My daughter in law is newly diagnosed with IBC

SNOYL
SNOYL Member Posts: 5
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Last Friday my daughter in law was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Tomorrow she is getting a shunt put in to be able to start the chemo. They don't have very good Internet access, so I think right now, it would probably be more of an aggravation than getting verbal knowledge. Today, she and my son are telling their 10 & 16 year old sons, and their (almost) 5 year old daughter.

I have a friend who has gone through breast cancer, not IBC, but she had a double mastectomy as a result of the cancer. Oh, my DIL's lymph nodes are affected also. We do not know what stage it's in (they were in such shock, they couldn't think of questions to answer). The doctors sent her for a bone scan and several other tests. My concern is that she knew something wasn't right about five months ago, but kept finding excuses not to go in for a mammogram. When she finally did, the mammogram came back negative. I urged my son to get her to a doctor and ask for an MRI (I didn't realize it was supposed to be a Sonogram). Her doctor was very concerned and sent her for the Sonogram immediately. The doctor she saw after the Sonogram said he couldn't see anything, that it was probably Mastitis and to take antibiotics for ten days. I asked my son if he read the website that I sent him (I put all of her symptoms in Google and it came back IBC). He said no, but he would. He gets the Internet on his phone. After he read what I sent, he got into action. Her PCP also told her to NOT wait three weeks like the other doctor said because she needs to have a biopsy done NOW. As it turns out, she has two lumps in her breast and her lymph nodes are affected; so now they (she and the doctors) are taking action. So, I'm here, not for me, but for my DIL, and I guess to help me through the emotions and questions too, but I hope you don't mind. Thanks!

Comments

  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #2
    Welcome
    I just wanted to welcome you and say most emphatically that we DON'T mind at all! Just the opposite -- we have quite a few caregivers, relatives, and loved ones on this board, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the more love and support any woman fighting breast cancer has, the better!

    We have several folks who have experience with IBC here, and I know they'll respond to you soon.

    Traci
  • meena1
    meena1 Member Posts: 1,003
    #3
    I was diagnosed in July 2008
    I was diagnosed in July 2008 with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Luckily, I went to a doctor who immediately diagnosed me with IBC. Your DIL needs to have treatment right away as this type of cancer is very aggressive, the most aggressive for of breast cancer. it also spread to my lymph nodes. I had 12 weeks of chemotherapy (Taxol), a masectomy (a must, no choice there), and 25 radiations treatments. There are also several recent posts regarding IBC, I do not think it is as rare as it used to be. I finished my treatment in May, I still see my oncologist every 4 to 8 weeks. I am doing well, I am in remission right now. So there is hope for your DIL, she needs to get into treatment. I wish her the best, and I hope you will let us know how she is. Take care
  • SNOYL
    SNOYL Member Posts: 5
    #4
    meena1 said:

    I was diagnosed in July 2008
    I was diagnosed in July 2008 with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Luckily, I went to a doctor who immediately diagnosed me with IBC. Your DIL needs to have treatment right away as this type of cancer is very aggressive, the most aggressive for of breast cancer. it also spread to my lymph nodes. I had 12 weeks of chemotherapy (Taxol), a masectomy (a must, no choice there), and 25 radiations treatments. There are also several recent posts regarding IBC, I do not think it is as rare as it used to be. I finished my treatment in May, I still see my oncologist every 4 to 8 weeks. I am doing well, I am in remission right now. So there is hope for your DIL, she needs to get into treatment. I wish her the best, and I hope you will let us know how she is. Take care

    Stunt
    Meena, thank you for your response. Since her diagnosis Friday, the ball has started rolling and hasn't quit! Thank God she had a PCP who was very aggressive when it came to her getting all the testing done! She's had a bone scan and several blood tests. I think a chest X-Ray, but I'm not sure. I know she was with doctors or having tests from 8:30AM til 4:00. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 they are putting a shunt in her. Unfortunately, even though I was texting my son with questions to ask the doctor, they were both in such shock that they didn't think to ask anything. When you have chemotherapy, is it once a week or how often?
  • SNOYL
    SNOYL Member Posts: 5
    #5
    SNOYL said:

    Stunt
    Meena, thank you for your response. Since her diagnosis Friday, the ball has started rolling and hasn't quit! Thank God she had a PCP who was very aggressive when it came to her getting all the testing done! She's had a bone scan and several blood tests. I think a chest X-Ray, but I'm not sure. I know she was with doctors or having tests from 8:30AM til 4:00. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 they are putting a shunt in her. Unfortunately, even though I was texting my son with questions to ask the doctor, they were both in such shock that they didn't think to ask anything. When you have chemotherapy, is it once a week or how often?

    Shunt? Stint? IBC
    I've learned more about breast cancer in the last three days than I've ever known! Today my DIL had the shunt put in right above her collar bone. She said she wasn't particularly hurting, but it did bother her some. They gave her Vicodin to take. Tomorrow she gets to meet her oncologist and I guess the schedule for chemo will be set then too. How often is Chemo administered? Once a week? More? Oh, she was told today that she's at Stage 3b, which is the "normal" diagnosis for IBC. Maybe she'll find out more tomorrow. I told her and my son to ask for a written report so they can go back to it and read what they miss. They told their three kids yesterday. I'm not sure the 5 year old or even the 10 year old understood exactly. The 16 year old is old enough and smart enough to get it.
    Found a lot of information out to help her through this website. I also have a friend who had breast cancer who has been given me good tips to pass along.
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #6
    SNOYL said:

    Shunt? Stint? IBC
    I've learned more about breast cancer in the last three days than I've ever known! Today my DIL had the shunt put in right above her collar bone. She said she wasn't particularly hurting, but it did bother her some. They gave her Vicodin to take. Tomorrow she gets to meet her oncologist and I guess the schedule for chemo will be set then too. How often is Chemo administered? Once a week? More? Oh, she was told today that she's at Stage 3b, which is the "normal" diagnosis for IBC. Maybe she'll find out more tomorrow. I told her and my son to ask for a written report so they can go back to it and read what they miss. They told their three kids yesterday. I'm not sure the 5 year old or even the 10 year old understood exactly. The 16 year old is old enough and smart enough to get it.
    Found a lot of information out to help her through this website. I also have a friend who had breast cancer who has been given me good tips to pass along.

    Chemo
    Chemo administration--is different for each person depending on their stage and what type of cocktails they will be on.
    I had three different cocktails:
    A/C-once every other week for 4 treatments and then
    Taxol w/Herceptin-once a week for twelve treatments and now
    Herceptin-once every three weeks for a year.

    She will find out more as to how often and what kind of cocktail she will be having from her oncologist.

    Margo
  • ladybug22
    ladybug22 Member Posts: 646
    #7
    I B C
    I was dx with I B C in aug07 it is very agg. mammoggram dont pick up I B C a lot of times, just let your dil know we are out there its not and easy road but she will make hugs to you and her if i can help pleas let me know
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #8
    HI and welcome!
    As I was
    HI and welcome!

    As I was diagnosed with IBC this last Aug. I'm not far into my battle with it. So far, I've been through 4 doses (8 weeks) of A/C, surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow and day after tomorrow I start weekly Taxol for 12 weeks to be followed by rads and Femara.

    It is a bit harder (at least it was for me) to find good info online about Inflammatory Breast Cancer as it is rather rare - at least not 'common'. Unfortunately IBC is very aggressive so getting inot treatment is imparative quickly.

    Thoughts and prayers for ya'll.

    Susan
  • elizarose
    elizarose Member Posts: 124
    #9
    Rague said:

    HI and welcome!
    As I was
    HI and welcome!

    As I was diagnosed with IBC this last Aug. I'm not far into my battle with it. So far, I've been through 4 doses (8 weeks) of A/C, surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow and day after tomorrow I start weekly Taxol for 12 weeks to be followed by rads and Femara.

    It is a bit harder (at least it was for me) to find good info online about Inflammatory Breast Cancer as it is rather rare - at least not 'common'. Unfortunately IBC is very aggressive so getting inot treatment is imparative quickly.

    Thoughts and prayers for ya'll.

    Susan

    ibc
    http://www.ibcresearch.org/symptoms/

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