For the last week I have had very tender breast and the wierdest thing is my my nipples (primarily the left one) will become erect and it hurts to even have something brush up against it. It is the strangest thing. When I was peri and I would have hormone surges I would get this but I have not had a period in over 5 years, I have not been on hormone replacement for close to 4 years so I can't figure out why it is happening now. I had my mammogram in September and all was fine. Perhaps I still am having hormone surges? Is that possible when your post? Has anyone else had this problem?

Are you having any other symptoms - like discharge? It could be an infection.

Zelma

No discharge or anything. Just very stressed out and of course I caught some bug that wiped me out over the weekend with horrible nausea and felt like my legs were two bags of cement. It's better today. It is just the weirdest thing.....

My right breast is always a little sore I'm 2 years post menopause. I think my is due to drinking to much coffee and dr.peppers. Doesn't seem to bother the left breast. My right breast is bigger too. Go figure. I real stressed too, coffee not good for stress. Cant get out couch without it.

Gramz,

It could be a hormone surge... the only time my breasts have gotten sore (and it's been going on since adolescence) is when a period is coming. I'll hope that's not the case for you! Maybe just a little hormonal "upswing," that will swing down again. Now that I no longer have periods, there's not breast soreness at all.

Also, having a lot of caffeine, as Biggirl mentions, can be a problem. They say Vitamin E helps this situation.

I think that even when we stop having periods, we continue to have hormonal shifts. It seems to take a long while to level out!! Hopefully, by the time we're 60???!!!

JJ

Hi JJ, I am 61 and have been postal for 6 years. I had a horrific peri but things leveled out for the most part when I became post. Unfortunately I still have sporatic "bouts" of peri symptoms. Insomnia, itchy skin, flashes....ugh! I had a week of it a while back and then it disappeared. So, hopefully, the small bouts will disappear all together the longer I go without periods. Stress seems to be the culprit for bringing on the bouts....But, stress seems to be a part of "the golden years" too

SusanC

I found this on Snopes:

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Claim: E-mail warns about a disease known as Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Status: True.

Origins: According to the National Cancer Institute, Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an uncommon type of breast cancer in which breast cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, a type of breast cancer that may not be apparent through routine screening methods (e.g., feeling for lumps, mammograms):
This blockage may cause the breast to become red, swollen, and warm. The skin of the breast may also appear pink, purple, or bruised, and it may have ridges or appear pitted, like the skin of an orange (called peau d'orange). These changes often occur quickly over a period of weeks. Another possible sign of this type of breast cancer is swollen lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone, or in both places. Often, a tumor cannot be felt, and may not be seen on a mammogram. The diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer is based on the results of the biopsy and the doctor's clinical judgment.
According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:

* A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised
* A tender, firm and enlarged breast
* A warm feeling in the breast
* Itching of the breast
* Pain
* Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel
* Thickened areas of skin
* Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
* Flattening or retraction of the nipple
* Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple
* Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)

Inflammatory breast cancer is of particular concern because it progresses rapidly, and in most women it is already quite advanced before the symptoms become severe enough for them to seek medical attention. IBC was previously treated through surgery and was almost always fatal; nowadays, additional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy have greatly increased the chances of survival for IBC patients."