Women's Health: Breast Abscess Drainage

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• After the abscess has been drained, take the following measures.
• If you are breast feeding, do not nurse your baby from the breast with the abscess for about 2 weeks. You may continue to nurse from the other breast. In the meantime, use a breast pump to remove milk from the infected breast. Do this as often as you normally nurse your baby, but do not feed this milk to the baby.
• You may use an electric heating pad (set on low), a heat lamp, or a warm, moist towel to help relieve pain at the incision.
• You may bathe and shower as usual. If there is a drain in the incision, wait until it is removed before washing the incision. Then you may wash the incision gently with mild, unscented soap.
• Change the dressing on the incision once a day, after bathing.
• You may restart normal activity and go back to work as soon as you feel up to it.
• Do not do strenuous exercise for 3 weeks.

Call Your Doctor If...

• You notice an increase in pain, swelling, redness, drainage, or bleeding in the area of the incision.
• You have a high temperature.