Ductograph / galactogram what to expect?

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Mulligan
Mulligan Member Posts: 205
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer

Hi all long time lurker but, I am back again, almost same time last year I was on here because of my bloody nipple discharge (mammo showed microcalcifications birads4)which after failed stereotactic biopsy I ended up having an excisional biopsy/lumpectomy and turned out b9 (intraductal papillomas). i am having clear discharge again in the same nipple and mammo comes normal(birads2) so now I am having a ductogram done this wed. Nurse explained I will get a topical numbing cream and they will use a catheter to inject dye in the ducts. I guess my questions are did you experience any pain afterwards, were you able to go back to work that same day, how long did you get results back? What else should I expect? Thanks in advance.

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  • mckenna
    mckenna Member Posts: 413
    edited May 2012

    I had a ductogram prior to my ductal excision so I did not go back to work but I. Am sure I could have. I did not have a topical numbing cream and it did not hurt at all. If you r being treated at a teaching hospital make sure the attending does it. It is not that common of a procedure and I am all about having the best person doing it. I request attendings for all procedures and have nevver been stuck more than once for any of my tests

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited May 2012

    I had a ductogram as one of my seven diagnostic procedures prior to my dx.

    The only problem I had was that I am allergic to iodine, so I had to prep first: two Prednisone, two Tagamet, and two Benadryl before going in.

    I got no numbing cream, and believe me, the idea of sticking a needle into my nipple (to determine the source of the bloody discharge) really gave me the willies.

    Fortunately, I knew both the tech and the Radiologist, and felt safe and comfortable.

    It's not really a needle, it's more of a tiny blunt cannula that delivers the contrast medium inside the duct. I have to tell you - it didn't hurt at all!

    She (Radiologist) had a very difficult time getting the cannula in all the way, so she had to try maybe a dozen times. She kept apologizing, but really, I wasn't feeling it. When she did get the dye to start flowing, she told me to tell her when the sensation changed.

    All I felt was a strange fullness, but she stopped.

    Then the weirdest part was moving over to the mammography machine and getting a mammo while the cannula was still sticking in the nipple. Again, wasn't painful.

    AFTER that, I went into the ultrasound room for a US-guided core needle biopsy, and got the lidocaine shot in my boob. That did sting a bit, but the biopsy didn't hurt.

    When they were finally done, I got an ice pack to put inside my bra, and went home.

    Had I just had the ductogram done, I still would have gone home afterwards, just because of the meds I had to take. Without those, you may be just fine.

    Wishing you the best!

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  • Mulligan
    Mulligan Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2012

    Mckenna, the nurse that scheduled me suggested I wait until the 16th because the person that is the best wasn't going to be in until then, or if I really wanted one done asap she could schedule me with someone less experienced, of course I said I could wait. :)



    Blessings, lucky I'm not allergic to iodine but I am to the adhesives to bandaids, steri strips, tapes, etc. glad to hear it didnt hurt for either of you gals.



    Thank you both for responding back with your experiences and sorry to see they didnt come back b9. Did the ductogram confirm it or was it a different procedure?



    Oh and happy mothers day to everyone!

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  • mckenna
    mckenna Member Posts: 413
    edited May 2012

    Actually I had mine 18 months ago when I had a papilloma. When they removed the papilloma and surrounding tissue, they found ADH so they followed me closely. My mammos remained clear but at my first screening mri a small spot lit up and then they did an mri biopsy and found dcis. When I had my biopsy I had no pain either and went to work that same day.

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited May 2012

    My mammograms always came back negative for anything suspicious, which was stupid because I had such dense, fibrocystic breast tissue. They were big and heavy and felt like bags of rocks, so self-exams were impossible.

    I no symptoms til last September, and my next yearly mammo was scheduled for last November. Would it have caught the BC? Who knows? 

    My only symptom was one day I noticed blood spots on my nightgown, from my left nipple.

    I thought perhaps I had scratched myself with the loofah (duh) but there was no visible scratch.

    The next day I saw my PCP who immediately got me in to see the BS the next day. She told me it was probably a papilloma, and that even though it was very common, it would have to come out.

    Just to be on the safe side, she said she wanted to run some more tests to rule out any other possible causes.

    I started with diagnostic mammos, a few ultrasounds, the ductogram, and two US-guided core needle biopsies. It was the core needle biopsies that revealed mostly DCIS, but a small microinvasion of IDC. (I'm talking TEEEENSY!!! One and a half millimeters, and half a millimeter - the size of half a grain of rice, and a grain of salt!)

    I had my BMX with immediate reconstruction in December, and am looking forward to my exchange surgery in the fall. Because I had the maximum surgery for the minimum problem, I didn't need chemo or rads.

    Oh, Mulligan - reading about your allergies got me to thinking whether or not I had bandaids....I didn't for the ductogram, but did for the core-needle biopsies. HOWEVER, after the biopsies, the tech had to press on my boob for what seemed like hours just to make sure there was no internal bleeding. We joked about her "elephant foot" on my chest.

    By the time I got the bandaid, I sure wasn't bleeding at all! Undecided

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  • mckenna
    mckenna Member Posts: 413
    edited May 2012

    good luck today :)

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  • Mulligan
    Mulligan Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2012

    Thanks ladies for all the replies, I must have really sensitive nipples because that was really painful for me, the nurse warned me that the numbing cream doesn't work and she was right. After they got the catheter in even just moving the tube was so painful. Then as she injected the dye she said I may feel a burning sensation and oh did it burn like crazy. :(

    Needless to say, they could not find where the discharge was coming from especially since it was close to my excision site so the final report was set to birads 3 and do a wait and see come back in 6 mo and do it again. Eek I don't know if I can go through that again. I wonder if I should push to get an MRI done instead.

    Thanks again for all the replies, well wishes and your experiences.

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  • mckenna
    mckenna Member Posts: 413
    edited May 2012

    Sorry the experience was painful and then didn't show what they were looking for. Did they say an mri would show a papilloma?

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  • Mulligan
    Mulligan Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2012

    Thanks McKenna, I didn't even think about asking for an MRI but I think I will bring it up on my 6 mo eval and from what I've read, MRI's can detect papillomas too.

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