Hello, kind folks. I have a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer in
1999. She was 68 then. She had a lumpectomy in 12/99, with the removal of
many lymph nodes. The doctor took a lot of nodes and tissue from under her
arm. She then had radiation.

Earlier this year she had calcifications show up in her mammogram so had an
excisional biopsy of that area (same breast) with results benign. Since
then she has been having painful fluid buildup in that breast. She says the
breast is rock hard. The surgeon has drained it a couple of times and told
her she has fibrocystic breast disease.

I think it is much more likely to be a result of the surgeries, radiation,
and/or lymph node removal. But the more important question is whether
anything else can be done about it. Does anyone know? Are there any options
besides regular fluid aspiration? And how long can this fluid buildup be
expected to continue?

Thanks,
Amanda