Ibc symptoms

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Dorthy6547
Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
edited January 2021 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

My mom (55) noticed a small dark patch in her aerola area along with a small bug bite looking bump with and redness about an inch away when she was about to shower goodnight 7 days ago. 3 days later her right breast became red and inflamed( breast size looked the same but skin looked inflamed) and her her pores in the swelled area became enlarged which sort of looks like peau d orange. The bump that looks like a bite is the only area that we've felt any hardness and about every other day its been oozing a bloody white & y ellow thick pus, so my mom started putting antibiotic cream on her breast. Ever since she put the antibiotic cream the swelling on her breast dissappeared about 75% and peau d orange skin practically disappeared in the swelled area but now we see it in the area under her breast and around the bump . She has had constant intense itch for about 3 or 4 days. Because of the holidays we haven't been able to set a appointment but tomorrow we are going to get one in asap.. my mom just thinks its an infection from a bite ( because the day she saw it she had been helping my aunt move her old furniture & plants). I on the other hand am extremely concerned & have urged her to get the next appointment asap to get a mri mammo because she has v dense breast &( hadt gotten one in 5 or 6 yrs) her symptoms seem to align with ibc except the bump thts oozing...n its very concerning..so I wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar experience ? & was it ibc?

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited December 2020

    IBC is quite rare. Most who are concerned about it usually end up with some kind of dermatology issue. Additionally, IBC is diagnosed with a punch biopsy not a mammogram. It is a good sign that the swelling and enlarged pores have diminished as this would not happen with IBC. Please contact your PCP or a dermatologist as a first step and all the best to your mom

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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    the swelling has almost disappeared but the enlarged although they look smaller are still noticeable

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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    thank you for the advice !!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2020

    Dorthy, as exbrnxgrl said, IBC is very rare. From your initial description, it did sound like that possibly could be what your mother is dealing with, although the oozing is much more a sign of infection. And as far as I know, IBC swelling and peau d'orange won't improve with an antibiotic - it will just continue to get worse. So the fact that some of the symptoms have significantly lessened makes this many times more likely to be just a skin infection rather than IBC or any other type of breast cancer. So to get this resolved as quickly as possible, I agree with the recommendation that your mother see her PCP or a dermatologist. As it happens, the best type of biopsy for diagnosing IBC is a punch biopsy, and this is something that dermaologists do. So if by chance the dermatologist thinks this could be IBC and not just an infection, he/she can do the biopsy to find out. But my guess, like your mother's, is that this is an infection.

    If your mother hasn't had a mammogram for several years, then she should get one scheduled. That can be done after this infection is dealt with.



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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited December 2020

    Dear Dorothy6547,

    We are sorry that this worry about your mom has brought you here. You have already received good advice and suggestions from our members. We hope that this has been helpful to you. Good luck to her and thanks to you for seeking information on her behalf.

    The Mods

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited December 2020

    The oozing also brings in the possibility of a boil or ingrown hair that's infected - again, dermatological issues.

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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    Yes she's been using antibiotics for the past 3 days. & like i said it helped the swelling alot & the enlarged pores look smaller in the area where we first saw it but the open pores seem to have spread to under her breast so its still worries me..my father & my moms brother passed away from cancer when I was younger so it worries me & idk why it didn't occur to me to haver her get her yearly check up after she turned 50..but thank you all for the well wishes & advice I will let her know to go to derma first thing tomorrow if possible..thank you & I will update soon.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited December 2020

    Dorothy - as everyone above said - call and make an appointment with a dermatologist. Hopefully this is a skin issue. WHen you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2020

    "idk why it didn't occur to me to haver her get her yearly check up after she turned 50"

    Is there a reason why you are responsible for your mother's health? I'm a fair bit older than she is and I am fully responsible for my own health. It sounds as though your mother is doing the right thing (trying antibiotic cream, which seems to be working) and while planning to see a doctor, isn't particularly concerned. If she isn't concerned, why are you? It seems your concern is driven by your family history of cancer and what you've read on google (Dr. Google being a fearmonger and a notoriously horrible doctor). You seem more focused on that and appear to be discounting the fact that only 3 days of antibiotic have already shown improvement - for antibiotic to work this quickly is quite unusual with a skin infection and almost certainly wouldn't happen with cancer. Your mother should see a doctor but from what you describe this doesn't sound like breast cancer or anything serious, just as your mother believes.




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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    Thats what she told me lol.. Youre right i probaly sound obnoxious but im just a little freaked out from previous expereince( my dad lived in a different state and the last time he came to visit me he did not tell us he was sick after already being diagnosed of his cancer...my mother and i only found out about 6 months later from my half sister in his last days so that i could talk to him a few last time) .. but youre right i should probaly get off google and relax. its just us two and we're very close and shes strongly agaisnt going to the doctor unless absolutely necessary and drinking medicine so ive alwyas been the one to make sure she takes her health a little more serious from a professional. i really am grateful for all the responses.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2020

    Dorthy, hopefully your mother gets in to see her PCP or a dermatologist. Let us know what the doctor says.

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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    good morning, my mom doesn't have health insurance. Should we go to a hospital? We were told she must got to her PCP and be referred to a dermatologist..she doesn't have a pcp

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  • ctmbsikia
    ctmbsikia Member Posts: 1,095
    edited December 2020

    I would suggest an Urgent care nearest you would be better than an ER.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited December 2020

    dorothy,

    Forgive my confusion but in your op you mentioned that your mother was going to get an appointment ASAP after the holiday. Did you just find out that she has no medical insurance ? I am not sure where you live but please try contacting local or county health departments for referrals to free or low cost care. Please don’t go to the ER. They are already overwhelmed with Covid19 cases in many instances. Even under better circumstances, the ER is for emergencies and although you are concerned, this doesn’t sound like an emergency. Take care.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited December 2020

    Any primary care doctor (or likely NP) can diagnose a skin infection or cellulitis. Do not go to an ER. Urgent care, even one within a drug store, would be a fine place to start. This is not an emergency, or likely a breast issue, and even if it WAS a breast issue, ERs do not do mammograms, etc. They would tell you to go to your PCP

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited December 2020

    If your mother is in an urban area, there may be clinics for underinsured patients. If there aren't independent clinics, if you have a university with a medical school, they frequently run clinics, and usually the fees are on a sliding scale based on income.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2020

    "We were told she must got to her PCP and be referred to a dermatologist." Who did your mother speak to who told her this? Where do you live?

    What did your mother decide to do? Did she find an Urgent Care clinic, as was suggested here?

    And how is your mother's breast looking today? Has the improvement from the antibiotic continued?



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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    Hi Beesie, we went to a Urgent Care clinic( in miami,fl where we live) and they prescribed her an oral antibiotic called Bactrim for 10 days. Thankfully its been working almost immedaitalty and we see a overall significant difference (the enlarged pores are almost fully back to normal and the swelling is very minimal). The itching has gotten less too. The doctor suggested she get an ultrasound about a month or so after she finishes the antibiotics but he said he is 95% sure that its just an infection from a bug bite, since she has been responding well to the antibiotics. I spoke to alot of friends and everyone told me to go somehwere different but the place you ladies suggested was the best for our situation. She was a little bothered by my urgency to go get it checked out because she didnt think it was a big deal and she didnt wanna go to a clinic given all the covid cases but the place was very clean and there was only 4 other ppl there. She has 8-9 more days to go on her oral antibiotic, so i will be updating again :)

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited December 2020

    Sounds like a great conclusion to her problem!

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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    yes ! Thank You Thank You for advice ! May you all have a safe, blessed and beautiful new years

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited December 2020

    Dorthy, thanks for the update! It all sounds like good news - your mother went to the right place to get this checked out, and it seems that she has a diagnosis and treatment that is working. Let's hope that this resolves completely.

    Then, with your encouragement, she can think about getting back on track with regular breast screenings.


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  • Dorthy6547
    Dorthy6547 Member Posts: 9
    edited January 2021

    Hi Ladies Happy New Year. Just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow is the last day of antibiotics for my mom and im so thankful it has worked. The peaud'orange like skin is completly gone, the hardness and the knot she felt in the afffected area has reduced to the size of tick tack and there is minimal itchiness. The doctor reffered her get a ultrasound 3 weeks after she finishes the antibiotics, so we will be doing that soon as well ! I am actively doing research to get an affordable health insurance and get her on the yearly mammoram team. I think this might have been a wake up call to push her to take her health more seriously and get health insurance for the unexpected. Again thank you all for the suggestions and also the reminder that dr.google is in fact not a doctor, because he had me feeling a wreck for a couple of days.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited January 2021

    Dorthy, thanks so much for coming back to let us know how things went. Great news that your mother's infection appears to be almost gone!

    Hope that her ultrasound goes well and that she does follow-up with annual screening from this point forward.



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