Breast Cancer Support Group

I hate to just jump in here but from what I am reading regarding Inflammatory breast cancer, I don't have time to beat around the bush. Please, please help!

Here goes. For about five weeks I have had a weird rash on my right breast and then a smaller rash on my left breast. It looked like a little vein that was a little red and then a circular shaped rash or irritation type site appeared. At first I didnt think much of it of course. I am nursing a toddler so I wondered if it was her nails digging into my breast giving the irritation or something. She does acrobatics when nursing and isn't very friendly to my breasts.

Two weeks ago I went to my NP and told her I was worried. She looked at the site and said maybe mastitis but it was weird because it wasn't around the areola or any other part of the breast and I didn't have flu like symptoms of mastitis. She told me to try an antifungal. It seemed to almost be getting better at one point and then one day I look in the mirror and the area on the right breast looks REALLY red I keep putting the antifungal on and nothing is now happening to halt the redness. The other side (breast) you almost can't notice unless you know what you are looking for at this point. ??

I went to my ob/gyn today scared to death of IBC he said the skin is smooth and not pitted and the breast tissue isn't tough or hard or thickened, so he doesn't think it is IBC. He prescribed hydrocortizone to see if it is simply dermatitis, with strict instructions to come back next week if it doesn't go away.

I don't really have a lot of pain, but a LOT of itching. My nipples look fine (not inverted or anything) I am not having general swelling to speak of. Just this annoying big itchy blotch of redness on my breast.....that is really scaring me!!!

Here is my thing. Should I wait and see if the cream helps this week? I don't have insurance(and five children), so I have no idea how I would even pay for a consult with a surgeon if needed. Although....I hear this can come on overnight too and progress so fast.

So what would you do? Call tomarrow and demand a biopsy? Wait the week out (on pins and needles...i have been in the bathroom checking out the rash every 20 minutes tonight to see if the cortizone cream is working-lol-a watched "pot?)? Can you get IBC in both breasts at the same time (or notice symptoms?) Can the rashlike area disappear and you still have IBC?

This is all that is going through my mind right now. My mom is worried SICK. I don't know if all this worry is warranted. I have little children to take care of and live for, so I am just out of my mind with worry. Please, please any advice would be very helpful! (if you pray-I would gladly accept all prayer possible too!)
Posted on 10/21/09, 04:10 am