lump in breast

Stefanie6743 · October 2013

I noticed a hard marble size lump in my breast last night. I have no pain or redness. I went to the dr and she thinks it is a clogged duct and put me on amoxicillin. But i thought these usually hurt???? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!

LaBellaVida · October 2013

she's not running test for cancer at all?

Stef1210 · October 2013

I have one as well. This might sound crazy, but when I pump that breast, it gets a little smaller, so I'm pretty confident it's a clogged duct.

GingerBabyTX · October 2013

Clogged ducts don't always hurt at the beginning. Does it get smaller when you compress/nurse/pump? Just keep an eye on it. If it gets red or tender/hot to the touch call immediately. Mine turned into an abscess/MRSA and I needed surgery because I didn't call soon enough.

Stefanie6743 · October 2013

Shes not doing any other tests now, but if its not gone after antibiotics then she said we will do an ultrasound

Cricket81 · October 2013

This happens to me now and then and goes away if I nurse more on that side than the other. My dr specifically told me not to do self exams while breastfeeding because there are so many lumps and bumps that move around while we are producing milk.

Murphie82 · October 2013

I had clogged ducts that lasted for several days and never hurt. Agree with PP, hot water and massage can help. The most effective thing for getting rid of clogged ducts for me was nursing. At the time of my clogged ducts, I'd pretty much switched to EPing, but LO is way better at clearing them up than my pump.

numbersgirl08 · October 2013

If it's a clogged duct, antibiotics aren't necessary. I have a problem with recurrent clogged ducts so I have a lot of experience here

For me personally the best way to get rid of it was to take a HOT shower, massage it in the shower, and nurse immediately after. Other tactics I know have worked for others: Nurse often, lots of massage, heating pads, electric toothbrush against it (helps break it up), dangle nursing (gravity helps).

If it's a clogged duct, you might or might not tell a difference after nursing - if it's really clogged sometimes it won't get smaller when you nurse. Typically for me the clogged ducts slowly get worse and more tender, but don't start off hurting. If it is a clogged duct then you want to try to get rid of it as soon as you can so it doesn't turn into mastitis or an abscess. If you notice it turning red, getting warm to the touch, or start getting a fever, then call the doctor.

I also notice that my output is lower with a clogged duct. Either she is fussier while nursing, or I pump less, because the milk can't get out as easily. Look for those signs.

Look on kellymom for more information about plugged ducts.

I'll reiterate - medicine is NOT necessary for a clogged duct. Medicine IS necessary for mastitis, and surgery or a medical procedure is necessary for an abscess. If it's a lump that doesn't go away for a week or so, get it checked out to make sure it's nothing major.

KittenGator · October 2013

CarolynL8 said:
Take a shower. Put a washcloth over your boob and let the warm/hot water run on it. After a while take the washcloth off and try to maasage the marble with your fingertips. If its clogged milk it will most likely breakdown. If not dont panic it could still be clogged milk.
Definitely keep an eye on it like pp said.

This, exactly. I've had seven clogged ducts throughout my years of nursing and this seems to be the most effective. In the shower I like to take body wash and give the affected breast/ area a really good massage. The body wash makes for a great massage oil. Treat it aggressively- they can go south quickly. Some take a lot of work to unclog so don't give up. Also, when you're sitting on the couch and five or so minutes before you nurse, heat the area.

Good luck, I hope it goes away quickly!

numbersgirl08 · October 2013

KittenGator said:

Take a shower. Put a washcloth over your boob and let the warm/hot water run on it. After a while take the washcloth off and try to maasage the marble with your fingertips. If its clogged milk it will most likely breakdown. If not dont panic it could still be clogged milk. Definitely keep an eye on it like pp said.
This, exactly. I've had seven clogged ducts throughout my years of nursing and this seems to be the most effective. In the shower I like to take body wash and give the affected breast/ area a really good massage. The body wash makes for a great massage oil. Treat it aggressively- they can go south quickly. Some take a lot of work to unclog so don't give up. Also, when you're sitting on the couch and five or so minutes before you nurse, heat the area. Good luck, I hope it goes away quickly!

This post almost made me cry. I wish I had only had seven clogged ducts - but I've had about 30 in the last 10 weeks. It really is a ridiculous problem I have and your post put it into perspective even more

But any clogged ducts suck. I don't wish any, 1 or 7 or 30, on anyone.

FordFalcor · October 2013

@stefanie6743
I agree with everyone else that it could be a plugged duct. But I'm also gonna just say this: I hate Rx-happy doctors. If she had no real basis to suspect an infection, all she would accomplish by prescribing an antibiotic is making your body MORE resistant to its effects when you actually need it one day.

I know everyone says they trust their doctor over internet strangers but this is one issue that I can't keep quiet over.

KittenGator · October 2013

numbersgirl08 said:

KittenGator said:

Take a shower. Put a washcloth over your boob and let the warm/hot water run on it. After a while take the washcloth off and try to maasage the marble with your fingertips. If its clogged milk it will most likely breakdown. If not dont panic it could still be clogged milk. Definitely keep an eye on it like pp said.
This, exactly. I've had seven clogged ducts throughout my years of nursing and this seems to be the most effective. In the shower I like to take body wash and give the affected breast/ area a really good massage. The body wash makes for a great massage oil. Treat it aggressively- they can go south quickly. Some take a lot of work to unclog so don't give up. Also, when you're sitting on the couch and five or so minutes before you nurse, heat the area. Good luck, I hope it goes away quickly!

This post almost made me cry. I wish I had only had seven clogged ducts - but I've had about 30 in the last 10 weeks. It really is a ridiculous problem I have and your post put it into perspective even more But any clogged ducts suck. I don't wish any, 1 or 7 or 30, on anyone.

OMG! Creepy internet hugs. I'm so sorry- that is awful. I thought seven was a lot. They're so time-consuming and painful. You get so many brownie points for BFing through those. Do they know why you keep getting them? Are you wearing a wired bra? With DD a wire in my bra didn't make a difference but with DS I got three in a week so I had to ditch the bra.

You are my hero. Also, creepy internet flowers

Stefanie6743 · October 2013

@ihearttab i agree! Thats why i asked...i was like..soooo there's no infection? No redness? No swelling? But i need an antibiotic...ugh...i work with lo pediatrician on saturday and im going to tak toher about it...but since i posted this it seems like the bump might have gone down some *fingers crossed*

rzurbr · October 2013

If it doesn't go away, I would ask to have an ultrasound to get it checked out.

I had a decent sized lump in my right breast over a year ago that had to be removed because they couldn't see it on the ultrasound to take a small biopsy sample from. It turned out to benign and I was terrified at the time but it was no big deal. I was 25.

Better to be safe than sorry but most likely yours has to do with breastfeeding. Just get it checked if it doesn't go away.

lioness13 · October 2013

Not sure if anyone suggested it here, but using a comb to comb over my skin over the clog helped loosen it up for me. I did it in the shower with warm water running over. I have had a few clock ducks as well and this always works along with nursing. Sometimes they have lasted for days and didn't hurt.

numbersgirl08 · October 2013

KittenGator said:

numbersgirl08 said:

KittenGator said:

Take a shower. Put a washcloth over your boob and let the warm/hot water run on it. After a while take the washcloth off and try to maasage the marble with your fingertips. If its clogged milk it will most likely breakdown. If not dont panic it could still be clogged milk. Definitely keep an eye on it like pp said.
This, exactly. I've had seven clogged ducts throughout my years of nursing and this seems to be the most effective. In the shower I like to take body wash and give the affected breast/ area a really good massage. The body wash makes for a great massage oil. Treat it aggressively- they can go south quickly. Some take a lot of work to unclog so don't give up. Also, when you're sitting on the couch and five or so minutes before you nurse, heat the area. Good luck, I hope it goes away quickly!

This post almost made me cry. I wish I had only had seven clogged ducts - but I've had about 30 in the last 10 weeks. It really is a ridiculous problem I have and your post put it into perspective even more But any clogged ducts suck. I don't wish any, 1 or 7 or 30, on anyone.

OMG! Creepy internet hugs. I'm so sorry- that is awful. I thought seven was a lot. They're so time-consuming and painful. You get so many brownie points for BFing through those. Do they know why you keep getting them? Are you wearing a wired bra? With DD a wire in my bra didn't make a difference but with DS I got three in a week so I had to ditch the bra.

You are my hero. Also, creepy internet flowers

Yeah, it's been pretty awful. I've tried EVERYthing - literally everything anyone has ever said on the internet to prevent plugged ducts. I'm getting close to giving up. Last Sat. while I was taking yet another hot shower in the middle of the day I decided to give it until at least she is 4 months (next Monday), and one more week for some new supplements that were coming in today, and if it isn't significantly better then I'm going to start the weaning process. However, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because weaning is incredibly hard to do if you're prone to plugged ducts. I've heard it's a battle itself - a few steps forward and then a few back everytime you get plugged (because you pretty much have to nurse with a plug). There have been many tears shed over this.

I'm still hopeful that something will work. Today is day 4 without a plug and I'm almost afraid of typing that and jinxing it. But 4 days is like a record over the past few weeks.

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