One nipple with purple tip / crust :(

[Amywamey87]

Hi I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I'm extremely frightened. I'm a 32 year old female with a 3 year old and 17 month old. I'm not breastfeeding as formula fed my babies. I did express a bit of milk for a few weeks for my youngest but that was 17 months ago.

My right nipple stings and that comes and goes. I've also noticed that the top edge of my one nipple is purple (comes and goes) there is also some yellow crust around the edge. It looks like dried milk which is worrying as only on one breast and I'm not breast feeding. It feels very sore and stings on and off throughout my cycle. I do have pcos but I'm so frightened this is something bad. I googled and Paget disease and breast cancer has come up and even the NHS website says it's abnormal for one nipple to be this way. I'm so scared and worried. Has anyone had anything like this?

[Amywamey87]

Hi I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I'm extremely frightened. I'm a 32 year old female with a 3 year old and 17 month old. I'm not breastfeeding as formula fed my babies. I did express a bit of milk for a few weeks for my youngest but that was 17 months ago.

My right nipple stings and that comes and goes. I've also noticed that the top edge of my one nipple is purple (comes and goes) there is also some yellow crust around the edge. It looks like dried milk which is worrying as only on one breast and I'm not breast feeding. It feels very sore and stings on and off throughout my cycle. I do have pcos but I'm so frightened this is something bad. I googled and Paget disease and breast cancer has come up and even the NHS website says it's abnormal for one nipple to be this way. I'm so scared and worried. Has anyone had anything like this?

Anyone please?????
Only the top edge of one nipple is affected. It changes colour throughout the day from purple blue to red to white. There is also a tiny yellow crust around this part. I'm so worried it's some sort of cancer of the nipple like pagets or leiomyosarcoma. I know both are very rare. Has anyone aid anything like this. I'm going to book in the doctors tomorrow but so worried

[Phuzella]

Sorry you've had no replies. I've not had any experience of your problem but go and get it checked at the doctors? . Try not to worry. Let us know how you get on x

[LF87]

I had a scaly oval rash on one nipple a few weeks ago and was also faced with paget's disease search results! I cried at the docs I was so scared. She took a quick look and said it was superficial and gave me some steroid cream. It's gone now. It's probably from an ill fitting bra / chafing. Go get your mind put to rest

[Amywamey87]

I had a scaly oval rash on one nipple a few weeks ago and was also faced with paget's disease search results! I cried at the docs I was so scared. She took a quick look and said it was superficial and gave me some steroid cream. It's gone now. It's probably from an ill fitting bra / chafing. Go get your mind put to rest

Thank you both. I've been to see the Doctor today. She's referred me for an urgent appointment to see the breast specialist at my local hospital. She said it's a concern as only one nipple is affected. She felt both breasts and armpits thouroughly and can't feel any lumps but she said she wants to check if anything is going on beneath the nipple. I've got to wait for my appt to come through now now. I'm so upset. It's good she's being proactive but I'm just so scared and worried :(

[LF87]

Try not to worry, although I know how hard this must be. So many of my friends have been referred for various breast things. She's just being a good doctor and following the guidelines. Try to keep busy and remember it's just a precaution to cover her back xx

[Amywamey87]

Try not to worry, although I know how hard this must be. So many of my friends have been referred for various breast things. She's just being a good doctor and following the guidelines. Try to keep busy and remember it's just a precaution to cover her back xx

Thank you. I keep trying to rationalise in my brain that's all she's doing. It just seems all the odds are against me in the fact it's just one nipple, it's changing colour, it's got crust, it stings and burns and I can feel warmth in that breast. She couldn't feel any lumps or raised lymph nodes but I still worry incase it's Paget's or a small tumour in the milk ducts behind the nipple that they can't palpate. I think if it was happening in both breasts I wouldn't be concerned. I've got 2 little children that need me. The odds aren't good for these cancers of the nipple and milk ducts as once they present symptoms they are nornally out of control. Sorry to go on I'm just writing down my fears. My dad passed away very unexpectedly before Xmas and it's had a big impact on me. I'm trying to keep myself busy and excel at work and my boss is talking about how I can go far in the company etc and all I can think of is that I'm about to get diagnosed with terminal Cancer and I'm going to lose everything :(

Please if anyone's had Paget disease or Cancer of the milk ducts what was your experience?

[Sunnydelight]

I’ve had a breast scared wasn’t nipple lump in arm but the referral time for breast is amazingly fast it two and you should get seen . Mine was fine so hopefully you won’t have to wait to long . And bare in mind it could be fine you will get seen pretty fast as they don’t mess about with the breast thing if the are slight worried and if was serious I’d say would be picked up pretty fast mine was done by ultra sound and checked both my armpits and the lymph node sorrounding . Hope your appoint come soon and hopenaol is alright . And try not to worry to much till your appointment x

[wubu]

Hi Amy. How is it going?

6/7 months ago I had a similar issue (I'm male). Firstly you can have benign conditions that can occur on one side. Have they tested prolactin levels yet? It could be hormonal. It's good your GP has put you on a quick referal. 2wks is generally the guide time for these referrals so you're not special lol!

I had an ultrasound which was all ok. The only real way to look for pagets is either a punch biopsy or scrape cytology. Unfortunately, imaging won't show pagets but it can show other types which sometimes co-exist with pagets.

If you're only given an imaging test, I would also push for punch biopsy or scrape cytology. I have another check next week as it's starting to look a bit iffy. That said it could well be a benign skin condition, as could yours be.

Also note that if it was the worse case, yours sounds like it would be at a super early stage. It's only a bad thing when it gets overlooked and ignored by people, in time end up seeing a doc and they say "looks like dermititis". Then it's left untreated. Your GP is being a good GP.

Lastly. The colour change you describe is common with the harmless condition called Raynaud's phenomenon. Stinging and pain is also associated with it and I bet the sting/burn happens when there is a colour change . This condition It is not a symptom of pagets.

Feel free to PM.

[Amywamey87]

Hi Amy. How is it going?

6/7 months ago I had a similar issue (I'm male). Firstly you can have benign conditions that can occur on one side. Have they tested prolactin levels yet? It could be hormonal. It's good your GP has put you on a quick referal. 2wks is generally the guide time for these referrals so you're not special lol!

I had an ultrasound which was all ok. The only real way to look for pagets is either a punch biopsy or scrape cytology. Unfortunately, imaging won't show pagets but it can show other types which sometimes co-exist with pagets.

If you're only given an imaging test, I would also push for punch biopsy or scrape cytology. I have another check next week as it's starting to look a bit iffy. That said it could well be a benign skin condition, as could yours be.

Also note that if it was the worse case, yours sounds like it would be at a super early stage. It's only a bad thing when it gets overlooked and ignored by people, in time end up seeing a doc and they say "looks like dermititis". Then it's left untreated. Your GP is being a good GP.

Lastly. The colour change you describe is common with the harmless condition called Raynaud's phenomenon. Stinging and pain is also associated with it and I bet the sting/burn happens when there is a colour change . This condition It is not a symptom of pagets.

Feel free to PM.

Hi Wubu

Thank you so much. Have you been seen now and have they found out what's causing yours?

I did think about Reynauds but brushed it off as I don't have it in my fingers or toes and I'm not skinny like most of the people I know who have Reynauds. The only people I know who have got it in their nipples is breastfeeding mothers when they take the baby off the boob. I think that's why I was so worried as I was none of the above.

I have my breast clinic appointment tomorrow. It's around 11:40am. I am so nervous I feel sick. My right breast feels warm to the touch and the left one feels normal. You are right when it's stinging my nipple is always purple.

I will update you after my appointment tomorrow.

Thank you

Amy