I immediately went to my primary care doctor about the lump. I still didn’t have it in my head that it could actually be breast cancer, nor did my primary doctor. Regardless, my doctor sent me for a mammogram and an ultrasound. To my relief, their initial thought was that it was an infected milk duct. They provided me 10 days of antibiotics to treat the inflamed duct.
On May 17, 2016, I started a 10 day course of antibiotics for the "infected milk duct." A few days later I noticed a clear discharge coming from my right nipple. They decided to prescribe a second round of 10 days antibiotic course. The second to last day on antibiotics I noticed a bloody discharge coming from the right nipple. I returned to the doctor and had a second ultrasound - when the results came back I was referred to a general surgeon.
This was clearly a bigger issue...
"Not all organizations agree on breast cancer screening guidelines, … For instance, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mammogram guidelines recommend women begin screening at age 50 … the American Cancer Society recommends women begin screening at age 45. But both of these organizations acknowledge that beginning screening at 40 may make sense for some women after considering the benefits and limitations of the test.” (Mayo Clinic mammogram guidelines)
