Mary Grant's post about the Maori mother who treated her own breast abscess
by allowing it to  burst and then packed the wound with vasoline was so
interesting.  I saw a Mexican woman once who was in Austin visiting
relatives when she got an abscess.  It was close to the areolar edge, and
she had simply let it rise to the surface like a boil and it burst.  She
cleaned it out and it was healing nicely when I saw her.  She sought my
advice because it was tender and the baby's mouth irritated it.  We took a
thin silicone nipple shield and cut the teat off leaving a donut ring of
silicone which we arranged over her nipple, leaving it free for baby to
nurse.  The ring held down the bandage and kept the baby's mouth off it.

I want to share a story from my husband's family about an abscess.  My
husband's grandmother (who died sev. years ago at age 94) was pregnant --
3rd trimester -- with her 6th child.  She was invited to pick some fruit
from a neighbors orchard.  She spent an afternoon doing so, and in the
process bruised her breast leaning upon a ladder. This is a story now close
to 70 years old, but shortly after the birth, she developed what was
described as a "beeled" breast (I assume "beel" is Appalachian for "boil").
It must have been a very deep abscess which could not drain to the surface.
It must have been terrible.  She was in agongy, nearly died, couldn't tend
her children or the baby -- let alone nurse.  Poultices were used to try to
draw the poison.  Her breast turned black, and part of it sort of imploded,
developing a concave depression which remained for the rest of her life.
The breast never lactated again, and she was so frightened by the experience
that she never even attempted to nurse her seventh child.  She was in bed
for 3-4 months.  Her next to oldest daughter is my mother in law, and she
still remembers how awful that experience was for the family.  Imagine going
through that with no antibiotics!  So I think there are clearly differences
in abscesses close to the surface and deeper ones.  Has anyone else got
stories about this sort of thing?

Yes, Nancy Penney (good to hear from you) I AM still collecting stories
about breasts.



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