SO CONCERNED

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jannyfran
jannyfran Member Posts: 33
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
HELLO SISTERS,

MAYBE SOMEONE CAN ADVISE ME WHAT TO DO.........

I HAD THIS AWFUL DISEASE IN MY RIGHT BREAST AND STILL IN TREATMENT FOR IT.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I MENTIONED TO MY SURGEON, ONCOLOGIST AND RADIATION ONCOLOGIST ABOUT MY LEFT BREAST REALLY HURTING. THEY ALL DID THE SAMETHING, GAVE ME JUST A REGULAR TOUCHY FEELY EXAM AND SAID THEY DON'T FEEL ANYTHING.

MY CONCERN IS, THEN WHY EVEN UP UNTIL TODAY, IT REALLY HURTS WHEN I TOUCH IT, LEAN ON IT, OR WHENEVER IT COMES IN SOME SORT OF CONTACT WITH ANYTHING.

I JUST WONDER SINCE WHEN I HAD MY EXAM ORIGINALLY THEY DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING IN MY RIGHT BREAST EITHER, SOMETHING ABNORMAL SHOWED UP ON THE MAMOGRAM AND THAT'S WHEN I WENT FOR THE REST BIOPSY, ETC. MY LEFT BREAST WAS NORMAL ON THE MAMOGRAM, BUT WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH??????

IF ANYONE HAS AN IDEA, I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU SHARING IT WITH ME. I'M THINKING I SHOULD JUST HAVE TO PUT MY FOOT DOWN AND TELL THEM I NEED AN ULTRA SOUND OR SOMETHING.

THANK YOU,

JANNY

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  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #2
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    Ultrasound
    Hi Janny,

    My last attack of breast cancer was found only after I kept coming at the doctors telling them to do more something was wrong. Don't feel bad about being aggressive with your doctors, tell them how you feel and that you need more done than just a physical exam. Tell them you would like to have a mammogram or ultrasound of that breast as soon as possible. I do not mean to scare you or to imply that you have cancer again, by no means is that my intention. I am only trying to say that it is okay to gently insist on the treatment you feel is needed to ensure your continued health both physically and mentally. I have been dealing with being a cancer survivor for 11 years and watched my mom fight cancer and deal with doctors for some 30 years. Ultimately it is us who need to push the right buttons to get the care we need. My best regards to you!

    RE
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #3
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    Be persistent...
    Hi jannyfran,

    It took me over a year to get my doctor...any doctor to listen to me about the pain and itching in my breast. They just kept blowing me off. Telling me that BC is NOT painful, so don't even consider that. Probably just dry skin, they said. They felt nothing.
    Well, they were wrong. It was BC and here I am....

    When I was DXd, I said my other breast also had itching...rarely, but sometimes. THEN THEY LISTENED. They ordered an ultrasound and a mammo. Nothing showed up. I was whisked off for an MRI. Two days later, was told that there was a "suspicious lesion" in that breast also. So, back for an MRI guided biopsy. Thankfully, that was negative. But they are having me get an MRI in that breast every six months, to be safe.

    In NO WAY am I suggesting that you may have cancer in the other breast. But I am suggesting that you take your fears and let your doctors know that you would like more testing. You need...we all need...some peace of mind, after going through what we have!

    It seems that I tried everything except throwing an actual tantrum in the doctor's examining room, the first time. Getting them to listen to me with the second one was a whole lot easier!!

    Anyway, keep after them, and I am sending love & hugs your way.

    CR
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #4
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    Hi Janny: Not that I think
    Hi Janny: Not that I think there might be anything wrong with your other breast but I think you need to be more aggressive with your dr. Have them do an ultrasound first and if nothing shows up then they should do an MRI. Sometimes, we have to be real pushy when it comes to our health. We are our own best advocates and we know our bodies better than anyone else. Please put your foot down. Keep us posted. Hugs, Lili
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #5
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    Just an idea
    Are you running a low grade fever? Have you gotten hit in the breast? Did you do any kind of hard work or exercise on that side?What kind of surgery did you have on the right and how long ago? I'm not saying it is or isn't cancer. But things can go wrong in our bodies other than cancer. Sometimes we have a breast infection (which could cause pain and a low grade temperature). An injury, even one that happened a month or so ago, can cause a knot or a sore spot. Sore muscles from an over-use injury can take a long time to heal. I know I was sore as the dickens from surgery. The places they cut didn't hurt so much. The places nearby did. Also the muscles I ended up using when certain other muscles didn't work hurt. There is a kind of breast cancer that itches, hurts, and causes what looks like a breast infection but isn't, so caution is advised (especially if the skin looks red and swollen and/or dimpled like orange peel or the nipple is inverted). You didn't say what kind of surgical treatment you had. If you had a mastectomy, the nerves that were cut can send some pretty strange messages (called phantom pain) where nothing is wrong but something hurts. Usually this is temporary, but some folks experience it a lot longer than others. A good breast surgeon ought to know all the possibilities (cancer and everything else)and check things out completely. Doctors don't like to miss anything. See a breast specialist surgeon for the best evaluation. Even if no cause is found, he or she should address the pain issue. Good luck!

    C. Abbott

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