I'm 29 years old, and I started having pain in my left breast last summer. I also had greenish discharge when I squeezed that nipple, although it was only every few days and a very small amount each time. The pain was pretty constant for a couple weeks, then subsided. It has come and gone ever since. I have never had any discharge or pain before. My doctor at the time acted like I was silly for being worried, so I decided to go to a breast specialist.

The specialist did a manual exam and an ultrasound. She said a mammogram wouldn't show anything because I'm too young and the tissue is too dense, and, of course, we don't want unnecessary radiation. The ultrasound and exam were normal--no masses, cysts, etc. Same results when I went back 4 months later for a checkup. She said it was probably hormonal changes or stress.

Well the pain has gotten worse over the last week or so. Sometimes it feels almost like a post-weight-lifting muscle ache, and sometimes it's just a strong, dull ache. It's usually at the top of the breast, but it sometimes seems to move toward the armpit or nipple. And yesterday I had a tiny dot of clear discharge. I've done several self-breast exams in the last few months, and I can't feel anything strange. My lymph nodes are not swollen. The pain doesn't seem to be influenced by my menstrual cycle. The only relative I know of who has had Breast Cancer was my great grandma, and she got it much later in life.

Here's the thing: I read about a woman who was in her early 30s who had breast pain and was diagnosed with cancer after having a mammogram. I can't imagine that that 3 or 4 year age difference makes a huge impact on breast density. I'm going for my yearly gyno exam in a few weeks, and I am definitely going to bring this up. I have a new doctor who is more compassionate. I also want to go to another specialist for a second opinion. The hormone and stress explanations make sense--I've been having changes in my period and I am dealing with a bunch of health problems--but I'm still afraid of cancer. Plus, I would think that hormonal changes would cause pain in both breasts.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Was anyone diagnosed with cancer after having no symptoms other than pain and small amounts of discharge? How about at my age? Should I push for a mammogram? Could it be a muscle problem? Please--any information would be helpful. I am worried sick.