I am a seven year survivor of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Here is my story.
I got out of the shower and noticed a very red breast in the mirror, called my primary care physician in Cols. OH. who said to come in the next day. He said I probably had mastitis and put me on antibiotics, but mentioned a very rare breast cancer, IBC, and said he wanted to send me to a "breast specialist", the following day. The breast specialist was an oncologist, who said to continue on the antibiotics, and since I was flying to Florida the next day to drive my mother and her care giver back, he would schedule a mammogram and ultrasound for me five days later when I was due back in town. (The insurance company said I would have to pay for them if no cancer was found, since it had not been a year since my last mammogram).
My daughter drove up from southern Florida to see me and asked to see my breast. “I've had mastitis, that is not mastitis”, she said. She also told me she had looked at IBC on the internet, and I was not to look it up, but let her do the research, it was “scary”.
When she returned home she got on the internet and looked for more information. She somehow discovered that during an ultrasound the radiologist should look for “thick skin”.
After the mammogram and ultrasound, the Dr. came out smiling and said I was fine, absolutely no cancer.
I asked him if he was looking for IBC? He looked at the referral from the oncologist, and said there was no mention of IBC, even though that was why my primary care physician had sent me there…
He said he had never seen IBC. I told him my daughter had gotten on a website, and it said he should look for “thick skin”. He said “let me do another ultra sound”. He found thick skin in three places and told me I needed a biopsy.
I called the oncologist when I left his office and said I needed a biopsy, and the nurse said they could do it in a week. I said I could be there the next morning when they opened, and stay ‘til they left. I said I would do that for two days and if they could not fit me in by then, I would find another oncologist. She called me back and said they would see me at 10:00 the next morning.
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Well, I will chime in also.
I am a seven year survivor of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Here is my story.
I got out of the shower and noticed a very red breast in the mirror, called my primary care physician in Cols. OH. who said to come in the next day. He said I probably had mastitis and put me on antibiotics, but mentioned a very rare breast cancer, IBC, and said he wanted to send me to a "breast specialist", the following day. The breast specialist was an oncologist, who said to continue on the antibiotics, and since I was flying to Florida the next day to drive my mother and her care giver back, he would schedule a mammogram and ultrasound for me five days later when I was due back in town. (The insurance company said I would have to pay for them if no cancer was found, since it had not been a year since my last mammogram).
My daughter drove up from southern Florida to see me and asked to see my breast. “I've had mastitis, that is not mastitis”, she said. She also told me she had looked at IBC on the internet, and I was not to look it up, but let her do the research, it was “scary”.
When she returned home she got on the internet and looked for more information. She somehow discovered that during an ultrasound the radiologist should look for “thick skin”.
After the mammogram and ultrasound, the Dr. came out smiling and said I was fine, absolutely no cancer.
I asked him if he was looking for IBC? He looked at the referral from the oncologist, and said there was no mention of IBC, even though that was why my primary care physician had sent me there…
He said he had never seen IBC. I told him my daughter had gotten on a website, and it said he should look for “thick skin”. He said “let me do another ultra sound”. He found thick skin in three places and told me I needed a biopsy.
I called the oncologist when I left his office and said I needed a biopsy, and the nurse said they could do it in a week. I said I could be there the next morning when they opened, and stay ‘til they left. I said I would do that for two days and if they could not fit me in by then, I would find another oncologist. She called me back and said they would see me at 10:00 the next morning.
The rest is history.
June 15, 2009 - 6:56pmPenny, now from Boise, ID
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