Hello Ch7812 and welcome to Cancer Chat, 

You are obviously concerned about your wife and seem to love her so much and to be so caring. Your wife is absolutely right though and very brave in resisting the urge to Google symptoms but she is spot on when she says Google tends to bring up the worst and is definitely not a good diagnostic tool. So don't believe anything you have read on Google, try to forget these pictures you have seen too or it will make you panic and imagine the worst. 

Your wife did the right thing in booking an appointment with the doctors and I hope it all goes well tomorrow. The doctor will have the expertise to determine whether she needs to be seen at the breast clinic or if they think it is something that can be cleared with antibiotics so have faith in the experts but do feel free to mention your fears and concerns and I am sure the GP will be able to address those and answer any questions you may have. Hopefully other members of our community will be along too to share their similar experiences with you. 

We are keeping everything crossed for your wife and hope that it will all go well on Monday and that it turns out to be nothing of concern and which can be easily treated. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi, thank you for your reply.

We saw the doctor on Friday, and whilst he leaned toward an infection, as my wife isn't breastfeeding said that it was unusual enough and there were enough other symptoms to trigger his anxiety (his words).

So we have an appointment today at the breast clinic (we fall between two hospitals so we're able to check both, one had a two week wait, one had three days)  I know this is so much faster than others have had and I know we are fortunate not to have to suffer the prolonged anxiety.  Hopefully the junior doctors strike won't cause any issues for us at the clinic today as I know that will be upsetting.

Both my wife and I are worriers.  Not ashamed to say I've been waiting until kids and wife are downstairs in a morning so I can go and cry in the shower.

The gp did prescribe some antibiotics in the meanwhile and in both our views there has been some improvement in swelling as the nipple is no longer inverted or flat. Not normal, but not as bad as it was.  The area looks less enslaved, but that may just be the ibuprofen the gp said she could take.

Though even if it is an infection, something must have set it off.  Hopefully we may be a bit further forward today.

But most of all thank you for replying, I kept checking regularly and seeing a response today just partly took away that feeling being alone.  I only really have one good friend I talk to, and he's awaiting a chat with specialist after results of scans on his lungs (smoker, coughs and has clubbed fingers), so I can hardly talk to him about this, I want to support him in his battle too.

Thank you.

The uncertainty is so anxiety inducing. Really good that you have an appointment so soon and hopefully it is an infection. Best of luck to you both at the clinic.