Im a newly diagnosed Stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer woman. Im not as familiar with all my diagnosis stuff as alot of you women on here are.Yet, Im sure I'll get there.Anyways we'll get back to that later.
My journey started 9+ months ago when I was pregnant with my fifth child.Yes I said fifth.I have three from my first marriage and my husband of seven years and I have two of our own now.At the end of my pregnancy I noticed a small hard knot in my areola area next to my nipple. I thought it was strange to already have a clogged duct but it had only been a year and a half since I had stopped breastfeeding my older son.When I had my C-section in November I was in the hospital for 4 days because I lost alot of blood and I had gotten a spinal block headache(pure Hell).Right from the start my baby wouldnt nurse from my right breast.They sent in a lactation specialist(Im some what of an expert myself,it was my 5th)who tried everything to help me but baby Wyatt would have no part of the "bad booby"as we later called it.I pointed out the knot , which she also thought was a clogged duct and she told me to keep massaging it and putting hot compresses on it.So I went home and continued to nurse off just the left side.At my 6 week check up with my OBGYN I showed him the now pea size hard bump and he would barly look at it. I insisted he feel it.He said it was a gland and I had two of them.He said it appeared my milk was drying up and to be glad I could still nurse from one side.So I went home somewhat satisfied with that answer.
By the time my son was 4 months old I had developed more than one of these knots all around my nipple at various places. I had begun checking on the internet at different conditions that could cause such problems.At this point up until my son was seven months things changed drastically.The whole area under my areola became a hard mass, my breast swelled, became red and hot,hurt like hell with anywhere from sharp stabbing pains to just nonstop aching and burning and itching.Then my nipple started to look like it was retracting and I had the orange peel looking skin changes.My husband, family and friends who had listened and indured my complaining pushed me to go to the dr.We all thought it was infection.So I finally went to the ER one night when I could no longer stand the pain.The ER Dr. looked concerned right off the bat. He gave antibiotics and an antifungal, but also wrote me a script for a mammogram.
I went for the mammogram and found a surgeon who would take my insuranse(I have medicaid),so they could send my results somewhere to be read.The surgeon jumped right on the infection band wagon.He treated me with another antibiotic and told me to keep putting hot compresses on it and in a week he would lance it.After a week nothing changed.So he then decided to do an incision,drainage and biopsy at the hospital.Which brings me to my Breast Cancer diagnoses.Right away the surgeon started talking about removing my breast and lymph nodes. I was like slow down, and please refer me to Moffit and then to Florida Cancer Specialist.Once I started seeing my oncologist, who I think is awsome,I found out about the cancer more.I had a CT scan, a PETscan,a breast MRI,a needle biopsy on my lymph nodes.My biopsy came back positive in my lymphs, and the scans showed spots on my lungs.So I had a lung biopsy which was also positive.I just completed my 3rd treatment of a 3wk on/1wk off cycle of Taxol and Avastin.My counts have all been good so far and I seem to be tolerating it so far.I havent had any surgery yet excepy the I&D and biopsy.