My appointment went okay.  Of COURSE the discharge issue didn’t present itself in the dr’s office, after SIX MONTHS of it presenting itself at home, but because there was no mass, and because it’s not spontaneous, the doc wasn’t too worried about that. If I were to start noticing either of those things, then I should get it checked out.  At this point, though, he didn’t think an ultrasound or mammogram were called for.

But, the rash is a separate story. It was abnormal, even to him, and he wasn’t sure what it was. It doesn’t ‘match’ my eczema, and doesn’t look like psoriasis.  He brought up my big fear, of what it most resembles in all of my googling, which is Paget’s disease of the breast. Even then, it didn’t look like ‘classic Paget’s’ and he had only seen 2 or 3 cases in his practice.  Whatever it is, it’s not normal, so he scheduled a surgical biopsy for January 13. (Which, yes, is a Friday. I’m not reading into it, but I wonder what the Ambulatory Surgery dept is like on Friday the 13th? In a Catholic hospital?)

He’ll give me a local anesthetic, but no sedative, on account of the widget.  He’ll take a section, give me a few stitches, and send me on my way.  He wants to first rule out Paget’s, and then try to make a diagnosis and treat me based on that. If he can’t figure it out, he’ll have a dermatologist check it out.

I’m feeling very confident about this guy. I’m really glad that he’s going to at least test for Paget’s, even though it’s extremely rare in general, and then extremely rare in women of my age.  I think that some docs would be like "you’re 30! It’s not Paget’s! Don’t scratch!"  I also like that if it’s not Paget’s or breast-related, he will pass it on, instead of me having to do the explaining over and over, you know? Or be like "It’s not Paget’s! Don’t scratch!"

That’s where it stands, as of now.  I almost wish the biopsy were sooner, so I could get diagnosed sooner, and ultimately, treated sooner, if ONLY for the pain and itching.  Thanks for the good vibes, y’all.