Needle Aspiration Multiple Times for Mastitis Abscess

eggmankate · February 2014

I had a needle aspiration done last week for an abscess I developed. My symptoms have really worsened nor improved--the plugged ducts are still there so my Midwife/Lactation Consultant was pushing for me to do a surgical I&D to drain since I was not feeling relief and we knew last week that they weren't able to aspirate all of the abscess. I went to the surgeon this morning expecting to have an I&D done. However, he said that given I'm not having full symptoms come back and abscess isn't coming back full force they like to avoid surgical I&D. Instead he drained it with a needle again and said that they will do it as many times as they need to for it to go away unless I start feeing Mastitis symptoms or having pain from the abscess that I can't tolerate. Just wondering if others have had to have multiple needle aspirations to drain an abscess. I'm trying to get an idea as to when this will fully be healed and/or what your success (or lack of success) because I'm supposed to return to work in 1.5 weeks.

eggmankate · February 2014

Yeah I do hope to avoid the surgical I&D! I had a surgical I&D done last month on another abscess. I'm a wee bit nervous that this new abscess will eventually head that route so I guess I was just curious what sort of success people had with the needle drainage--even if it had to be done several times.

kujess1 · February 2014

I don't have an answer for your question, but I'm watching your post. I have recurring plugged ducts, and one finally turned into mastitis last weekend. Lump wasn't getting smaller so today they did a needle aspiration. I am hoping it doesn't flare back up. GL!

eggmankate · February 2014

I went on the Jack Newman website (linked below) and he has some really great tips that I've never read/heard from other websites--you should check it out! Apparently there is an ultrasound treatment you can do to get the plugs out--but I think the abscess would have to be healed first. I actually sent a message to him through their website explaining my situation and he responded within 15 minutes! (Although I'm sure it was his associate or something). He said that needle aspirations for abscesses greater than 3cm aren't the best option and catheter drainages are the better option (my abscess is 5cm). A PP mentions the catheter drainage which is different than surgical I&D and less invasive and easier to manage. My Midwife is trying to explore that option for me. I'll try to update here what my resolution is and let me know how yours goes! So far I'm not healing from the abscess. I can't get the plugs out until the abscess heals so it's a bit annoying.

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7:blocked-ducts-a-mastitis&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

kujess1 · February 2014

eggmankate said:

I went on the Jack Newman website (linked below) and he has some really great tips that I've never read/heard from other websites--you should check it out! Apparently there is an ultrasound treatment you can do to get the plugs out--but I think the abscess would have to be healed first. I actually sent a message to him through their website explaining my situation and he responded within 15 minutes! (Although I'm sure it was his associate or something). He said that needle aspirations for abscesses greater than 3cm aren't the best option and catheter drainages are the better option (my abscess is 5cm). A PP mentions the catheter drainage which is different than surgical I&D and less invasive and easier to manage. My Midwife is trying to explore that option for me. I'll try to update here what my resolution is and let me know how yours goes! So far I'm not healing from the abscess. I can't get the plugs out until the abscess heals so it's a bit annoying.

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7:blocked-ducts-a-mastitis&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Thanks for the link, great info! I've been to that page before and saw about the ultrasound. I'm an occupational therapist and do ultrasound on my patients sometimes, so I'm trained and I have access to a machine. I did a treatment this week on my breast for a plugged duct. I was only able to do it once, and I'm not sure it helped, but I'd definitely try it again if needed!

eggmankate · February 2014

kujess1 said:

eggmankate said:

I went on the Jack Newman website (linked below) and he has some really great tips that I've never read/heard from other websites--you should check it out! Apparently there is an ultrasound treatment you can do to get the plugs out--but I think the abscess would have to be healed first. I actually sent a message to him through their website explaining my situation and he responded within 15 minutes! (Although I'm sure it was his associate or something). He said that needle aspirations for abscesses greater than 3cm aren't the best option and catheter drainages are the better option (my abscess is 5cm). A PP mentions the catheter drainage which is different than surgical I&D and less invasive and easier to manage. My Midwife is trying to explore that option for me. I'll try to update here what my resolution is and let me know how yours goes! So far I'm not healing from the abscess. I can't get the plugs out until the abscess heals so it's a bit annoying.

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7:blocked-ducts-a-mastitis&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Thanks for the link, great info! I've been to that page before and saw about the ultrasound. I'm an occupational therapist and do ultrasound on my patients sometimes, so I'm trained and I have access to a machine. I did a treatment this week on my breast for a plugged duct. I was only able to do it once, and I'm not sure it helped, but I'd definitely try it again if needed!

Oh cool! Do you have any advice on how I can find someone to do this? I googled for a tech in my area that could do it, but I didn't see anything come up. I wound up calling a random clinic up and asking if they did it and she had never heard of it. So I'm not sure how to find a clinic that does this treatment.

kujess1 · February 2014

eggmankate said:

kujess1 said:

eggmankate said:

I went on the Jack Newman website (linked below) and he has some really great tips that I've never read/heard from other websites--you should check it out! Apparently there is an ultrasound treatment you can do to get the plugs out--but I think the abscess would have to be healed first. I actually sent a message to him through their website explaining my situation and he responded within 15 minutes! (Although I'm sure it was his associate or something). He said that needle aspirations for abscesses greater than 3cm aren't the best option and catheter drainages are the better option (my abscess is 5cm). A PP mentions the catheter drainage which is different than surgical I&D and less invasive and easier to manage. My Midwife is trying to explore that option for me. I'll try to update here what my resolution is and let me know how yours goes! So far I'm not healing from the abscess. I can't get the plugs out until the abscess heals so it's a bit annoying.

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7:blocked-ducts-a-mastitis&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Thanks for the link, great info! I've been to that page before and saw about the ultrasound. I'm an occupational therapist and do ultrasound on my patients sometimes, so I'm trained and I have access to a machine. I did a treatment this week on my breast for a plugged duct. I was only able to do it once, and I'm not sure it helped, but I'd definitely try it again if needed!

Oh cool! Do you have any advice on how I can find someone to do this? I googled for a tech in my area that could do it, but I didn't see anything come up. I wound up calling a random clinic up and asking if they did it and she had never heard of it. So I'm not sure how to find a clinic that does this treatment.
I would call around your area to outpatient rehabs with OTs/PTs. Or sports medicine maybe. I would ask them of they have an ultrasound unit, and explain what you're wanting it for. Most therapist will probably not have used it for that, but you could refer them to the Newman website. You may need to talk to your OB about this and give him/her the info and ask to write a prescription for this treatment as they may need that at the clinic. Dr can write out the specific parameters as far as watts/cm2. HTH!

eggmankate · February 2014

Well, I couldn't take it anymore so I went to see the surgeon and we made the decision to do a surgical I&D. I am returning to work next week and I just needed to get this resolved since it's been 1.5 weeks since being dx with an abscess.

She said that a catheter drainage idea was not going to work and thought it was a silly idea so yeah....anyway, it was a good thing I made the decision to do an I&D versus another needle drainage because when she saw the pus drain she said there was no way she'd be able to ever get it out with a needle. Now comes the hard part of psychologically accepting that I have a hole in my boob that needs to be packed 2x/day

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