ATTENTION Female DUers!!

Have you ever heard of "Inflamatory Breast Cancer"?

Neither had I, and I thought I was pretty damn well informed about breast cancer generally, being the daughter & granddaughter of breast cancer survivors...

I urge you to take a moment & checkout this breif tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmP5QuGc-PE

My sister says you have to be a really bitchy advocate for yourself when you go in and you best have a medical friend along too.

Thanks for sharing that. Do you have any advice for those of us who are probably going to lose a parent we love to cancer? It's really hard to deal with.

ON EDIT: Maybe this isn't the proper place to ask that, but I just am seeking advice or help wherever I can find it.

Ask them to tell you family history stories.
Just sit with them.
Make sure they know they are loved.

The biggest regrets I have ever had after losing a loved one is that I didn't spend as much time with them as I should have. It would have helped them then, and me after. Hang in there Mike. :hug:

wow.

thanks for this

try to keep up with everything. Thank you for posting.

:shrug:

I was pretty surprised when I found out.

Thank you for posting this.

:hug:

It was mastitis, thankfully. My breast looked dimpled, like an orange. Very red and very, very painful.

It required 3 surgeries and lots of antibiotics to finally rid myself of it. Awful scars.

keep an eye on it, keep following up.

but actually more by symptoms to look for in the monthly BSE, rather than by name (although I have heard the name as well). Also daughter and granddaughter of women with breast cancer.

Good idea to spread the word.

pathophysiology textbooks, like Robbins and Contran (although I could be wrong).

All I can say is thank you for posting this. I've never ever heard of this, and I thought I was more than informed about cancer.

Cancer is the ugliest word I know.

That portion of the video in which the daughter has to learn of her mother's terminal illness was most touching and sad.

I thought I was young when I was diagnosed!

thank you for posting this important info.

:hi:

Thanks for this.

and surrounded by people who love her.

I am sorry to hear this.

I can still remember a young woman I knew only via the internet (I'm an online gamer), asking me what to do about her breast that had a 'rash' and wouldn't stop itching... and of course, I'd never heard of IBC at that time and had no good advice for her. I hope she's ok.

female DUers and the men who love them?

Thanks though! :hug:

:shrug:

One of the saddest things I have discovered being a breast cancer survivor is that I know too much.

That probably doesn't make a lot of sense to those reading this.

Another survivor here.

as well as all men and women who have to deal with the aftermath of this dreadful disease.
Here's to hope. :pals: :toast: :pals:

I don't believe the Medical Industry cares about women.

and finally died from last year.

My S-i-L is fighting it now.

and that's why she went to see her doctor right away. She had redness too but assumed it was just because of the shower -- that's when most of us examine our breasts... Chemo, surgery (in that order) and radiation later, she is cancer-free, knock on wood. I served as her filter -- she wanted to know the essential things she needed to know but reading the IBC sites was too scary for her. So I read them, and it was indeed scary and yet the survival rate these days is MUCH higher than it was even 5 years ago -- so there's hope.

And, yes, that's what Molly Ivins had. She was my friend's hero too, and it was really hard on her when Molly died for that reason as well.

thanks for posting. . .

:hi:

Thanks for posting this information.

Another good video in two parts-longer
http://www.woai.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=360598,359906,565

Fact sheet
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/IBC

pdf of symptoms and other info- printable or can be ordered through the website listed below the pdf link
http://www.ibcresearch.org/IBCRF_brochure.pdf

Inflammatory Breast Cancer website
http://www.ibcresearch.org/

Something else I can't afford to get.

Was diagnosed w/ pre-inflammatory bc myself.

Most important things to know:

It grows fast and there is seldom "early" detection

It can't be detected by a mammogram

If you're diagnosed, you need to get a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary second opinion from docs who:

See large numbers of breast cancer patients every year (its ok to ask them)

Are up on the latest reseearch and clinical trials

Work in a team with other doctors to reach consensus on treatment plan

Will tell you your relative risk reduction for any treatment plan they offer


Take charge of your breast cancer treatment decisions. Follow evidence based medicine. Never make decisions about your breast cancer screening and treatment based on what you think you can afford - follow the evidence and best practices.

IBC is an emerging field and there are no set rules for treatment. Neo-adjuvant therapy is best - chemo before mastectomy. Also recommend bilateral mastectomy.

Be strong, be brave, ask questions, stick with scientific evidence and above all fight! You are worth it.

I'll be 50 in May, and it makes me realize how very young she was when she died.

It is a deadly cancer. Back then the survival rate after TWO years was 2%. Thanks for starting this thread!

I've been having the itching for some time now and put it down to the cold weather. That's probably all it is, but I think I'll make an appointment, just to be on the safe side.

thanks for the link. A lot.