowing).

If the enlargement is of the non-cancer breast it’s more likely to be an infection than any kind of tumor. But a mammo or ultrasound is a good idea.

Tressy

You mentioned weight gain. Depending upon how much scarring and fibrosis there is on the treated side from surgery and radiation, weight gain may only be reflected in the other breast. I have seen this on occasion.

For a global process such as "enlargement of an entire breast" getting an overview of the whole breast with a mammogram first is not unreasonable. If there is no change in its appearance from your prior mammogram then forgoing the ultrasound is also reasonable. An ultrasound alone however would not detect a small group or groups of calcifications if they had developed since your prior mammogram on that side.