strange right breast, very worried and waiting for doctor appointment

[devonshireduckling]

Have namechanged as RL friends will only panic if they see this. For the last 12 months I've had palpitations at night, very low immunity etc but put it down to stress as looking after DCs and caring for terminally ill relative. It is probably unrelated but for the last 2 weeks my right breast has been incredibly sore, getting worse and worse and really a burning pain, it feels a bit lumpy, it doesn't respond to ibuprofen, can't get comfy to sleep. I am definitely not pregnant and period made no difference to this pain. Havent been to the doctors for me, for more than a year, so I have managed to get an appointment for tomorrow. DH is away for work so I am stuck here worrying and thinking the worst, he is too worried to talk about it on the phone. Also feel foolish going in to doctors with a shopping list of decrepitude. So anyone around to hold my hand and tell me some non-awful options before I go to see GP? DCs are in bed so now I am just fretting.

Also thinking of you and hoping that either you are getting scanned or that things are improving now.TBH if it is dragging on and the GP is unavailable I would think about A+E,especially if you have a decent teaching hospital near or one with a breast clinic.Best of luck.

Hi Jane, Elibean, Hellymelly, really appreciate the concern. The swelling is definitely improving, however, still painful and feel very knocked out. I rang the GP surgery but my GP is out of action until Wednesday: the option I had was seeing the pointless one again (so they can briefly look at me and be cocky again, I don't think so!) or wait. Or go to A&E ... I do have a breast clinic in the local hospital so that could be another solution (though I need a referral for that?). I've spoken to a neighbour and at a moment's notice they'll take the DCs and I'll go to A&E if it gets worse.

Oh that is such good news that the swelling is going down a bit.

It sounds as if you may be able to wait till wednesday and see your own GP which I think you should even if it's getting better.

I think it's important to know what has been going on in there tbh! Hope it continues to get better.

Thanks, I am going to keep going back till I get an ultrasound: my boobs have seen a lot of "action" but have never misbehaved until now so I think this needs to be checked out. The boob is still considerably bigger than the other one (considers career as circus act ...)

Very good news - in all ways: less painful, less worrying!

Yes to seeing your nice doc on wednesday, and fingers crossed for more deflation of the best possible kind

hmmm, saw nice doc. Alas she just prescribed me yet another course of antibiotics as the swelling is coming down. The lump is still there however and so is the pain. She's stalling referring me for an ultrasound which is really really annoying

very annoying, I agree. hopefully also reassuring, because nice doctor clearly on top of all possibilities as per what she said last time - so wouldn't delay u/s if she was worried? Hope swelling keeps coming down, was thinking of you so thanks for the update!

swelling is definitely less but pain is still raging (and the non-painful lump still making its presence felt!)

I've just left a message with local private hospital to see how much an ultrasound costs ... at this point I just want peace of mind.

I have just had another ultrasound and biopsy. GP urgently referred and 4 days later i was there.

Insist upon an ultrasound. There are rare conditions that can cause scaly peeling skin on and around the nipple and need to be ruled out.
I am in a similar position to you and awaiting my results-I have bleeding from the nipple and a lump.

You are in my thoughts.

Hi Devonshire duckling. So sorry to read about what you are going through.. I had exactly the same thing happen to me when my youngest DD was 3. My whole breast was like a rock and I could hardly bring my arm down fully due to inflammation - I felt rotten, and really do feel for you as I know how horrible it feels.
It took my Drs a long time to get the right antibiotic regime into me to get rid of the infection, and because the blood supply to the boobs in a non-bf woman is quite low the infection was slow to remedy, I think 2 weeks before a real difference was seen and a further 2 weeks to completely clear. It took I think about 4 weeks before this to get the right drugs and i ended up on maximum dose of 2 strong antibiotics. Not an easy road, especially when you are understandably worried.
I was sent for an ultrasound immediately (sadly my Mum passed away many years ago from breast cancer, and my GP wanted to be extra cautious).
Thinking of you - it's so not nice.
OM

Thanks nursenic, good luck with your results! Oeufman, it sounds very much as if I'm experiencing what you experienced, I am carrying on with the antibiotics but will just keep on persisting with the doctors for an ultrasound, in particular if nothing improves.

I don't want to alarm you but a rare form of breast cancer presents like this.
Inflammatory breast cancer is often not diagnosed quickly because it looks like an infection.

It's probably not but most GP's won't ever see a case so aren't looking out for it.

I have looked after many ladies with this.

Please push for an appointment with a breast specialist.

Hi Duckling - hope the antibiotics are starting to have some effect. I would completely agree with daintynuts, insist on being seen in breast clinic - BUT, remember inflammatory BC is very rare, breast infections are very common (this was told to me repeatedly by the lovely breast doctors).
If the antibiotics do not kick in soon I would strongly recommend another visit to GP and perhaps a very gentle suggestion you want to attack this aggressively. I felt so rotten, sick and drained - and trying to care for 4 young kids!
My GP ended up getting advice from a breast clinic as to the regime they would use (the highest dose of 2 strong very different antibiotics that can be prescribed outside of hospital). Though my first infection was about 2 years ago - I am certain it is not gone, but kept under control by my own immune system. If I am run down or ill my infection flares up again. My GP is so keen for it not to get out of control again, I have a prescription for the antibiotics at home always - to be filled immediately should I feel the tingling of infection coming in again!

Hi Duckling ,
just found your thread whilst trying to find something about back pain !
However, I had a very sore , hot and swollen breast , the GP had a look and immediately referred me to a breast clinic , I was seen about 3 weeks later , had a mammogram and an examination and chat with Doctor there, and was diagnosed with ... A pulled muscle in my rib cage !
Had to go back 2 weeks later , saw the same Doctor, who showed me the mammogram photos and did an ultrasound to be sure.
Was a pulled muscle ( good ) took about a year to get better ( bad )
Hope you get sorted out soon , now , where's some info about back pain ...

Ilovedaintynuts thank you - I have been told about inflammatory breast cancer, but the doctor fobbed me off with a "it's so rare" comment, which doesn't really make me feel any better! I wanted to say yes, rare, but not an urban myth!!
Oeufman it seems the second week's antibiotics are taking effect, I am feeling much less pain and swelling, but absolutely wiped out (3 DCs, DH off on a work jaunt for a month FFS!, can't imagine how you coped with 4 DCs and this kind of pain ... I also have some demanding ducks). I'm going to keep going back to GP until this is properly done with.
Doilooklikeatourist, yes I am beginning to realise how many different things can cause boobs to go haywire: realising my own complete ignorance of their physiology! Don't know why I am not being referred quickly - I don't exactly demand much of the GPs and tend to avoid them.
Good luck with the back pain!!

SO glad the ABs are having an effect - they wouldn't, if it was IBC (which also crossed my mind, but it IS very very rare).

Yes, do badger docs for stronger ABs and stay on top of it...I'm not surprised youre' knackered, I would be without the infection, in your shoes!

Thanks elibean - breast is still sore and this is so out of character for my boobs that I think I'll still push for some kind of scan if possible. Still reaching new heights of knackeredness ;)

Okay Duckling - i am so delighted there has been some improvement, you can relax knowing its not inflammatory BC as antibiotics would have absolutely no effect - exhale and concentrate on getting better slowly. I never realised how ill an infection of the breast could make you until I had one.

You need to stay on the very strong antibiotics until it is really truly gone, and then get some good pro-biotics into you afterwards. Try and look after yourself (not easy with 3 ducklings and Mr Duck away for a month), get some rest and exercise each day. It is a slow road but it does get better.
If like me you develop a real susceptibility to this - talk to you GP re pre-emptive measures that can be taken. If I can get the antibiotics in at the first tingling of infection I can knock the infection in a few days.
My DH is self-employed, and works mad hours (home tonight at 1am, often not seen for days - just sleeps at home) so I empathise with you. Maybe a few early nights :)

Thanks Oeufman, I am going to encourage the doctor to prescribe some pre-emptive measures, at the moment my breast is much less painful than last week, but more painful than on Sunday when I thought it was almost all better: one step forwards, half a step back. Thank for all your advice

sorry to revive this old thread. The breast pain still hasn't gone despite antibiotics. I went back to the doctor yet again today and I'm now waiting to be seen by a breast clinic (within two weeks). I had been worrying less, thinking that the ABs would eventually work, now I am quite worried. DH is back home which is nice (he can look after the DCs and the ducks a little over Christmas!) but the timing of the doctors finally referring me is really really bad as this is now overshadowing Christmas a little.

Can I expect to have a biopsy as well as a scan and mammogram? Or is it likely to be just a scan or just a mammogram? I was quite taken aback at the doctors and didn't ask enough questions (after several trips saying "not getting completely better, i'm still not able to sleep because of the pain, please can I have a scan!" and being given yet more ABs).

If I'm honest, I would push for a biopsy - i'm sure you are fretting about inflammatory breast cancer, and it can only really be diagnosed (I believe) with a biopsy. There is this, using infra red to detect increased blood flow to suspect areas:
www.breasthealthuk.com/screening-services/240 I looked at doing this when I had a similar concern, but I was breastfeeding, so it was not suitable for me, due to the increased blood flow to boobs while breastfeeding. It wasn't particularly expensive. Hope you get peace of mind soon.

thanks for that haggisfish, I'll look at the infrared test.
Do they take a lot of tissue for a biopsy?

Just found out that my appointment is on 30th December. Gah!

G'ah indeed. How annoying it's not before Christmas. Haven't read entire thread, but I do know a thing or two about breast clinics and 9 out of 10 referrals turn out to be benign. If you're unlucky enough to be the 1, out of them 9 out of 10 are treatable, so even if it is cancer, it's not necessarily dire news.

At the clinic, they'll take a history, have a look, then depending on your age you'll have a mammogram and an ultrasound. If they find anything suspicious you'll probably have a fine needle biopsy straight away. Dependent on whether it's a one-stop clinic or not you should get the results same day. Even if it's not, they'll probably give you a good idea of what the problem is.

Nip over to Tamoxifen thread if you'd like a bit of company. We've all been through some version of where you are now, so totally get how scary it all is. We're good at hand holding and distraction and lots of women who loiter end up being clear. There's v. good odds you'd be one of them.

The GP was nice to let me know so quickly but at the same time this truly messes with Christmas now. I shall pop over to read the tamoxifen thread.