My mother was diganosed w/ IBC about 3 months ago. she is Anemic and is ony receiveing the shots to build up her red blood cells(?). She is afraid the cluster is getting bigger and now the doc is worried. She will be getting the breast removed and alot of the skin under her arm. Any words of incouragement?
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Renae, IBC treatment is long and often has discouraging points, but the outcome can still be good. I assume that your mother has been on chemo for about three months now and that the chemo is the cause of the anemia. I like Cream of Wheat and found it was about the only high-iron food that I could digest well while on chemo. I don't know if eating it almost every day was why my red blood counts held up reasonably well, but I'm sure it didn't hurt me.
If the cancer has started growing again, the doctor might switch to a new chemo, or might decide the original tumor has been reduced enough to move along to surgery. Then depending on what the pathology report shows, he or she might add more chemo. The usual protocol for IBC is to also have radiation. By using all three treatments--chemo, surgery, and radiation--doctors have dramatically increased the survival rates for people with IBC.
You have probably read quite a bit about IBC by now, but here's a link if you want some more background on IBC.
When I had IBC in 1998, it appeared that my cancer might be growing despite the chemo. I had formed a lump, and we didn't know if it was cancer or not. In my case, the doctors decided to move onto surgery. These days I suspect the doctor would decide to switch chemos. Over the course of my treatment, we hit some other snags. Because my cancer wasn't following the textbook cases, my doctors and I had to make decisions without very much information. At one point I went to a big cancer center for a second opinion, which was very helpful because it confirmed that my local oncologist was on the right track.
I can't say what the best medical approach for your mom is because only her oncologist has all the information about her case. However, I can encourage you and your family to be hopeful that it will all work out. My IBC treatment lasted 8 months. If I were diagnosed today, it would have lasted 20 months because Herceptin would have been a good treatment for my type of cancer, but it was still in trials when I was diagnosed.
My suggestions for getting through such a long treatment period include:
1. Try to focus on what needs to be done right now without worrying about the next step.
2. Find a moment of piece and joy each day. Have your tea on the patio and listen to the birds. Watch a funny movie. Listen to a beautiful song. Laugh with a baby. No matter how discouraged or tire you are, remind yourself that life is beautiful.
It's been eleven years since I was diagnosed with IBC. I've done fine with no recurrences or metastases, and I know many other women who are long-term survivors. Tell your mom to hang in there.