I should have written this post weeks ago and I apologize for my slack. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement! I had my biopsy and found that it was a benign “galactocele” which is basically a big word for a clogged milk duct. Hooray! Despite what many doctors warned, I have continued breastfeeding my son without a hitch. However, it was no easy task to find a doctor who was willing to work with me in order to minimize complications.
After three consultations, I found a doctor who was willing to start with a fine needle aspiration and work up to a radial cut (as opposed to lateral – doing greater damage to the milk ducts). I encourage any one going through this same situtation to ask your doctor a lot of questions and don’t hesitate getting a second, third and even fourth opinion. In my case, I decided on a younger, female surgeon – one that just weaned her son. She was empathetic and willing to try new techniques that would minimize breastfeeding complications.
On a positive note, since I am one of the (apparent) rare few that had a biopsy while breastfeeding, I had the opportunity to participate in a breast milk study through the University of Massachusetts. Below is an explanation of the study, in their own words:
Our hope is that by examining molecular changes in cells found in breastmilk associated with various breast problems, we will be able to develop a specific, individualized tool for assessing an individual woman’s risk of contracting this disease.
Knowledge of the molecular changes in the breast cells that occur may be helpful in developing preventative and therapeutic strategies for all women.
I simply sent them a sample of breastmilk (they made this very easy) and will follow up with my biopsy report. I was glad to be a part and I’m writing this so other women in the same situation can perhaps do the same!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I know you posted this a long time ago, but I just want to chime in and say I went through the same experience – a biopsy while nursing – when my baby was four months old. It was a bit traumatic, as my doctor assured me it would not affect breastfeeding, but then I got a fistula anyway! But I was able to continue breastfeeding by just temporarily and partially weaning off that side enough to let the skin heal over. I now participate in the LLL mother-to-mother forums, and the issue occasionally comes up. Sadly, most doctors seem to keep telling women they must wean if they get a fistula, but it’s not true. My experience and the experience of other women on that forum show that you CAN continue to breastfeed through a biopsy. So I just wanted to offer encouragement to anyone stumbling on your blog as they search for this help with this issue. (P.S. I’m still nursing my two-year-old!)
As the previous poster stated, I realize you wrote this post a while ago, but I am wishing I had found it a mere 6 days ago when I was going through the same thing because I would have loved to participate in that study! Not that I hope to be in this situation again, but I will look into it next time if I am! Thanks for sharing your story (and for your amazing nurture baby website that I have recently found and become addicted to!)
Hi Courtney, thank you for your kind words about NurtureBaby! I hope everything works out for you. If you are interested in seeing the results of the study, you
can see the link here: http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/epigenetics/BrowneEPI6-12.pdf
Christen,
Great news! They are continuing the study and I was still able to give a sample! I am so thankful to have learned about it through your blog. Thanks again for posting about your story so others can be a part too.