A colleague of mine has been working with a mom for a few weeks and asked
my opinion about a persistent swelling/lump.  When baby was about 12
weeks, mom developed a large area of swelling and tenderness in the upper
aspect of one breast with minimal erythema.  She was treated with a
cephalosporin for mastitis and aggressively worked at getting that side
drained:  nursing first, positioning for maximal drainage, warm packing
and gently massaging the area during feeds.  She noted some improvement,
especially in the tenderness, but has a large persistent area of swelling.
I haven't seen the mom, but my colleague says it involves most of the
superior quadrant of the breast.  She obtained an ultrasound which did
not show a discrete fluid collection (abscess or galactocele) but which
was consistent with edema in the area.  There is no definite discrete
mass.  Mom reports that let down feels different on that side and that
baby nurses better on the other breast.  No breast surgery as far as I
know.  Any comments/suggestions? (This has been going on for 3-4 weeks
now, I think)

--
Anne Montgomery, M.D.
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