So Friday morning, I was fine, I’m 46 generally in very good health. In the afternoon I started to get pain in my left breast. I started HRT 25 days previously so knew it could be a side effect. Puzzled it was only on one side, but decided it’s just one of those sucky things that happen.  I started the HRT because of hourly (yep every freaking hour day and night) hot flushes and they had improved those symptoms greatly. I had been getting a decent nights sleep again so generally in good spirits, I’m sure a bit of tenderness in the breast could be sorted by tweaking the HRT to something else. The pain progressed throughout the afternoon but after ibuprofen it was manageable. Apart from asking my husband every now and again if it seemed hot to him (this amused him no end to be asked to touch my breast so much) I can’t say I was really concerned.

Saturday I woke up to pain again, by lunchtime I had swelling and what felt like a golf ball sized lump around my nipple. I phoned the pharmacy, hoping he would tell me it was just as I suspected and a side effect of the HRT. He suggested instead I phone out of hours.

I spent 35 minutes in the phone queue before someone answered. I went over what had happened, and said I was phoning for some assurance that it was just a dodgy HRT side effect. A nurse would phone me later and decide from there what to do. 

The wait for that call was hard. The pain was increasing, the size was increasing and at some point during that 3 hr wait I looked in the mirror, cupped my breasts, and my left nipple inverted, shoot! It was now completely hard round about it, it was red, if you looked closely (and boy did I look closely) I could see some pin *** developing and though, oh, so that’s what an orange peel effect looks like.

I saw a doctor about 6.30pm, he is treating for mastitis, go back Monday if things haven’t improved and make an appointment for a follow up on Friday. 

I guess I should be relieved? That is great news surely, a wee dose (or rather huge dose 400mg daily ) of antibiotics and all will be well.

The problem is, at this stage, it could be mastitis, except I have no fever, I haven’t breast fed for a decade, and the co-incidence with starting oestrogen, along with the hot,  heavy, booby with inverted nipple and orange skin is screaming inflammatory carcinoma. 

It could be either, but the fact remains, it IS one or the other, it’s not just a wee side effect from HRT. 

I cant say it’s been the best weekend so far. The inflammation is continuing to grow, I seem to have an almost silver demarcation line between the redness ( that is no longer confined to just my nipple area) and the rest of my breast. Maybe my imagination but it seems slightly raised now too. Bleah. 

I forgot to ask the doc about stopping the HRT too, but my instincts say to leave them be until I at least see a doc again.