Only half of abscess fluid drain???

[Aug10]

Hi ladies
So I went in last week to have the abscess drained  and the breast specialist said he was only able to get out half of the fluid due to the thickness of the fluid. I'm not sure what this means? Have any of you ever experience this ? I go this thursday to see the infection disease dr and see what the culture results say?!?!

[JoJo45]

HI August

In my experience, as the other ladies have written, sometimes the lumps drain and disappear easily, sometimes they harden and are almost solid, so no draining, sometimes they move around, sometimes they very quickly develop a channel from deep inside your breast and break through and remain open....they are all over the place.  So as long as you have a good breast specialist or radiologist managing your drainings, I don't think there is any normal.

I would encourage you to meet with a rheumatologist (I don't know if you have to pay) - just to have one lined up in case you do decide to try steriods or methotrexate in the future.

I was just doing some research and the numbers seem to support steriod treatment as being pretty effective.

Anyway you know your own mind and body.

Wishing you well, Jo

[Aug10]

Thanks!! I'm so sorry you all had to have it drain more than once. I was hoping it would just go away but now I'm not to sure. I haven't been on any antibiotics for about three weeks now and I'm not sure I want to get on any if its not helping?! I would be very surprise if any thing shows on the cultures. When I had my first biopsy in Sept 2010 they sent a sample to culture and sensitive and it came back showing a staph infection. I didn't get rid of the staph until I got I.V. Antibiotics I was so so sick then. I don't feel that way now but I do wonder if I don't get on something can that happen again?!?!? There's so much to consider? Yes I have been wondering if it's worth seeing the infection dr if there's no infection? I haven't seen a rheumatologist I don't want to do steriods so I'm just not sure going to see this type of dr would help or would this dr even want to see me if I say I'm not open to steriods?!?!? Thanks for hearing me
out it sure helps I appericate you all sharing!!!

[hailey108]

This has also happened to me, very frustrating to have the same place drained 2-3 times. My breast specialist at first does the fine needle aspiration but if the pus is too thick then she will ask me if she can make a slight incision to get it all out. She leaves it up to me to decide since it will leave a small scar once it heals. But at this point I don't care I just want it all out of my body. Its a personal decision, but there is a way of getting it out. Hope it helps!

[Red11483]

I have had that happen a few times. The fluid is thick and hard to drain sometimes so I have had to go back and have the same place drained several times usually 2-3 weeks later sometimes the second draining is more successful. Hope they find something in your cultures but I know typically nothing grows in my experience and many of the other women. I actually just stopped see the infectious disease doc because he feels my rheumatologist and Breast specialist are doing all the right things and w/o an infection he isn't sure what else to do but they are a good asset to have to your care. Hope what they drained will give you some relief though.