Worried about white speck on nipple

Hi Louise,

Thank you for posting on here. We are all here to support each other, so please don't apologise for posting. :-) My advice is to visit your GP explain all your fears and get it checked. Ask to be referred for tests as appropriate, when you have some answers then you can plan if anything requires action. Love Judithxxx

Hi Louise

I had the same white specks on my nipple in fact if I squeezed it a small amount of liquid came out.

At the same time my nipple used to go flat which was strange.

I went to my GP and he referred me to the BC. I was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in February 2008.  I had a mastectomy followed by chemo and radiotherapy and am still taking Arimidex.          

 Please get checked out to put your mind at rest.

I don't want to scare you and what you have may be nothing but better safe than sorry.

Love

Sue

Hi Louise.  As scared as you might be, you must find out what it is to put your mind at rest.  hopefuly its nothing.  i went straight away about my lump, even though all the symptoms pointed to it it not being cancer.  thank god i did as I had Grade 3 aggressive cancer, but as its Stage  1 early stage my consultant is confident it can be treated successfully.  good luck.  

I went to the docs this morning about this white spot, my doc said she had didn't know what it was and hadn't seen something like this before. She couldn't feel any lumps anywhere else at least. She agreed if I had been pregnant or had children she would think just a blocked duct but she hasn't personally had a blocked duct in someone without children before. She did say though that breasts can change due to hormones and that she wanted to wait another 4 weeks to see if it goes away as I am under 35. If it doesn't she said that I should go back and she will refer me to the breast cancer clinic for women under 35 to do tests. Im guessing she might mean for a mammogram. She said that it's normal for them to ask women under 35 to wait this long to see if an abnormality goes away if they have no family history as breast cancer isn't considered common in women under that age and due to breasts changing in young women due to fluctuating hormones.

She pretty much floored me really, I was completely expecting her to say its a blocked pore or something like that, not to actually take me seriously. My doctor is very direct and straight forward and hasnt tended to be the type to refer me for tests in the past without a battle, and I wast trying to play it down today virtually trying to put words into her mouth saying its probs noting right. She has me fairly shocked and worried that she is suggesting a referral if it doesn't disappear soon. I know it's probs because she can't say what it is so needs to refer me on to find this out, but I think I expected all possibilities of breast cancer to be pretty much dismissed as a virtual impossibility and to get glared at for suggesting it could be anything.

And to top it all the fact I took a half hour off to go to docs did not go down terribly well and my delightful line manager has been worse than ever today piling on pressure and finding fault :-(

I'm thinking we'd have to be quite unlucky for my boyfriend and myself to have cancer at same time, both starting off with less than likely symptoms.... I think it might be a long four weeks...

Louise - you have just entered the worst phase, the not knowing.  Don't worry about potential cancer running amok through your system, it really doesn't work like that. 

Hopefully once the 4 weeks are up, it will have disappeared but if not then come back and let us know what the results of your investigation  and we'll take it from there. 

As to your boss, employers have to allow time off for doctors appointment. Don't let her push you around. 

Hi Louise 

You have a boyfriend with Cancer and you have an unknown problem with your breast. A very unsettling time for you. I do feel for GPs as there is so much pressure on diagnosing different symptoms of cancer at an early stage And there are so many symptoms.  Of course your GP will take your symptoms seriously and she has given a plan of action based upon what she has found. If there were other symptoms such as a lump then you would have been referred to a breast clinic and seen within 2 weeks. I'm sure You would ask why she wouldn't refer you in 4 weeks time should the spot not have cleared up, more than question why she is suggesting this At this stage? 

Because of the nature of this forum the replies you receive will envitably be from people with or that have had breast cancer. This in itself may make you more anxious about your symptom. 

Your right, it will be a long four weeks but grab hold of the positives. Your symptoms have not meant you go directly to the breast care clinic without passing go. i have to say that even with cancer it is weeks of waiting for test results Often through a treatment journey of months and months. Hopefully the spot will be hormonal changes and disappear. If not and you need support to take you through the next steps you will find it here. 

All the best x

Well it's still there so went to GP last week. Got referred to breast clinic for under 35s. The GP thought I might have to have an ultrasound or mammogram as he said that there was no way of telling if it was just something like a milk duct without a looking inside somehow. Saw a consultant at the clinic today however and he barely looked at me. He asked what the problem was had a very quick glance and ran his finger over the spot and said oh that's nothing you can get dressed now. I asked what it was and he said probs just a duct, but he didn't explain how this cold be not ever having been pregnant. I asked him if he was going to do anything else but he just said no you can go with a big smile on his face as though he was amused Id come.

I don't know how to take this, I'm happy he said he thought it was nothing but confused how, he could know that! My GP had said there was no way if knowing what would be making a duct protrude without some form of scan, how do I know there isnt a cancer deep inside pushing the duct up, just still confused how it could just be a duct at the surface with no cause. 

Dont know what I can do from here, apart from just accept it's nothing on the word of that cursory examination. I think I'm almost more concerned now as don't think they have took me at all seriously at the hospital.

Hi Louise

I know it's difficult, but you have to bear in mind that these people look at nipples, breasts and things all day long and can tell by looking what is there.  

You have to have some faith that they are trained to do this, and what I would do is take the diagnosis but be vigilant for any other changes.  If it doesn't hurt, it isn't oozing or protruding more than normal then I would just relax.  

You don't have to be pregnant to have a surge of hormones, it could just have been that you had an excess due to the pill or something, or simply eating a good deal of plant estrogens (soya is a case).

Lots of people do have white spots on their nipples, and it's not usually anything to worry about unless it changes markedly.  So keep an eye out but don't lose sleep.

Hi Louise,

What happened in the end? I seem to have the same thing.

Hope you're well.

Thanks.

Hi

I have the same thing. Been over a month. When to see the nurse today. Said they usually go by themselves. But said to see a GP if not gone in 3 weeks.