Sore nipple - HELP!! :'((

!!! If this appears more than once I apologise - it didn't appear in
24hrs and its the 1st time I've posted from home; so trying good old
google to post. So sorry in advance if this is repeated....
---------------------------------------------------------------

Excuse the two groups - but I am hoping the experts are on one of
these!!

First I'm male - and obviously not breast feeding!
Second - I have one nipple pierced (left)

Background....
....for years by left nipple has beome really itchy at random times for
random periods and eventually gone away. I've suffered from slight
ezcema
since birth and always put it down to this. When it itched, it really
was
itchy, and ahem, caused me to try and scratch/burn/or otherwise hurt
the
area for itching to go away. Last time this happened must've been 5
years
ago.

As such, my left nipple has always been a lot bigger than my right.

Anyway, being a perv (blame my wife!!) I had the left nipple pierced
last
year - healed fine and no problems.....

....until for whatever reason the "ezcema" came back. Don't know if
this was
due to clothes rubbing, or the cold weather (and possibly the
piercing)
making nipple stand out and rub more - but for about 2 months I've
been
suffering with a vey very very nasty itchy nipple....

HELP!

For 1st month, just scratched and suffered and hoped it'd go away.
Entire
nipple would be "wet" then go scaby, then wet and nothing would
happen.
I tried E45 for a week, and Hc45 for a week.
I also tried Lansinoh Lanolin!

The latter was applied and a "big" plaster put on top to stop the mess
getting on my work shirts. After a week, nipple looked VERY healthy
and
healed. Only problem is skin was sooo soft it appeared to be weak and
not
tough enough to stand clothes rubbing, and so back to square one
(though not
as bad - yet - but I know its coming)

When cold, nipple is very hard.

Anyway - now nipple is very large (4x) compared to the other one. So
looks
weird without the piercing there - with it there it doesn't look as
strange!

I do NOT think its infected. If I thought taking jewellery out would
help -
then I would - but I don't. Don't think its a nickle allergy (but
open for debate!)

I'm really suffering (well - probably not as bad as giving birth!) -
and am
looking for suggestions.....

MANY THANKS

wrote:

but for about 2 months I've
been
suffering with a vey very very nasty itchy nipple....

I think you really need to see a doctor. The likelihood, especially given your
history of eczema, and that it has healed over once, is that it's something a
dermatologist could take care of, but there is always the possibility of male
breast cancer, which you do NOT want to put off treating. By the way, my son
has a nickel sensitivity which fooled the doctors for a while as it looked just
like standard eczema. It went away when I stopped dressing him in shirts that
snap on the shoulder (he was a toddler).

There is something called Paget's disease of the nipple which is apparently
more common in male breast cancer than in female:

"Paget's disease of the nipple: This type of breast cancer starts in the breast
ducts and spreads to the skin of the nipple. It may also spread to the areola
(the dark circle around the nipple). The skin of the nipple usually appears
crusted, scaly, and red, with areas of itching, oozing, burning, or bleeding.
Using the fingertips, a lump may be detected within the breast. If no lump can
be felt, the prognosis (outlook for survival) is generally good. Paget's
disease may be associated with in situ carcinoma or with infiltrating breast
carcinoma. It accounts for about 1% of female breast cancers and a higher
percentage of male breast cancers. Because the male breast is much smaller than
the female breast, all male breast cancers start relatively close to the
nipple, so spread to the nipple is more likely."

I hope you find an answer and feel better soon.

--Helen

Hey RJ.

My only real suggestion is to try a gold jewellery piece. I know a few
people who can only wear gold, or their piercing does a simillar thing.

The Lansinoh was a good idea, apart from the covering it up bit. Wounds
heal by moist wound healing (promoted by lansinoh) but not wet wound healing
(promoted by lansinoh + covering it up). It's like sitting in the bath for
too long - skin actually breaks down and can't heal. I don't know how you
would get around this with wearing work shirts though, as the lansinoh would
soak through and become very noticable! Perhaps try the lansinoh when you
get home from work, and don't cover it up... then wash it off (gently!)
before work the next day.

Good luck!

Jo (RM)

--
--
Babies are Born... Pizzas are delivered.

"JoFromOz" wrote in message
...
Hey RJ.

My only real suggestion is to try a gold jewellery piece. I know a
few
people who can only wear gold, or their piercing does a simillar
thing.


If he is having an allergic reaction to nickel then wearing gold won't
help because anything less than 24k (which is way too soft for nipple
jewelry) is cut with a certain amount of nickel.


Jen

I've heard of Paget's disease - but hoping its not that!

Gold isn't gonna be good with the amount of nickel in - note the
jewellery is surgical SS - and when this started it was titanium.

Hmmm

Going to docs is an option - but they'll (probably) want to remove
jewelery straight away.....

"badgirl" wrote in message news:qmJ8c.8545$gA5.114821@attbi_s03...
"JoFromOz" wrote in message
...
Hey RJ.

My only real suggestion is to try a gold jewellery piece. I know a
few
people who can only wear gold, or their piercing does a simillar
thing.


If he is having an allergic reaction to nickel then wearing gold won't
help because anything less than 24k (which is way too soft for nipple
jewelry) is cut with a certain amount of nickel.


Jen

"RJ" wrote in message
om...
I've heard of Paget's disease - but hoping its not that!

Gold isn't gonna be good with the amount of nickel in - note the
jewellery is surgical SS - and when this started it was titanium.

Hmmm

Going to docs is an option - but they'll (probably) want to remove
jewelery straight away.....


Yes, but if he finds that it's not an allergies reaction there
shouldn't be a reason you can't put the ring back in. There are plenty
of cases where peoples bodies reject the jewelry and *migrate it out*
even without being allergic though and yours might be one of those.
Better safe than sorry I say, you should visit the doc and see what
they have to say, maybe get some allergy testing done at least to rule
that out.

Jen

Going to docs is an option - but they'll (probably) want to remove
jewelery straight away.....

I can't see how you would want it in there right now if you're itching and in
pain anyway. There must be some piercing-friendly doctors out there.

--Helen

You have a point, but I "know" it isn't related (though could be
wrong)....

Fr0glet suggested hydrocortisone ointment which I bought on Saturday -
and this appears to have done the trick. It healed 80% with lanshi
thingie - and I've put this on for a few days and no iching, swelling
down, and looks back to normal.

I'll keep on it for a few days and hopefully it'll sort it out.

....worryinly - I remember this ointment (from docs) from about 10
years ago.... so maybe thats my weakness (apart from a naff memory)

So far so good - thanks everyone!

)

(H Schinske) wrote in message ...
Going to docs is an option - but they'll (probably) want to remove
jewelery straight away.....

I can't see how you would want it in there right now if you're itching and in
pain anyway. There must be some piercing-friendly doctors out there.

--Helen

"RJ" wrote...
Fr0glet suggested hydrocortisone ointment which I bought on
Saturday -
and this appears to have done the trick. It healed 80% with lanshi
thingie - and I've put this on for a few days and no iching,
swelling
down, and looks back to normal.

Glad to hear it's helping. That ointment has helped me a number of
times.

fr0glet