Woman, 37, Diagnosed With Breast Cancer After Sagging Breast Caused Alarm How Self-Exams Can Help

The 37-year-old initially thought a sagging breast was just a sign of aging but her concerns grew when she examined her breasts more closely when she took off her bra.

"[I] noticed that my left breast was sort of folded in half inside the cup, with the nipple sunken in the middle," Liscomb said.

"I noticed that the contour of my left breast had changed. Instead of one round curve, it had a bulge on the outer edge like a cartoon cloud. And, when I raised my arms, I could see dents in my breast that I was sure weren't there before," she continued.

Alarmed by what she was seeing, Liscomb went to see her doctor and to her surprise, she was essentially told not to worry.

"The first doctor I saw felt my breast for a minute and told me it was normal…I believed him," she said.

"He was very reassuring but also kinda patronizing, and I left the appointment feeling embarrassed for getting worked up over 'nothing'…But I couldn't stop noticing the difference in my body and wondering, what if he was wrong? So I saw a second doctor," Liscomb added.

Luckily, Liscomb practiced something many SurvivorNet experts often recommend and that is to be your own biggest advocate.

"Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn't work, what the next plan is," Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "And I think that that's totally fair. And me as a health professional that's what I do for all of my patients."

WATCH: Why advocating for your health is important.

Liscomb's desire for a second opinion is another way to advocate for your health.

Doctors do not always agree on whether your symptoms might warrant further testing. It's during moments like these that having a second or third medical professional’s opinion might be able to catch something before it worsens.

Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute supports patients getting multiple opinions.

"If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care, because finding a doctor who is up to the latest information is important," Rosenberg previously told SurvivorNet. "And it's always important to get other opinions so that you can make the best decisions for yourself in consultation with your care providers."

 

WATCH: Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions.

When Liscomb saw another doctor, the response was quite different.

"I saw a second doctor a few months later who immediately ordered an ultrasound and mammogram. The ultrasound tech looked at me like I was a ghost and offered me a same-day biopsy," she explained.

Liscomb was ultimately diagnosed with stage two invasive lobular carcinoma. This kind of breast cancer begins in the milk-producing glands, called lobules, of the breast, and may spread to other areas of the body.

Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, such as a mastectomy or lumpectomy (the removal of the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue), as well as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy (which harnesses the body's own immune system to fight the cancer). While Liscomb did not reveal her treatment method, she said she is now "cancer-free."

Her experience draws added attention for women to do regular self-exams on their breasts for signs of anything unusual.

Breast Cancer Symptoms & Self-Exams

Women are encouraged to do regular self-exams to become familiar with how their breasts feel normally, so when something unusual like a lump does form it can be easily detected. A self-exam includes pressing your fingertips along your breast in a circular motion.

WATCH: Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams.

"For some women that means going to their doctor and walking through what a self-breast exam looks like, so they know what normal breast tissue feels like so if they do feel something abnormal whether it's a lump or discharge from the nipple they know what to ask and what to look for," SurvivorNet medical advisor Dr. Elizabeth Comen said.

Below are common symptoms to look out for:

• New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast
• Swelling on all or part of the breast
• Skin dimpling or peeling
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple turning inward
• Redness or scaliness of breast or nipple skin
• Nipple discharge (not associated with breastfeeding)

What To Ask Your Doctor

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about how to keep your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:

• What treatment will I be receiving?
• What side effects are associated with this treatment?
• Are there steps I can take in my daily life to help minimize these side effects?
• What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
• Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn't particularly enjoy exercise?
• Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and maintaining a healthy weight?
• I've been having trouble sleeping, do you have any treatment recommendations?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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