@shellsatthebeach Thank you so much for responding.

I’ve read so much about IBC and with all the stress of everything else going on in my family... my arms, head, chest and the muscles along the side of my ribs -under my armpits- ache. I feel like so much of thee pains are stress induced (if I focus too much on one potential symptom [like a burning sensation], I’ll start to feel it. And that makes my mind go crazy.

What you wrote helped a lot.

The pink area hasn’t changed at all since it appeared 2-3 months ago, and the only other symptoms are the aches and pains I’ve started having.

Worry and anxiety is such an awful thing and I know My anxiety is making this already hard time even harder for my husband.

update:

Went back to my doctor and explained everything, including my panic and how it’s affecting me.

He took me much more seriously this time.

He said what you guys said, that he doesn’t think it’s cancer because although it can lay dormant before symptoms arise, once symptoms show up it would get very angry in the 2-3 months it’s been there and there has been no change.

He showed me that when the red spot is pressed on, it blanches... which I guess is a good sign, he did a full manual breast exam and noticed dense tissue at the sides of my breasts (but said that’s normal with women with large breasts and with breastfeeding mothers). Nothing else from that was noted. He did a manual exam to check my lymph nodes and nothing is swollen or painful in those areas.

He said the red spot shouldn’t be there and he has ideas for what it could be, but isn’t sure ... so we are going to work to find answers.

I am seeing a skin specialist (not derm) at my clinic in a few weeks, I have a requisition for bloodwork and he has scheduled both a mamagram and ultrasound at a breast assessment clinic at the end of the month.

Since I saw him (and got your messages) I haven’t been as stressed and pain is my breasts has been almost non-exsistent (except some swelling tenderness feelings in both breasts). I have lost a lot of weight and am still feeling sick, but it’s getting better.

I am scared for the tests.. but answers would be nice

Still no results back about the rest of my family.

hey, wanted to respond because I remember so vividly what that time was like.

So, since that time I have had 2 biopsies (one where they shaved some of the skin on my breast off and tested it - big scar now- and a punch biopsy), I have also had a 2 manual breast exams, 2 Pap tests, a mammogram and a breast ultrasound.

Everything has come back benign.

The first biopsy came back benign, but inconclusive as to what it was.

I then got pregnant and it went away completely.

After I had my baby, it came back bigger than before. Even though it had been quite a while, it scared me that it was back and bigger (still with no other symptoms than redness). I was seeing a new family doctor at that time (my original doctor moved) so I pushed hard for a punch biopsy (I really wish I would have done this from the start).

This biopsy came back benign, but strongly suggesting Granuloma Annulare. This is a benign skin condition that is typically raised, painful and itchy and even in a ring shape. Mine was not at all like that. I joined a group on FB for people who have GA and learned that it’s not well known in the medical field, and can look quite different from what a quick google search showed and many people have it like mine (not raised, itchy or bumpy)

Then I got pregnant again (with my 4th child) and again it went away completely.
That baby is now 4 months old and the redness is back in a small area again.

This time, I’m not concerned. I’m annoyed, but I know I’m okay.

I would say do whatever necessary to make yourself feel better (tests etc) but stay off of google. It’s scary in times like this