Nipple discharge, changes in colour

[J_P_B]

Hi, I have had some discharge from my nipple with a rusty colour indicating blood, they haven't found anything on mammography, ultrasound or MRI, but have scheduled me for full duct removal for biopsy, this isn't goingt o happen til January. Last night the discharge went from slightly rusty to dark chocolate/black and I have some tenderness at the top of breast where i goes into the armpit. I have been told not to worry about it & that this is normal but I do feel a bit like I've just been patted on the head in the nicest possible way. Is this correct or should I be pushing for a second opinino?

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Very sorry you have to ask these questions though as I'm sure you are worried.  Discharge, either clear, bloody or otherwise, can be harmless or due to more serious reasons.   The dark color  may be 'old' blood.  Are you expressing this? When we do that, we send a message to or pituitary gland to produce more prolactin which increases discharge.  I'm glad you are working caregivers to understand why this is happening to you and have had what sounds to be thorough follow up.  Why are they waiting until January? That may be an issue with availability?  If you are concerned that you are getting bad advice, you should always seek a second opinion.  You could call your doctor's office to inform them of the discharge color change.  Hopefully your biopsy turns up a non cancerous result but am sure you are quite nervous.  If moving the biopsy up would alleviate your anxiety, I would think your doctor would be open to that.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/nipple-discharge/basics/causes/sym-20050946  please keep us in the loop of what happens.

[J_P_B]

Thank you for replying. I am in the NHS system in England. I was told that because there was no 'lump' visable on the 3 tests that the biopsy is not 'cancer surgery' and therefore would not be done for a few weeks or month(s). They found cells in the nipple discharge that they are concerned about. in 2018 I had the same thing that they called DCIS - they decided to monitor it via the discharge and the cells 'went away'.  I returned to the clinic when the discharge turned rusty (bloody) again and this is where we are at. I am a dentist so I am (I hope) a bot more clinically aware than general public - and I am also aware that 'a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing'.  I know that blood has to be coming from somewhere and when the ammount of blood increased (from the colour change) I have become worried that something may have eroded through the duct into a small blood vessel which may be the cause of the bleeding. I am also aware that MRI whilest sensitive to 2-3 mm slices will not necessarily pick up something smaller than 2mm and this can contain quite alot of cells.  I may be worrying for nothing. I have been told that my consultant is good & I don't want to be "that patient', you know the one people look at the name on the daysheet & groan 'oh God not them'. The discharge is spontaneous in small ammounts. I was told in 2018 that expressing a small ammount once per month would be a good idea to monitor the discharge colour - to be honest I forgot and was relying on small ammounts of spontaneous discharge.