Breast Surgery
Michelle H.
IL USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 16 No. 4, May-June 1999, pp. 77-78
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time.
Until recently, breast cancer
was something I thought little about. I've been a nursing mother for
four-and-a-half years. Studies have shown a reduced risk of premenopausal
breast cancer in women who have breastfed. I knew it could still happen
to me, but tended not to think about it. But when I felt a lump in my
breast, fears of breast cancer were definitely on my mind. I remembered
feeling this lump two months before, but had assumed it was a plugged
milk duct, which I had experienced often. This time when I felt the
lump, I decided to monitor it more closely. When it didn't change after
a week of frequent nursing on that side, I knew a visit to my family
doctor was needed.
The next day I saw my doctor,
then had a mammogram and ultrasound. The ultrasound technician seemed
perplexed until I told her I was nursing a baby. She had never performed
an ultrasound on a lactating breast and the image was quite different.
I went home that day to my husband, four-year-old daughter, and l7-month-old
son, Peter. I had no answers, but at that point I knew I might need
to have the lump removed.
As soon as I arrived home,
I called my local LLL Leader and good friend, Cara. I had lots of questions
about having surgery while nursing and Cara was a tremendous help. She
made phone calls and looked up answers to my questions. The most important
information she gave me was what to tell the doctor about the surgery
to ensure I could nurse after surgery and in the future, which was important
to me. I hadn't realized that a radial incision (one that was perpendicular
to the nipple) would cut the fewest number of milk ducts because it
would run in the same direction as the milk ducts. Most surgeons prefer
to use an incision that goes around the breast because it leaves a less
noticeable scar. Cara also informed me that my milk might leak through
the incision, but milk contains antibodies so it should not cause infection.
We suspected the doctor would recommend weaning on that side, at least
temporarily.
With this information, I
felt well prepared to discuss surgery with my doctor. The next week
I had the lump removed under local anesthesia in the surgeon's office.
He listened to my concerns related to nursing. However, he felt the
lump was close to the surface of my breast and removing it would not
harm milk ducts, so decided not to use the radial incision.
I was very apprehensive about
nursing after surgery because the incision was just at the edge of my
areola. The surgeon suggested I stop nursing on that side for one week,
but I don' t think he realized that if I didn't nurse I would have more
problems than I began with: engorgement, pain, possibly plugged milk
ducts, or infection! So while waiting for the biopsy results, I again
talked to Cara for more help. It was such a comfort to know Cara and
LLL were there for me and my family with helpful answers and support
that came from the experience of so many nursing mothers.
The same evening as the surgery,
I decided I had to let Peter nurse and found that it was possible to
have him latch on without harming the incision. Since the incision has
healed well even though I continued to nurse, I feel there really was
no reason to keep my son from nursing on that breast. Our new word for
nursing now is “Uck” because that's what he said when he saw
the incision and stitches! The day after the biopsy we received the
good news that the lump, called a secretory adenoma, was benign. The
doctor informed me this was a lump that formed near a milk (secretory)
gland, and could probably form again in the future. This type of lump
is not cancerous and would not be cancerous if it formed again. Since
I live in an area where extended breastfeeding is not the norm, LLL
has been a wonderful support for me for the past four-and-a-half years.
LLL and my local Leader, Cara, have been a great blessing to me, especially
during this trying time.
Last updated Friday, November 3, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:42 UTC 2007.
