Hello Lactnetters,

        Took a hiatus for awhile, while I moved and had my nose in a book
studying for the IBLCE (will we ever get those results????)  Glad to be back
on board.

        Regarding Hodgkins and radiation therapy affecting the breast, I
also don't have a direct reference, but was able to find three indirect
references and from that we can possibly draw some conclusions.

        1.  From a med/surg nursing text: "Patients in stages I or II of
Hodgkin's disease can sometimes be cured with wide-field megavoltage
radiation.  Doses of 3500 to 4500 roetgens given over a 4- to 6-week period
can possibly eradicate the disease for life...."

       2.  From an enclyclopedia of medicine and nursing: "Treatment is by
large doses of radiation of the affected nodes...delivering a high dosage of
radiation deep into the tissues"

        3.  From Lawrence: "Radiation (to the breast) usually causes
destruction to lobules, condensation of the cytoplasm in cells lining the
ducts and fibrosis.  Successful lactation following radiation for carcinoma
has been reported in a 36-yr-old woman with one previous pregnancy and
lactation experience 6 years previously."

The client says she had radiation to the chest.  It seems that the breasts
may have been affected since the radiation is delivered wide-range and
"deep" into the tissues.

How is the baby's voiding pattern?  How many of the green stools does the
baby have per day?  Have you tried weighing the baby before and after
feeding?  Has mom tried expressing milk?

Hope this helps.

Donna Zitzelberger BSN, CLE