Itching Please Read and Share!

Oh my What a beautiful prefect fall day in my part of Texas. Right now I am sitting in the middle of a lovely flower garden wishing you were to here to share the beauty with me.

Not sure the exact week or day that I my left breast started itching. Living where I do I just figured some wild insect had taken liberties with parts of my body they should leave alone. Anyway the itching continued maybe more than two weeks or longer and sometimes I would be standing in line somewhere and it would call to me to scratch it or it would scream out neglect. So one of the attacks of itching came on last night while trying to sleep. It seems my brain thinks more in bed than anywhere else. While lying there scratching I remember hearing something about breast cancer sometimes itched. Being the breast that I had already had cancer in years ago I jumped out of bed and grabbed the ole lap top.

Opened up Google and put in Itching Breast. Naturally it was true. There is a breast cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer. This is one of the articles I read.

Itchy breasts can be a symptom of cancer.  Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and Paget's disease of the breast are two forms of breast cancer that may include itching as a symptom.  However, itching can also be a symptom of dry skin, irritation, an allergy, and plenty of other problems that aren't dangerous.  IBC usually presents with a combination of symptoms like swelling, redness, dimpling, pain, and/or itching.  Most people have several symptoms that develop quickly.  Paget's usually has a scaly rash around the nipple.  If the only symptom you have is itching, and if you have checked with the doctor, I don't think you need to get another opinion.  If you do develop new symptoms, be assertive in getting your doctor to do some tests to find out exactly what is going on.

Another article:
Millions of people didn't know about a rare form of cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer -- IBC -- until Michelle Esteban from ABC's Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV shined a light on the difficulties of diagnosis.
"It's just so sad," she said. "Every woman that I've interviewed who has been diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer never heard of it until she got it."

Pain, Warmth, Itching

After running the story in May, KOMO's Web site was flooded with an overwhelming 14 million hits, the most in its history.
Viewers e-mailed their friends and family, urging them to watch the report and learn more about the little-known form of breast cancer that shows itself with nontraditional symptoms.
"There is no tumor. But there often is a red rash. There can be itching. The breast can swell. … It can be hot to the touch. There can be stabbing pain," Esteban said.
The redness and warmth are caused by cancer cells blocking the lymph vessels in the skin. The skin of the breast may also appear pink, reddish-purple, or bruised and appear pitted, like the skin of an orange.

Other symptoms include heaviness, burning, aching, increase in breast size, and tenderness.

These symptoms usually develop quickly, over a period of days or weeks. Swollen lymph nodes may also be present.
Because it lacks the typical telltale sign of a lump, mammograms and self-breast exams rarely detect this very aggressive form of cancer.

IBC catches victims off guard and in many cases, is a silent killer.
"If I had heard of it prior, I probably would have been more suspect that something was wrong rather than just young and dumb," said IBC victim Kristine Turck.

The thing to remember about this is there is no lump and it is a very very serious type of Breast Cancer.
I had not idea but not I know this is what my young cousin died of years ago when I was fighting my breast cancer. All I can remember her saying is she had a rash and the next thing we knew she lost her life to this horrible cancer. She was only in her thirties. I still think of her often and wish that they could of found hers in time. But like me I had no idea about this kind of cancer.

My worry of course is the left breast is where I had my first cancer which was a lump. Had my treatments and have had no other problems until about 5 months ago my doctor removed a spot between my arm and breast and said it was cancer but he got it all and I needed no treatments. The scary thing about this is he is the same doctor that treated Gary for months with his swollen lymph nodes in his throat and thought nothing of them and now Gary is in Stage 4 of Throat Cancer.

Gary is now starting to be sick from his Chemo and bless his heart his transmission went out in his truck and then the other day his fiancee was driving him to treatment two hours away and her car broke down. So knowing you way I do you will lift Gary up in prayer.

Loving you the way I do I wanted to warn you and your loved ones about this type of Breast Cancer.
October is the month for Breast Cancer Awareness and boy have I learned something new. I will of course the first thing Monday morning call my doctor and see if he can rush me an appointment. Then I will have to convince him to do a biopsy of the area because I am not going to let him send me home telling me it is just a rash. Not with my history. If need be Ms. Pearl will make an appearance in the Medical Center of College Station. hahaha

Sorry for a depressing post on a beautiful fall weekend but this info is something that needs to be told to everyone you know.

Love to all
Maggie

This the Round Top Library where I wrote this post in their garden!