The story of Laurel
This breast disease is so rare that only around 700 woman world wide have it. Few doctors know about it and even fewer have ever treated it.
It mimics inflammatory breast cancer and takes months of invasive testing to diagnose.
Someone who is diagnosed with IGM experiences breast inflammation, redness, swelling, open wounds that form abscesses, extreme pain , fatigue, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, hair loss, lethargy, the list goes on.
Some women end up having mastectomies others have surgeries to remove the inflamed masses and abscesses. Some chose to let the disease run its course .
It can affect one or both breasts and the average length of time for GM is 18 months to 2 years.
There is very little medical information on GM. The average age of those who get GM is child bearing age but it can affect women at any age, like me, I was 57.
No one knows if you will ever be free of the disease. There can be relapses.
I’m at the 2 year mark and am still experiencing fatigue and minor inflammatory flair-ups but it has gotten better.
There is no information on how it starts or why or if it will ever go away.