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swollen armpit

Previous message:Can symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer change during the course of the day? For about four months I have constant symptoms that tend to worsen during the day. My breast is always pink(completely different from other breast) but many times during the day it seems to be much more red. My breast is always swollen(about twice the size of other breast). My breast always has small dimple-like areas but at some points they are larger. There is always a flattened area under breast which becomes more pronounced at times during the day. And last, but hopefully the least, my underarm area seems to be a bit more swollen(I can always feel it with arms down) and at some points during the day there is a huge difference between the two.I understand that inflammatory breast cancer is very serious and I hope I am not trivializing the symptoms of others, but there seems to be a lot going on with my breast all at once and I am scared. I left off that in Jan of 2004 I had a cyst drained with no blood. Above, I stated my armpit was swollen sometimes, but now it is constant and significantly larger than other, so I saw a dr this week and she thought there was nothing serious happening-said that this was probably due to an inflammatory process. But she also said that ibc almost always shows on mammograms and that there has to be severe symptoms to diagnose it. From what I have read, this is not true. I am worried about my armpit because all of this started in Feb in my breast and now seems to have spread to underarm. Is her explanation plausible or should I run to another dr?
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Avatar universal
Dear beeker, Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very rare type of breast cancer. It's first symptoms are usually redness/and or swelling, often in the absence of a lump. The clue is that it usually gets no better or worse when it's thought to be an infection (which may exhibit the similar symptoms) and is treated with antibiotics.  Worsening of the symptoms due to inflammatory breast cancer would more likely be skin changes, worsening redness, and inflamation.  It is difficult to comment regarding the swelling that you are experiencing, as it has been assessed by a health care professional and not found to be concerning.  However if you are still concerned and uncomfortable with the explanations regarding your symptoms having a breast specialist evaluation, even if it turns out to be only for your peace of mind, may be worthwhile.
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Avatar universal
It's true that the changes of IBC are usually very obvious; so if the doctor didn't think it looked worrisome, that's probably a good thing. However, if the doctor you saw isn't expert with breast issues, it might be a good idea to see a breast specialist, which usually means a breast surgeon.
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