new here, go to a surgeon tomorrow SCARED outa my mind

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avidhunter3
avidhunter3 Member Posts: 5
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer
new here, go to a surgeon tomorrow SCARED outa my mind
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  • avidhunter3
    avidhunter3 Member Posts: 5
    edited December 2009

    hello! Here I sit, needing to sleep, but of course I cant! I am 35 years old, and just had  a abnormal mammogram and u/s, both of which were abnormal due to a bleeding duct. I have lumpy breasts anyways, as I have the fibercystic breast disease, but I happend to do an exam, mainly because my left boob was hurting. dark red blood came out of one nipple, almost like rust. I immediatly called my DR. who sent me in for a mammo and u/s. well the mammo came back abnormal, they ended up doing a spot compression on an area which they said turned out to be ok, although the report does read calcifications PROBABLY due to fibercystic changes. I had a complete hysterectomy 3 years ago, and I do not take hormones. I did however take them for a short time after the surgery. I do not have any family history of breast cancer.

    I have four children, ages 8-14. I am just so freaked out, I have researched a lot of information, and from what I have read, its not good for the bleeding to just be coming from one duct on one side. is this true? the blood only comes out if its squeezed out. the main question I have is about the papilloma. for one thing, the DR. told me they didnt see one on the u/s or mammo. can it be seen?? if it wasnt on there, could there still be one there? from what I have read, I would much rather it be a papilloma then a cancer. I am just so worried about the biopsies and such. I am set to start the nursing program on January 11th, and I am so worried that they are going to have to do something invasive that is going to make it where I can't go to school.

    I know you guys arent DRS. but I do know that you obviously have experience in this sort of thing. if I post what the mammo report and u/s report showed, can anyone give me any insight as to whether or not to be really really worried, or just mildly worried???

    thanks in advance,

    beth

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  • Nipi
    Nipi Member Posts: 38
    edited December 2009

    Hi Beth,



    papillomas can't always be seen on mamo\us. 5 years ago I started having the same discharge you described. 4 mamo\us and a ductogram showed nothing yet discharge continued. Finally in November I had another mamo\us because the discharge had come out spontaneously. The mamo\was clear but u\s showed some abnormal spots. I had a core biopsy that came back as atypical ductal hyperplasia which is considered a pre cancer. The surgeon did excisional biopsy and that showed I had dcis with extensive papillomas! I can't believe it never showed up until 4 momo\us's and ductograms later,and extensive at that. My surgeon told me that the papillomas are associated with dcis 5-10 precent of the time. funny thing is that when I started having the discharge I was diligent about going to the doctors and yet I was told nothing was wrong! scene being diagnosed with dcis I have met and read about women who had the same discharge and told nothing was wrong, and then turn out to have dcis. But it is important to remember that only 10 precent of the time the discharge is related to cancer.





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  • Fidelia
    Fidelia Member Posts: 397
    edited December 2009

    Hi Beth,

    I know this is a very tough time - however you should try not to worry starting your nursing course - there is nothing so invasive in trying to work out what it causing that discharge that should stop you starting school. Even though this is very hard - especially at this time of year when the last thing you need is health issues - try and focus on getting through the tests and getting started at school. They will certainly make allowances for you if you need to take time off to get things done - people are very understanding about this sort of thing - and the tests while worrying are not terribly invasive - you have been through a heck of a lot already  FOUR kids and a hysterectomy - you can surely get through this.

    Best of luck and keep us posted.

    Fidelia

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  • avidhunter3
    avidhunter3 Member Posts: 5
    edited December 2009

    thank you fidelia, the funny thing is, I can DEAL with it even if it does turn out to be cancer, but I am just so worried that if they have to do the mastectomy on that side, how in the world could I continue with school? I mean how long does it take to recover from that? in nursing school, they are so so so strict, they do not allow for anything, if something comes up, you basically would have to drop out and restart the next year when it restarts again. that is what I DO NOT want to do. I am just so ready to get this over with and move on!  I am having to go to a general surgeon because we dont have a breast specialist in my area. SO I hope the surgeon knows what the heck he's doing!  anyways, thanks for the good thoughts and comments, I am on my way to the dr now. I"ll update later!

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  • LISAMG
    LISAMG Member Posts: 639
    edited December 2009

    Papillomas are the most common cause for bloody nipple discharge most of the time and are usually benign. They are often not seen on mammography, this being part of the reason for performing an excisional biopsy. The fact you're having this discharge only with manual expression of the nipple and it not being spontaneous is a good thing and considered to be less worrisome. Big question here is: What is your next step? Calcs are usually benign when they are scattered and not clustered micro-calcifications. This does not seem to be the case with you. The surgeon may recommend a ductal excision since you are presenting with symptoms that warrant further evaluation. Ask questions re: manual discharge vs. spontaneous. Perhaps an MRI may be helpful for you in getting a clearer picture too. Any chance of finding a breast surgeon/onc. even if you have to travel a bit??  Keep us posted.

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