Jay,
I know that I too grapple with these mom's who have chronic plugged ducts.
I just watched a dear woman wean who had struggled for 3 months with plugs.
So many factors combined in her situation, among them:  copious over-supply
early on, began using hand-weights to work out within a few weeks pp.,
contributing (I feel) to muscle strain which stressed the breasts.  Baby had
tongue-tie (since clipped).  Baby severely allergic -- got hives and was
hospt. with allergic shock after 3 days on cow based formula.  We tried
EVERYTHING I knew, and failed to fix it.  She finally decided to wean after
a visit with my breast specialist/surgeon which ruled out underlying issues
(like galactocele or candida or infectious mastitis.) I made the referral to
him within one week of beginning to work with her, but it took 3 weeks to
get into see him!

I want to tell you though, that something about your mom's situation bothers
me and is real different from the mom I'm describing above.  Her sx moved
all around within and between breasts. You are describing a mom who has had
(as I understood your post) ONE area which has remained a problem and which
has not resolved after a month of doing standard stuff.  Its time for her to
see an MD and have that area evaluated for underlying breast disease.
Remember the quote I shared from Kathy Auerbach's lecture?  "Mastitis
doesn't cause cancer, but cancer can cause mastitis."  Ellen Petok's JHL
article in 1995 reminds us that a mass which doesn't clear within 72 hrs of
standard tx should be evaluated by a physician. Odds are it isn't cancer.
Still, who wants to take responsibility for making that call?

Barbara

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Private Practice, Austin, Texas
Owner, Lactnews On-Line Conference Page
http://moontower.com/bwc/lactnews.html