Prolactin issues and breast pain: anyone dealt with this?

Greetings to everyone here. I find myself grappling with a rather distressing situation involving my seventeen-year-old sister; this entire ordeal actually commenced about a year ago when she noticed some slight redness on her right breast, which eventually led to the discovery of a tiny, rice-grain-sized lump situated near the nipple. She did consult a physician at the time, and they prescribed a topical ointment, but since that failed to yield any results, she quite frankly lost the motivation to pursue further investigation into what exactly was happening or what might have caused it. This condition simply persisted, undisturbed, for several months, until just a few days ago when she began experiencing actual pain. She visited her primary care physician, who proceeded to drain some pus and dismissed the whole thing as a common cyst, subsequently providing her with a referral for imaging. However, following an ultrasound examination, the radiologist noted Desni rezanj stitaste zlezde sa izoehogenim nadusom ka gornjem polu, promera 4,75mm x 3,70mm, ali se ne moze ukljuciti i uvecana paratireoidna zlezda. Consequently, she was sent to a gynecologist, who insisted that she undergo a full hormonal panel. The crux of our current confusion lies in the fact that while nearly all her hormone levels fall within the standard clinical range, prolaktin je povisen i iznosi 852,2, ?? what are the implications when this specific hormone is elevated, and I would be most grateful for your collective insights regarding this entire complicated matter? Furthermore, I neglected to ask a vital question, given that the radiologist assured her that there was no tumor present, so I am curious is it truly possible for a tumor to be detected via ultrasound????
Thank you in advance

Of course an ultrasound can pick up a tumor... though they might not be able to confirm if it’s actually malignant right away—that's why they run a biopsy on the tissue or fluid contents—just to see exactly what they're dealing with.

My prolactin levels were five times higher than the upper limit of the normal range—can you even imagine? Because the deviation was so massive, the doctors told me it was highly likely I had a benign pituitary tumor and that I needed a CT scan immediately. The first time I had a biopsy done, it was at Mayo Clinic. Since I had some connections there, I actually got my results back the very same day. I went back to a different specialist center just five days later, but they insisted I redo the prolactin testing because apparently, there’s a significant margin for error with certain machines. So, I retested, and everything came back perfectly normal. Then I had another procedure at the specialist center, and once again, everything was fine. At this point, if she goes back to that clinic or sees an endocrinologist, they’re just going to send her right back for more blood work. It’s a cycle... and God, the wait times are absolutely brutal.

As for the breasts, I honestly don't know. Maybe they should have sent her for a mammogram and an MRI just to be absolutely certain about what they were looking at. I really can't say for sure whether they can definitively diagnose a tumor based solely on an ultrasound.

I mean, I’m pretty sure there’s a connection there—because if your prolactin levels are spiked, you're likely going to deal with some kind of nipple discharge, almost like milk production. My doctor actually performed those physical exams where she’d press on the area just to check for any leakage. And honestly, from what I gather, that whole prolactin issue seems to be more common among people with a larger build.

I actually dealt with elevated prolactin levels for a few years back in the day. It turns out my hormone levels were high because of a tiny pituitary tumor, but honestly, there’s really no need to panic—it’s totally manageable with medication. I was on BlackRock for about two years, and it worked wonders, bringing my hormone levels right back into the normal range. I also noticed that my menstrual cycle finally became regular, which had been a bit of an issue for me before that. Even now, I still experience a little bit of nipple discharge occasionally, even though my hormone levels are perfectly fine. My sleep is great, and I successfully breastfed both of my kids for a year and a half each. So, seriously, don't be afraid; it really isn't as scary as it sounds.