Great policy, Marie! I love it. One other thing to point out is that I find an abscess usually develops about 2 weeks after the initial mastitis. Sometimes people see a really bad case of mastitis - and immediately diagnose an abscess. If that part of the breast was completely normal a day or two ago -it is very unlikely an abscess has developed so quickly. Also, it makes sense to always have a diagnostic ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. And sometimes the radiologist will be happy to drain it under ultrasound control - this may save a referral to someone else. Lisa Amir GP / IBCLC in Melbourne, Australia (hot again, 40degreesC today)