Forum Discussion
Rash
Hi all. Hoping everyone had a great new year. I have been doing well lately. I enjoyed Christmas, had a quiet New Years and am generally getting on with life now all treatment finished at the end of November with my last Herceptin. My fatigue has improved. My weight loss is still on track. I lost 24 kgs just before Christmas, but put on 2 kgs thanks to some indulgences during the festive season! Definitely noticed that my joint pain increased when I ate sweets or anything with processed sugar in it, so now I am back to my anti inflammatory eating plan and feeling better after each day. Finally going back to work part time 2 days a week on 11 Jan. So things are generally positive and on the up and up.
In the last week to 10 days my husband noticed I have developed a red rash underneath and over the bottom third of my right breast. I previously had a lumpectomy for a HER2 + tumour which was located 10 cms above my right nipple, chemo and radiation which I finished in May 2016. The rash seems to have come up quite quickly. It's a little warmer than the other breast and my lymphs on that side are slightly tender. The rash has also been very slightly itchy. Antihistamines haven't got rid of it. It doesn't look infected, just pinkish and different to my 'normal' breast. Today I traced around it with pen to see if it will get any bigger over the next few days.
My GP is away and I don't want to go running off to a doctor if it's not necessary especially when my hubby is whisking me away for a few days on a canoeing holiday before I return to work. I have an appointment with radiation oncologist for a 3 month check up on 13 Jan. Would love to hear from anyone who has had similar rash or advice from anyone as to whether it's ok to wait until the end of next week to see someone. I would like to know what's causing it. Could it be a late effect of radiation? Grateful for your thoughts.
Thnx
Nadine
In the last week to 10 days my husband noticed I have developed a red rash underneath and over the bottom third of my right breast. I previously had a lumpectomy for a HER2 + tumour which was located 10 cms above my right nipple, chemo and radiation which I finished in May 2016. The rash seems to have come up quite quickly. It's a little warmer than the other breast and my lymphs on that side are slightly tender. The rash has also been very slightly itchy. Antihistamines haven't got rid of it. It doesn't look infected, just pinkish and different to my 'normal' breast. Today I traced around it with pen to see if it will get any bigger over the next few days.
My GP is away and I don't want to go running off to a doctor if it's not necessary especially when my hubby is whisking me away for a few days on a canoeing holiday before I return to work. I have an appointment with radiation oncologist for a 3 month check up on 13 Jan. Would love to hear from anyone who has had similar rash or advice from anyone as to whether it's ok to wait until the end of next week to see someone. I would like to know what's causing it. Could it be a late effect of radiation? Grateful for your thoughts.
Thnx
Nadine
32 Replies
- So annoying but fingers crossed it is good news for you. Great you have your oncology appointment soon.
- oh Nadine, Crossing fingers that it all turns out to be nothing other than a slight irritation. All the best. Xx
- Understand how you feel, I had a funny lump when I had almost finished chemo and the wait to check a biopsy was not fun. But the result was all good, and chances are clearly that your results will be good too. Here's wishing you all the best for Friday.
- Thanks for the good wishes everyone. So, I had the ultrasound Thursday morning. The good news is that the Radiologist told me that although there is a slight change around my surgical scan since my last ultrasound it wasn't necessary for me have a biopsy as there was no inflammation of the tissue underneath the rash and no obvious mass. Then my GP rang me in the afternoon after she received the radiologist's report. She said nothing obvious showed on the ultrasound report so not to panic, which was really good, but went on to say that she wasn't entirely happy and that sometimes it's hard to diagnose more serious things and you can get a false positive. She then said she would speak to my oncologist to see about getting a skin biopsy taken if the antibiotics haven't knocked it off by next Friday and that I had to come back and see her next week. So I think overall it is good news, but there is still a degree of uncertainty there and I really appreciate that my GP (who has had breast cancer herself) wants to be very thorough and not dismiss anything just in case. Unfortunately for me I reacted really badly and I just couldn't block it out of my mind while we had our mini canoeing holiday. It just played over and over again in my head like a broken record. I kept checking my rash every couple of hours to see if it has grown more. My boys were in the car when the doctor rang and so heard everything whereas before I didn't tell them I was getting checked out. So it was a very sombre mood for the trip. Now I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop until I see the radiation oncologist on Friday. I really wished I could have had a biopsy so that it would definitively so "nothing to see here, so move along". Not the mindset I wanted to be in just before I return to work after 4 months off.
- Hope the results are clear. Sending good thoughts your way.
Deanne xxx - Thinking of you Nadi, hope all went well xx
- Hi Nadi, hope the biopsy went OK. Never pleasant - sending positive thoughts for good results. Jane x
- Hope everything went well, best wishes
Hi @Nadi, could luck with the needle biopsy today.
Glad to know that things are happening for you so that you can focus on that well deserved holiday with your family.
Sheryl xx
- Fingers crossed it is just a heat rash or similar and you can enjoy a couple of relaxing days before work.
hugs
chris
