Hello everyone
I had tubular/lobular breast cancer 10 years ago, treated with lumpectomy, rads and Tamaxafen (hope I’ve spelled it correctly).
On Wednesday I had a mastectomy for a local recurrence. I have a sore spot on my chest about 1cm long. It is red an scaly, not itchy but a bit sore especially when clothes are rubbing on it. Anotherr smaller sore is starting to show up alongside it.
I had my drain taken out today and the breast nurse noticed the sore and seemed very interested. She asked what it was, how long I’d had it etc.
Could this be a skin cancer? Has anyone got expereience of breast cancer on the skin? If so I’d be interested to hear about it.
Soph
Hi Sophry and welcome to the BCC forums
I am sure your fellow users will be along soon with support and in addition our helpliners are on hand 9-5 weekdays and 10-2 Saturdays on 0808 800 6000 if you want to talk your concerns over please do call
Best wishes
Lucy
Thanks Lucy
Hi Soph,
I hope someone gives you some more information soon. I don’t think my situation helps much, but for what it’s worth… I have had a local recurrence after 21 years. I have had three FEC and 1 tax. Saw an oncoplastic surgeon last week. He thinks I may have cancer in my skin and also in lymphatic system within the skin. My breast was red at the time, but not sore or scaly. I am hoping that my skin problem, and yours too, is just due to the radiation we had last time and to the subsequent assault on our bodies. In my case, this is chemo and in yours, surgical. Has your BCN referred you to someone who can put your mind at rest?
It’s a real bummer having a recurrence after such a long time. Really sorry you have to deal with this, and hope you have the strength to cope.
cyberhugs,
Margaret
Hi Margaret
Thank you for your reply. You must have been devastated to have recurrence after 21 years - especially after all that chemo. I was very fortunate to get away with surgery, rads and tamaxofen last time. I saw BN today to have the wound drained. The sore doesn’t look too bad to me, though two tiny ones have sprouted nearby. I’m hoping they are just an ezcema type of thing caused by stress. I have an appointment to see the breast surgeon on 5th Dec to get the surgery results, I supppose if they haven’t disappeared by then I will be referred on.
I liked your idea of it being something to do with the lymph system objecting to the onslaught sounds good to me, I’m going along with it, I hope for both our sakes it’s right.
What is the plastic surgeon planning for you? As you say it’s a real bummer after all this time, you must have been very young - I’ll be thinking of you, please let me know how you get on.
best wishes
Soph (Liz)
Hi Liz,
keeping my fingers crossed for you. I was 31, and just had lumpectomy and rads. No tamoxifen, as it wasn’t hormone positive. And there wasn’t a test for herceptin. I’m having chemo up front this time.
I am not happy with my reconstruction options. Was only offered LD flap without implant, plus a second reduction on the good side. Went for second opinion, and told my risk of recurrence is so high he would not recommend reconstruction at all at this stage. Apparently, I don’t have enough abdominal fat for TRAM or DIEP. Nothing else was mentioned. Not sure where I go from here. I know there are other options for slim women. (Not that I consider myself to be all that slim!)
Did you have skin problems before all this started?
Margaret
Hello Margaret
I’m sorry it’s taken so long to reply to you. I had some Aussie visitors arrived fo a weeks holiday and I was so exhausted at the end of each day I couldn’t summon the energy to look at my computer. The visit had been arranged for several months so I didn’t feel I could cancel it. My daughter is bringing her family this weekend but I’ve told her it will be on a strictly self catering basis!
You have had a terrible time, I wasn’t sure what all the abbreviations meant so looked them up and I was horrified to find that the surgery we expect is not available to all.
It must have been a bitter blow to you. I suppose it must be better that they don’t risk another op if there’s a risk of another recurrence but that’s no consolation to you at the moment is it? Does this mean they have confirmed skin/ lymphatic cancer.
I do hope you get some encouraging support from the medical team soon. Is the breast nurse approachable? Perhaps she can suggest where you go from here.
During the last couple of days my sores seem to be clearing up. I’ve had mild excema before, usually on my neck, so hopefully this is excema. I see the surgeon for results on Wednesday.
I hope you are able to cope with all this, do you have family support?
I’m keeping my fingerrs crossed for you
lots of cyberhugs
Liz
Hello Liz,
Glad to hear your skin is clearing up. And I hope the visit goes well next weekend.
No, I have not had confirmation that it is IBC. I am still waiting for my copy of the surgeon’s letter. And I have to say that I was shocked when he told me he thought the cancer was in my skin and lymphatic system, because that was the first time anyone had mentioned it to me. All I have been told is that it is grade 3, and there is node involvement. I also know that half of the tumour is weakly ER+, but no idea how weakly (although they seem to think it worth giving me hormone therapy, even though I am at high risk of developing osteoporosis). I am hoping that I do not have IBC, and that the redness which the surgeon saw was down to the side effects of docetaxel and a recent PICC line infection. To be honest, my hospital isn’t really good at communication and none of the appointments seem to be joined-up. The scan appointments come through when they are convenient for the department, but not for my treatment (two came through after, rather than before, my oncology appointments at which the results should have been discussed and my tumour marker was inserted when I was neutropenic and so badly bruised and swollen from the biopsies that they are now telling me it is not possible for them to make use of the measurements they took at the time).
On a more positive note, I had a visit from the hospice nurse yesterday. She thinks I should ask for a referral to the Marsden, which I will probably do, because the chemotherapy I’m having does not appear to be working for me. And my family support is very good. My husband comes with me to all my appointments, and cooks when I’m not able to. Two of my children still live at home, and the third visits regularly and stays in touch between visits. I also have good support from two of my sisters, with whom I have regular contact via Skype. How about you? Do you have a good support network?
Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well for you today.
Hugs,
Margaret
Hello Margaret
The site seems to have been down for 24 hours. I typed in a message then lost it!
You are having a very rough time at the moment and I really feel for you. The hospital is not helping; it seems as if the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. What’s the point of an oncology appointment if you haven’t had the results of your scan! Thank goodness the hospice nurse is on your side, a referral to another hospital is a sound idea. It will be a real bummer if you have to have the biopsies re-done.
Did you have node involvement last time round? I did; it was grade 3 ER+ and they removed 9 nodes. This time they say it is grade 2, part of the original tumour with no node involvement and they are confident they have removed it all, - I’m not impressed as they said that last time. It is ER+ again and Hormone Treatment is most likely. It was my understanding that ER+ does not respond to chemo. Perhaps this is why chemo does not seem to be working for you.
You have a lovely supportive family. You are obviously a very good mum. My husband, John, is supportive. He had kidney cancer last Christmas, he is OK now. He had never been ill before and it has given him an understanding of what it’s like. My daughter lives 200 miles away. She is on her way here now with her partner and two children. She only phoned on the day of the op and last weekend. I make allowances as I know she finds it very difficult, to talk about it. Our other daughter died of cancer some years ago and I don’t think Mandy ever came to terms with it. They will be arriving any time now and will stay until Monday. My sister visited shortly after I came out of hospital and rings every couple of days. We had John’s cousin, his wife and 2 pre-schoolers visiting from Australia last week and I found them very hard going they didn’t help with anything. The men went out shopping one day and his wife went to bed in the afternoon for a nap and left me with the children to look after!
I do hope you get your treatment plan sorted out soon and begin feeling better. I’ll be thinking of you,
Lots of cyber hugs
Liz x