What is the treatment for tender lump on breast?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 25-year-old female. My BMI is 22, I am a non-smoker with no ongoing conditions like diabetes. I am not breastfeeding and have never been pregnant. I developed mastitis very suddenly about three weeks ago, by that evening I was in A and E with a lump the size of an egg in one breast. I was prescribed Cocodamol and 500 mg Flucloxacillin a day. After the first course which was 10 days, I saw the doctor again as the lump had reduced to the size of a large grape but was still painful, I often had fevers and I felt unwell. The doctor put me on another seven-day course of Flucloxacillin and booked a breast cancer screening.

I just finished my second course and I am still in pain, with a lump still the size of a small grape, and still feel ill and feel like I am getting worse again. The breast is back to being red and swollen. My only option to see a medical professional before my breast screening is to wait for several hours at an urgent care clinic after work.

Should I try and get more antibiotics? If so should I insist on getting a different kind? Also please be honest, I know there is a chance it could be IBC but as a young, healthy, childless woman, is it actually likely that I should prepare for bad news or not?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Let me assure you that there are no cancers which come suddenly and settles with antibiotics. Breast cancer which progresses over a few period is inflammatory carcinoma of the breast but it does not come in days and settle with antibiotics. You have a breast abscess that settled with antibiotics and some times a part of it gets walled with fibrous tissue were antibiotics do not reach it is called antibioma. I would suggest you take Linezolid 600 mg twice a day as there are chances of resistance to Flucloxacillin.