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My Journal

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  JDubinoc:
  Hi there. I had the exact same thing as you 4 years ago when I was 37. The doctors asked me if I had damaged my breast in sports or something, and I said maybe. They said there was only a 1-3%%%% chance that it was cancer, but if I wanted a biopsy I could have one. So my regular doctor referred me to a surgeon who took the duct out. The duct was normal and I thought everything was fine. A few months later, the discharge came back, but I didn't make a big deal out of it because the doctors had said it was probably no big deal and I didn't want any more scar tissue in my breast. Over the next few years, a few of my mammograms were re-done as they thought my breasts, especially my right one where I had the discharge, were fibrous and difficult to read. Long story short, this last year the discharge got much worse--more than clear or yellowy discharge--now it was thick blood red, but still a slow leak like yours. I brought it up at my annual pap appointment and my doctor recommended I see a different surgeon. This surgeon put me through one test after another. She said, "I like to see what is BEHIND the duct"---DUH! The first surgeon should have done this. They eventually discovered that I had some sort of small mass behind the nipple that they think was a papiloma. I just had a mastectomy and will know what it really was tomorrow. A lot of papilomas are benign, but nonetheless, need to be removed. So you may need a small surgery where they take out the incriminating duct or all the ducts. I know that sound horrible. Sorry. You might have a different case. Just make sure that they're looking BEHIND the duct! They will probably start with a ductogram to see if the cells are abnormal or not. Hopefully, you're ok. I eventually was diagnosed with DCIS--ductal carcinoma in situ, stage 0 (that was the good news). It's a sort of pre-cancerous condition that could turn invasive cancer several years down the road. But it took 4 years for them to diagnose this and by then it was 3 inches long throughout a duct with the papiloma type thing just behind the nipple. I hope I'm not scaring you. Just see a breast surgeon who will order the right tests for you and make them tell you what causes discharge. They didn't tell me that til this year. You'll be fine. You're doing the right thing asking questions on this site. I hope I have been able to help. Keep us posted! I will pray for you. Janice
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  Janice- thank you for sharing your story, I feel a bit of relief and will look for a good breast surgeon right away! --Kat