Panic over red patch at side of breast

[Coppernob]

I thought I was getting better from my health anxiety, my mirtazapine is down to 15mg and I'm feeling a lot better on that. I also thought I'd stopped the urge to ask Dr Google about things!

But this morning I've gone completely to pot. Nearly a year ago I had a round red patch of skin on my side but very close to the edge of my left breast (not a very big one, about the size of a 50p piece). As it wasn't actually on the breast (I don't think!), didn't hurt or itch or flake, I didn't worry about it too much and it faded to just half a circle over time and I forgot all about it. A few months ago I realised it was still there, and in the last few weeks it has got redder again and changed shape. As I've had it so long and no other symptoms it seems unlikely to be anything serious, but stupidly this morning I googled 'red patch on breast' and was confronted with a terrifying forum on something called inflammatory breast disease, which I had never heard of but realise now it is something a friend died of 10 yeas ago. When I looked on a breast care site and got a list of the symptoms for this it didn't bear any relation to my red spot!

I'm on a hefty dose of ranitidine for acid reflux and I understand this can cause skin rashes, so I suppose it could be that.

But now I'm in a total pickle and feel sick with fright. I've made an appointment at the doctor's for Thursday (first one I could get with a doctor I'd heard of, and I didn't want a stranger, but unfortunately it's a male doctor).

Any tips for surviving this stupid and probably groundless worry?

[Mogwog]

Hi


I had something like this and found it was my bra irritating me, the underwire.

It could be a small patch of dry skin.

I don't think its anything to worry about.xxxxx

[emeraldgirl]

I'm not an expert but I would have thought that if it's been there nearly a year without getting much much worse then its probably not anything to worry about. You have done the right thing my making an appointment to get it checked out

[Coppernob]

I'm not an expert but I would have thought that if it's been there nearly a year without getting much much worse then its probably not anything to worry about. You have done the right thing my making an appointment to get it checked out

That's what I keep telling myself, but every now and then during the day I've sunk into a blue funk and totally panicked. I'm fairly sure it isn't bra irritation because it's been there so long and I haven't worn any bras with bones in. Though I suppose as I'm no spring chicken any damage to the skin from something like that may leave me with a permanent mark, don't know.

I did find a list of reassuring symptoms (i.e. totally different from what I have) afterwards, but the complete heart into boots feeling of the first site I visited just won't go away. Got to get through to Thursday somehow!

[Coppernob]

Feeling absolutely panic-stricken this morning. The red patch seems to be getting bigger and moving inwards onto my breast. And now I'm looking at my breast and thinking there's a large pinkish area on the top left-hand side, and I'm sure there are pinkish patches on the underside of my arm too. Trouble is, all these extra things could have been there for ages and I just haven't noticed them until I started looking more carefully so they could be perfectly normal for me!

Why on earth did I ever go to Google? I KNOW what it does - you never ever get good news. Somehow got to last out until I see the GP tomorrow morning - I've been awake since 4.30am and I know I won't sleep well tonight, at least not after the mirtazapine wears off! Then if he doesn't put my mind at rest (how can he - bound to want to schedule some tests!) I've got to last over the Easter weekend, with all sorts of stuff going on, including a funeral to go to on Tuesday. I've taken a diazepam but it's not helping at all at the moment!

What an idiot I am :blush: