Male - Nipple pain w/ inflammation behind

[Steve927]

I am a 51 year old male whose mother died of breast cancer at age 47. Three weeks ago I noticed that my left nipple was itchy but no scaling or discharge. No change in any detergents and it is just the left nipple. At times, it is a little red. None of the rest of the breast is red of feels warm to the touch. The itching comes and goes and is not so severe that I must scratch it and I have not scratched it. It is now always sensitive. My wife cannot find any lumps. If I open my fingers in about a 3" circle to take the breast in hand with the nipple in the center and squeeze, the left breast feels a little tougher than the right breast. I am also having occassional shooting pains in the breast [not the nipple] and some pain towards the sternum. My regular doctor is on vacation and maybe it's better that his sub was a female doctor. She said the breast seemed inflammed and very slightly larger than the right breast and has ordered a mamogram and a somogram. I am very confused with what I am reading. I read that pain means it's usally not cancer and on occasion it is. The doctor left me with no reassurance. Nothing was said to give me hope such as "It might well be a fibryostic cyst". If the results are poor should I be asking for a breast specialist for a 2nd opinion, and from what I described does it lean towards a particular camp? Thank you vet much, Steve - Charlotte NC

[DolphinMan]

A related discussion, Nipple Pain and small lump behind Left nipple. was started.

[worried1205]

A related discussion, male swollen nipple was started.

[Steve927]

I was diagnosed with a gynecomastia. Oddly enough, I was talking to a guy in his late 40's and told him of my problem and he said he had a similar issue last year. Then he asked "Have you been on Trazodone by any chance?"

My biggest beef was that the doctor who filled in and saw me actually authored a paper while on the baord of a hospital [she's about 7 years out of residency] that was entitled something like "Addressing the needs of patients and their families". So letting me leave without asking if I was on any meds at all as well as not telling me anything at all tells me that some MDs should be in research as they are not capable of understanding that patients are not merely breathing cadavers.

Thanks for the help here.

Steve

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear Steve:  Most breast cancer appears as a painless lump or abnormality on a mammogram.   However, this does not mean that all breast cancer is painless or that pain means it cannot be cancer.  In general, if a breast is examined (male or female) and there is a new finding, it requires further evaluation.  Without examination, we cannot speculate as to what this "inflammation" might be.  If "something" appears on the mammogram or sonogram that requires further investigation, your doctor will likely refer you to a surgeon.  If this is case or if you are uncomfortable with the information, you might consider a breast specialist.  

[Steve927]

Pardon my typos in the message I posted.

I just wanted to add that while I see no increase in breast size, that I was placed on Trazodone for sleeping [100 mg at bedtime] in Decemeber. In late 2004 I was placed on Diamox and told to take potassium as it could cause kidney stones, and it did. What an excruting pain that was virtuyally unbearable if you didn't know it would end. I'm hoping the Trazodone might have causes something as I found the following:

"There is sufficient experimental evidence to conclude that chronic administration of those psychotropic drugs, such as trazodone which increase prolactin secretion has the potential to induce mammary neoplasms in rodents under appropriate conditions.Although disturbances such as galactorrhea, amenorrhea, gynecomastia and impotence have been reported, the clinical significance of elevated serum prolactin levels or increased secretion and turnover are unknown for most patients".

The doctor I saw who filled in for my regular doc actually forgot to ask me if I was taking any medication. I have a neurological issue that has led me to many top doctors as it is rare [symptomatic Chiari malformation] and I don't think I've gone two minutes, ever in my life, without a doctor asking what meds I'm on. Beside that being a grave mistake that I would imagine a resident would be taken to task for omitting, should a doctor have known that Trazodone might have such effects? The pulmonologist did not mention it when he prescribed it.

My left nipple seems a little tougher than the right and the pain is occassional and shooting in the entire left breast an both towards the arm and towards the sternum. But not necessarily in the nipple, which has not been itching at all today and is not red.

Thank you,
Steve
Charlotte NC