Hi Ljg 11,

Welcome to our forum.

Thank you for outlining your treatment for a full duct removal from your breast. 

I'm sure that many who are awaiting this procedure will find it helpful to know that all went swimmingly for you and, that your pathology results were good at the end of the procedure.

We tend to hear the bad news here, but those who receive good news often disappear off the radar, which is a pity. It is so helpful for those going through this process to know that not all outcomes are doom and gloom and, that some of us get good news sometimes. 

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

So having just got back from hospital and told the same thing- sample sent off to be analysed and go back in 2 weeks ( mammogram clear etc) for results etc  I wonder what has happened after this post? What happens when you have total duct excision. How long in hospital? How long is the op? How.long is the recovery? Time off work etc 

Hi there! The op was under general anaesthetic same day surgery. I was groggy as most are post op. It reminded me in some ways post having a baby and how hot your boobs are when not breastfeeding. After a couple of days I dared to even look around the bandage & I was bruised & swollen & took painkillers for a few days. As the swelling subsided & I redressed my stitched area my nipple was very sore so I use thick sanitary towels ( cut down ) inside my bra for about 4 weeks especially aware of my journey on tubes & not being knocked ( as it does hurt) it healed well & now I have a scar but really nothing big & I got full sensation back which is great. I'm more aware of the boob I had the op on & try to be gentle but that's just me probably! Best of luck to you , take good care x

I posted in December that I had  a total duct excision on one breast and had a lump afterwards that worried me. Well the good news is the lump went away. The not so good news is that they found cancerous cells so had to do another operation to take more tissue away to ensure they had it all. I wasn't too happy as you can guess, especially as the area was just calming down. Anyway the op was straightforward, much like the first time. I was in the hospital in total probably 6 hours. Woozy with a very dry mouth afterwards. Why do they always offer you sandwiches or toast? I couldn't eat either.

Anyway the good news is the cancer was contained within the duct and hasn't affected the breast. The breast was quite tender and bruised afterwards. I changed the dressing every 2 days. You feel quite nervous about it at first but it's really quite easy to do and not as frightening as you might think. After 10 days I left the dressing off, showered and picked off the stitches, as I did the first time round. I also rubbed Bio oil into the area daily to reduce the scarring.

It's now 10 months since the 2nd op and despite being carved up twice my breast is fairly normal to look at, the scar is gone, the lump of scar tissue behind the nipple also gone and the nipple has sensitivity. There is a slight dip in the breast, due to the extra tissue that was removed, but I count myself very lucky and I would urge anyone who has to have this op to be optimistic because there are good outcomes.

Hi Sue-Pat,

Many thanks for your inspiring post. I'm sorry to hear that you had to have a second operation and know how daunting this can be just when everything is beginning to heal. I am glad to hear that your breast still looks fairly normal and that you still have some sensitivity in your nipple.

We hear about the bad outcomes on this forum, but people seldom return to report the good ones. Thank you for coming back to tell your story. I'm sure that others will take heart from your post and from the fact that there are good outcomes.

I hope that all continues to go well for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx 

I had my duct excision on 25 November and will be seeing my surgeon on Monday for the results.  I know he found what he called a nodule in the nipple, so it's rather a tense wait.  I'm hoping it will turn out to be benign, as there was no blood or cells in the discharge and nothing showed on the mammogram or ultrasound.  I've been remarkably free of pain after the first few hours.  Just rather tender which disturbed my sleep for the first couple of nights.  I've got a huge adhesive dressing covering a fair amount of the breast, and have strict instructions not to get it wet and to leave it in place until my appointment.  There is dried blood in the dressing, but no visible bruising in the surrounding area.  I look a bit of a strange shape, but think it may be that the dressing is pushing the nipple in.  I've also been instructed to wear anti embolism stockings for two weeks.  Don't know if that is usual; but I'll b glad when I can chuck them away.

Ive reallly appreciated reading the posts of those of you who have already been through this experience.

All the best to everyone

Covidian (well all the normal names were already taken, and that's the name on the stockings!)

Hello, 

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but been doing a. Good old google search...

Around 4 weeks ago I found a lump beneath my left nipple, felt fairly sizeable. When I applied pressure I would bleed from the nipple. Dr referred me to the breast clinic but I ended up going private.

I had a mammogram and ultrasound which showed a large mass (2x3cm) and a smaller lump (0.7cm). They fully aspirated the large mass and did a biopsy. The aspiration was all blood. They explained they expected an intraductal papilloma wit a build up of blood behind it (large lump I was feeling). The biopsy came back benign and I had my follow up consultation last night, 3 weeks on.

I said I can still feel the lump and my consultant wanted to repeat the ultrasound. The radiologist couldn't believe that the mass had refilled almost completely in only 3 weeks with fresh blood. He was very surprised and said he expected some refill but not so much in such a small time. He said the blood is concerning and the regrowth so quickly to almost exactly what it was is unusual. So my consultant came back to me and said they want to do either a 2nd biopsy or just book me in for removal of that duct, the surrounding ones and the tissue in that area. 

Just wondered if anyone else's experiences sounded similar? I see lots of comments about bleeding but haven't seen anyone mention a lump or aspiration. I was completely taken aback last night as expected to be told nothing to worry about and a straight forward duct removal and that was it but the app took a different turn.

Thanks in advance x

Hi Ganderson

A very warm welcome to our forum. I am so sorry to hear that the mass has refilled in only 3 weeks. This must be a worry for you. I have not had this experience, but I couldn't pass by when I noticed that nobody had replied to you yet. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 12 years and,have been on this site all of this time. Many people have had aspirations and some have refilled quickly, whilst others have not.

Have you decided whether or not to have further tests or surgery? Surgery should be quite straightforward. I sincerely hope that you manage to get something done soon. In the meanwhile, you might find it helpful to speak to one of the nurses on this site. They are here Mon-Fri, from 9.00am - 5.00pm and their number is 0808 800 4040. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jomine xx