I remember a close friend of mine having mastitis during breastfeeding with her first child, before breast cancer was ever in my vocabulary, shoving frozen cabbage in her bra. Less about wanting a snack on hand, and more about the enzymes in the cabbage doing some sort of miracle work.
It’s horrible. Flu like symptoms, hot, red, painful. It comes on quickly and generally effects one breast.
Mastitis is rare, but not unheard of, for non-breastfeeding women. Men can also get it. One cause apparently is shaving or plucking your nipple hair…..
Some of you will know this already. Some of you may have had it.
But what you may not know, is that the visual symptoms of mastitis are identical to that of inflammatory breast cancer.
I did of course, because I googled it….
Bert's Trauma begins
Let me set the scene.
About 3 years after Bert’s diagnosis, I woke up one day feeling quite ill. I was stilling living alone but dating my now husband. My nightwear consisted of pyjamas with a top that buttoned up at the front. I remember sitting in the bed in front of my wardrobes to get undressed. The wardrobes were mirrored (previous owners choice) but actually quite handy. I was getting ready for work, convinced a shower would make me feel better. As I started to unbutton and remove the top, there was this almighty scream. From me. Yes, I screamed.
Staring back at me was horror. Bert was twice the size, red hot with skin like orange peel, and blood red in colour. There was some of this blood redness inching its way towards Ernie.
I immediately rang my GP hysterical, but had to see someone else. Hate that. She just looked and said mastitis, here’s some antibiotics it should be gone in less than a week.
By the time I got home I was completely hysterical and exhausted. I phoned in sick to work and rang my now husband who came round very quickly. As soon as he arrived, I dragged him into my kitchen which was at the back of my house, where I promptly lifted up my top screaming “look at me! Look at me!! “.
To be fair he did look and then just hugged me. I had no bra to fit Bert in his current state so bra less I was.
After a “make everything better” cup of tea, I took the antibiotics and went to bed.
Never use google to diagnose!
However it was when I woke up the next day, I made my mistake. I googled mastitis.
Most of the information then stated it was just for breastfeeding women. If you weren’t then it needed looking into.
Go to the GP: Check
Get antibiotics: Check
It will start to go down in 24 hours. No. Hell. Crap.
I took the antibiotics consistently for 7 days.
Repeatedly exposing Bert and Ernie to my husband for his professional opinion as to whether or not anything had changed, not trusting my own eyes. Was the redness less, swelling less, not as hot, less god dam anything?!
I repeat, stay away from Google
And then I came across the inflammatory breast cancer article. The one that says, if you think you have mastitis and antibiotics haven’t cured it within a few days, then you probably haven’t. You probably have IBC.
Well that was it. My life over. Again. I was going to die. Again.
I rang my GP and managed to see my own this time. Bless him. He was used to my constant crying by now. Different and stronger antibiotics were prescribed and said to come back in 4 days.
So I went home. Took drugs. Slept. Exposed Bert to hubby until after 3 days when even I could see it. The redness inching its way to Ernie was gone. Dark red was more dark pink. There was hope after all.
I wasn't expecting that!
I went back to the GP anyway. He was pleased with the progress but wanted me to go back and see my consultant for a mammogram and ultrasound. This freaked me out a little but he said it was important. So I went. It was always a pleasure to see my consultant, Mr R, anyway.
I was very nervous but the ultrasound showed nothing sinister for which I am truly grateful. But I didn’t understand how I could possibly have got mastitis if I wasn’t breastfeeding. Mr R explained that there were a number of ways, including a build up of fluid because I had no lymph nodes under my left arm for it to drain away.
Or.
Wait for it…..
“Is it possible that your boyfriend could have bitten you during sex?”
Say what???
I looked at this very lovely petite Sri Lankan man and thought, blimey, I was not expecting that!! Maybe he had, maybe he hadn’t. Who can remember? Although, yes I did ask hubby when I saw him next…
I was lucky
At that point I didn’t care.
I went back to the GP and after 2 weeks of strong antibiotics it was gone. I was very relieved. As was my GP. Who then told me that he currently had someone waiting to see him who had gone through the same experience as me, a non breastfeeding woman, but who was not so lucky with her diagnosis.
It has made me very aware. Cuts, scrapes, bites, on arms and breasts can all turn into something nasty. Maybe not cancer, but if the infection gets into your blood, it’s not far from fatal. I have had cellulitis in my arm before, but thankfully nothing more in my breast.
Inflammatory breast cancer is very rare. From my research the only way to tell the difference is by mammogram or ultrasound, and whether or not you respond to antibiotics. It is however more common in older women. Which is a phrase I read a lot lately!
So if you do notice any changes, go to your doctor. It’s not worth waiting to see.
I do often wonder whether I should have tried the frozen cabbage though……
