Not sure what to think

Options
angel980
angel980 Member Posts: 8
edited July 2022 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

Hi, new member here.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed I was extremely sensitive in my left breast. I didn't think much of it until 3 days later, I was in the shower and felt a huge hard mass in my left breast. When I looked in the mirror, my breast was huge and I had a redish, purplish coloring that was quite large. I right away went to my doctor who was also concerned because my period ended 5 days prior and I haven't breast fed in 5 years. She prescribed me antibiotics and sent a referral for a mammogram and Ultrasound. the first 5 days my redness got worse, I started getting itchy and a couple of times it looked like I had white bumps from under my skin. After the 5th day my redness started to subside and my swelling went down. Two days before my last antibiotics I had my mammogram which came back clear and my ultrasound came back as ductal dilatation. My doctor said because that can be a sign of ibc, the radiologist left it open for my doctor and me to decide on the next step. She now has referred me to a breast specialist at the hospital.

My redness is faint but still there, I'm still sensitive and I've had constant back pain under left left shoulder blade, along with a dull ache in my front beneath my left breast.

The night before lastnight, I couldn't sleep because I had a constant throbbing on my left breast that was quite painful. The next morning I woke with the throbbing but then throughout the day, the throbbing turned into stabbing pain that had me doubled over. It would only last 30 seconds at a time but it was constant. It only lasted the one night and now the past two days I'm back to feeling my back pain and dull throbbing here and there. Not sure what to think because my redness and swelling isn't coming back to what it was.

Just hoping on some input from someone who may have experienced this and may know what's causing it.

Thank you

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited April 2022

    Dear angel1980,

    We are sorry that these breast changes and the pain that it is causing have brought you here. We are glad that you reached out to our members to hear of their experiences. It is hard to say what might be going on here. Have you made an appointment with the breast specialist yet? Have your reported the ongoing pain to your primary doctor. We hope that others might offer some ideas but honestly most will say that you will have to follow through with your MD to get to the bottom of whatever is causing your pain. Please keep us posted on what you learn. We want to support you here and will appreciate knowing what you learn.

    The Mods

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited April 2022

    hi, I'm waiting for the breast specialist to contact me and I tried to contact my doctor with my new symptoms, but she's away for two weeks. I feel like my left breast looks larger than my right and I can still feel something behind my nipple. I'm just confused why the ultrasound didn't pick anything up if it was anything. I'm on day 3 of no pain but redness is still there, although very faint, so maybe no need for a specialist. I'm just not sure what's going on.

    Angel980

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • katg
    katg Member Posts: 108
    edited April 2022

    Angel,

    I agree with the moderators. Even if your primary is gone, there are people, maybe a physicians assist or RN in their office.

    I originally had a throbbing in my breast. No outward signs, but a throb i figured was an old bra probably with no support. Until a month or two later when i felt the mass in my breast one June 20th, 2021. I was in the COH within a week had a biopsy and ultrasound and mammogram before that.

    Your symptoms need looking at. Your DRS. office is not a one man show. Also, a breast specialist is who i contacted after my referral from the primaries PA. Call them. Let them know your symptoms. I want to add i have Anthem insurance and checked the website for approved breast surgeons and found one at the COH. Breast pain is not always bad, but symptoms mean something is not right. Please get back to us on how you are.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited April 2022

    Thank you for your comments!

    My appointment with the specialist is tomorrow so I'm really hoping she agrees to a skin biopsy, because it seems, from comments I've read, that's the most successful at catching anything.

    Angel

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited April 2022

    I had my appointment with the specialist yesterday. She did her exam and said she could see the discoloration, she could see my left breast is bigger than my right. She examined me and said my lump felt like normal swollen tissue and told me this is just an infection, and she couldn't do a skin biopsy because she didn't have a lesion to do it on. Every point she made about IBC, I corrected her on. I left feeling very dismissed in regards to all my symptoms and Nervous over the fact she can tell it's not IBC just by simply looking at me, and didn't seem to be knowledgeable on her information. She made it sound like its a one size fits all for symptoms. I guess it is what it is though, and now It either gets better or it gets worse. It's just the waiting game now I suppose.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 3,761
    edited April 2022

    angel - given your symptoms I wouldn’t play the waiting game. I would find a doctor who is knowledgeable certainly not one like that sorry excuse for a physician you just saw. She obviously didn’t know what she was talking about and that’s scary.

    I encourage you to find a reputable physician asap. Not trying to scare you because I’m not a physician but I can assure you I would act on it now.

    Diane

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited May 2022

    update* I had my follow up with my doctor last week. She is agreeing with the specialist. She didn't even look at my breasts or do a check. She said because I don't have the peau d'orange symptoms it's not IBC.

    I still have faint discoloration, I'm still getting intense deep shooting pains that come and go and sometimes feel pain shooting up along me breast by my armpit. She tells me this is all normal from mastitis. I feel like somethings not right and I'm going to get a second opinion but I am confused at the fact that my breast was so swollen and discolored at the beginning and just staying faint now. If it was that bad previously, would it stay faint or would it be getting worse? And if it's mastitis, as she says it is, wouldn't it be gone by now, after 2 months?

    Either way I'm still going to get a second opinion cause somethings going on.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • PurpleCat
    PurpleCat Member Posts: 358
    edited May 2022

    Breast changes are so stressful! I hope you can get satisfactory answers very soon from a practitioner you trust.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited June 2022

    Another Update* it's been 10 weeks and I'm still looking for answers. My discoloration is still the same, still faint but not going away, my pain comes and goes so some days when I don't have pain I think I'm crazy and everything must be fine but then the days I have pain, I feel like my instincts are screaming at me somethings not right. My pain is getting more constant and is always in the same spot, and I now have a dull ache in my armpit and side of my breast.

    I went to a different doctor and got a second opinion and he is sending me to a different specialist for another opinion. He says he could feel my armpit lymph node might be swollen. He also said this time they can look at it in a different viewpoint because so much time has passed that it rules out an infection now. It sucks in BC Canada, that every appointment needs a referral and I'm so worried I'm going to get the same answers I got from the previous specialist...no lump, means no cancer... pain, means no cancer, I don't have the peau d'orange so its not IBC. I was completely devastated she sent me away without a biopsy, and I'm so scared I'm going to go through it again.

    Anyways, here's to hoping for some answers this time.

    You women are all warriors for what you go through! Sending my prayers your way!

    Angel

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited June 2022

    Dear angel1980,

    We are so sorry that you are still in pain and without answers to your symptoms. We are glad that you came back to update us all here. Keep us posted on what you learn. We are thinking of you.

    The MOds

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited July 2022

    Hello,

    So I had my appointment yesterday with specialist #2. It went much better than my first appointment and she is sending me for another ultrasound. I'm super relieved it wasn't another dead end. She gave me the same speech though, pain means no cancer, i dont have the peau d'orange so i dont have ibc, and she sloughed off my discoloration. My pain is constant now though. I used to go a couple of weeks without feeling pain but now i don't go a day without feeling it. She cant explain the pain and that is why she's sending me for another ultrasound. Im hoping after 4 months, if there's anything concerning, it would appear on an ultrasound now, would it not?

    Anyways I'm feeling hopeful for answers soon and happy to have a Doctor who is taking my concerns seriously. Thank you for letting me process my journey on here. It definitely has not been easy.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LW422
    LW422 Member Posts: 1,312
    edited July 2022

    Angel--so sorry you have had such a struggle with trying to find out the problem with your breast, and I hope that they figure it out soon. IBC is rare so chances are good that you don't have it. I am bothered by your doctor saying that "pain means no cancer" because that is a lie. A lot of us had pain or other weirdness. When is your scan scheduled? My best to you for a good outcome.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angel980
    angel980 Member Posts: 8
    edited July 2022

    hi, thank you for that! Reading These testimonies have been helpful navigating what the doctors tell you. I previously even got the line that my bra was probably too tight. I had to laugh about it later because so many woman tell of getting that line. My family doctor also told me I could be getting pain in my back shoulder blade because I walk around, clutching my breast with my arm, without knowing I'm doing it! What?!? Haha. Anyways I have to wait for the imaging to contact me and set up an appointment, so probably not for a few weeks.

    Thank you for your response.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories