A Rochester woman says a KOMO 4 Problem Solvers report may have saved her life. Lori Davider says her first doctor missed her deadly form of breast cancer.

It all began innocently. Lori Davider was just catching up on phone calls.

"From that moment on my life definitely changed," she said.

She and her sister-in-law Luanna rarely chat on the phone, but Lori needed to talk. When her mom didn't pick up, she says fate made her call Luanna.

"I almost didn't say nothing," said Luanna Bundren.

Lori explained something was wrong with her breast. One breast swelled up overnight and looked red, swollen with a caved-in nipple. And her skin had the texture of an orange.

Lori was stumped and Luanna was stunned.

"Something said 'tell her.' So I said, 'Have you ever heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer?' And she said 'no,'" said Luanna.

"She said: 'I'm sure you don't have it,' but she said look at KOMO's Web site," said Lori.

Luanna had just watched a follow-up report on the award-winning Problem Solver series, The Silent Killer: Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

"I said: 'KOMO did a story on it and I know they got the story on the Web site. Go look at it,' " Luanna told her.

Lori did just that.

"I went home that night and looked at the KOMO Web site and it was like bing, bing, bing! I looked at the pictures and said 'this is me,' " she said.

Lori showed her husband Rick.

"It's a roller coaster, an emotional roller coaster," he said, fighting back tears.

"No one knows what it is," said Lori.

Neither had ever heard of IBC. And Lori has spent her adult life working in the medical field.

IBC is the most lethal form of breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute says up to 5 percent of all breast cancer is IBC and early diagnosis is essential. In African-Americans, it can be as high as 10 percent.

The Daviders were like so many IBC patients and families; they didn't hear of it until they were fighting it. It's the most lethal and aggressive form of breast cancer.

"The rest of Lori's life is going to be a battle with this cancer. It's a nasty, ugly and mean disease," said Rick.

Lori's mammogram showed no sign of breast cancer. Lori learned from our report that's not unusual. IBC typically forms in sheets, not in lumps. It rarely appears on mammograms.

Lori and Rick said they instantly knew they were in the fight of their lives.

"We found our soul mates, we're so much in love," said Rick.

And they were so determined to fight. Lori got in with her gynecologist the next day.

"I walked in, saying 'this is IBC.' He did the exam and said 'I'd like to wait a good 2 weeks,'" Lori said.

It's in her medical records too -- her doctor wanted to wait. I've profiled six local women who were told to wait. Three of them are now dead. I wanted to talk to Lori's Olympia gynecologist about it. I called him, I sent him a certified letter, but have gotten no response. His office manager told me he doesn't comment on patients.

Lori knew with IBC, time is critical. IBC can spread in just a few weeks. Lori immediately got a second opinion and confirmed she was right -- she had IBC.

"The first doctor, had I listened, who knows where I'd be?" Lori said.

"We have to take everything about the breast serious," says Dr. Haleigh Werner with Radiant Care Radiation Oncology in Olympia and Aberdeen.

Werner is Lori's radiation oncologist. She says too many primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and even gynecologists have never knowingly seen a case of IBC. She thinks they get fooled by the patient's age. Lori's in her 40's, and we've profiled IBC patients in their 30s. One California teen was just 16 when she died.

"The group it affects - people aren't thinking cancer," said Werner.

But they should. And until they do, Lori insists now more than ever patients themselves make the best medical advocates. IBC is not exclusive to women; in rare cases men have been diagnosed, too.

"Don't take 'no' for an answer. It's your body," said Lori.

Her cancer began in her breast, but it's now spread to her brain. She's hoping blasts of radiation every day for 7 weeks and regiments of chemotherapy will stop the cancer from spreading. So far it's working; her brain tumors haven't grown. She's already undergone a double mastectomy. What began as stage-3 breast cancer is now stage 4.

"I saw your article and it saved my life and it still may save my life," Lori said.

All doctors are required to take refresher courses - it's part of their continuing medical education (CME). Lori wants IBC to be part of their CME. She might get her way, the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic and Research Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has scheduled a symposium later this year and plans to invite doctors from all over the world to support IBC-CME. They've asked me to speak at the Houston event - we'll let you know what happens.

More information:

Erase IBC

KOMOTV.com's site on IBC

IBC Fact Sheet

Young Survival

IBC Support

IBC Memorial

IBC Association

Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization

American Cancer Society

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Susan G. Komen Foundation