Inflammatory breast cancer?

[lonelightlilith]

Hi,

I have an angry purple and red blotch on my right breast which has grown relatively quickly over the last couple of weeks. It looks kinda like a bug bite but it isn’t painful and has grown rather than gone away with time. My right breast also looks suddenly bigger and is sometimes painful/achey. I went to the doc today and she seemed quite flummoxed and said she wanted to see me again in three weeks and might refer me to the one stop breast clinic then if it is still there. It seems to have got redder and bigger even just over the course of today. Should I go back and push for her to refer me sooner? Or should I just wait it out? I have a history on both sides of breast cancer - mum on one side, grandmother on the other.

I would definitely push to be referred sooner. I hope its nothing. X

It takes up to 2 weeks for a referral appointment, which means you'd be looking at 5 weeks. I'd push to be seen sooner given what you've described.

OP, how worrying for you.

Of course, it could be a number of things. However with those symptoms I would at least want to be seen in breast clinic within 2 weeks.

I would suggest asking for an appt with another doctor, or directly asking the same doctor for a referral.

Wishing you well OP

Just to add - I’ve been on antibiotics for a skin infection (cellulitis) for the last week and the doctor said that if it was a cyst/skin infection of any sort, those antibiotics would’ve cleared it up. So it isn’t a cyst or infection.

Honestly I would be pushing to be seen asap.

Please get an urgent referral OP 💐

If necessary, contact the Practice Manager

Thank you all for the advice! I will give them a call in the morning. It’s just going to worry me for weeks if I don’t and I already struggle with my mental health as it is.

What a strange decision on the doctors part, I would have thought this was a straight referral. Wishing you all the best OP.

I completely agree, especially as the doctor straight up said ‘I don’t know what this is’ when she was examining me. She just knew it wasn’t a cyst or skin infection. Like I say it does look a lot like a bug bite but is expanding rather than clearing up.

update - doc says I don’t meet the criteria for referral until she’s seen me again in September. Not sure that this makes sense/is true but she’s brought my appointment forward by a week.

I’m sorry to hear that, I wouldn’t be happy with that either. Have you mentioned inflammatory breast cancer specifically? I wonder if you could request a second opinion, via the practice manager if necessary.

Please try to see another GP in the practice OP.

You should really stress that you want to be seen asap. The GP should have referred you.
I hope it's nothing much, but you still need the reassurance.

I suspect item 1.4.2 in the guidelines here may be relevant.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/chapter/recommendations-organised-by-site-of-cancer#breast-cancer

While it’s very rare, obviously it’s important to rule out. This is helpful for the symptoms that are referred to above. I know that you’re aware of this (why you’re posting in the first place) but might help with getting movement from your surgery. I suspect just raising it for a second opinion / with the practice manager should concentrate their focus.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/types/inflammatory-breast-cancer

Update for anybody reading this - the lump is growing and darkening so I think I will ring for another appointment in the morning. I’m absolutely beside myself with worry at this point.

I had breast cancer. I have no idea what that is but it makes sense to get seen sooner rather than later. If you join the cancer support thread whilst you await referral there's at least one former doctor on there who may have an idea though get checked.

I hope you have managed to get another appointment OP 💐

Keep pushing for an appointment, if she didn't know what it was it seems crazy to not get it checked to rule cancer out. Hopefully it is just a cyst or something benign, best of luck for a good outcome.

@FormerlySpeckledyHen thank you, I did see a doctor today and she referred me to the breast clinic thankfully. My skin is going a bit wild on that breast in lots of different ways so hopefully I’ll be seen asap.

I’m so pleased that the GP has referred you lonelightlilith Hopefully the appointment will come through quickly now to put your mind at rest. Take care.

Could it be mastitis? I had that after DD was born and three lots of ABs didn't clear it up and I had to have an operation.
My breast was very red and tender. It started off with what looked like redness associated with a bite but just got bigger and bigger.

Thank goodness.

So glad you have a referral, OP. You should get some answers fairly quickly now, one way or the other. Sending positive thoughts

Best wishes OP