Since "my" NP (the one who saw me initially) was not in the office that day, I was seen by a different NP. She gave me a lot of good information, so I'm glad I had this appointment after all.
Mostly, the NP reassured me that bruises and sebaceous cysts can appear anywhere on the body, and I just happened to get them on my breast. The bruise itself looked like a regular bruise. Why did it appear? Who knows. Maybe I put weight on it in just a certain position while sleeping. The bruise would just have to run its course, which means it might get worse and change lots of colors before getting better.
She assured me that the area was not infected. Symptoms of an infection would include redness, pain, and a fever.
She also explained that using a warm compress mostly helps to encourage the cyst to drain, but since neither of my lumps had any kind of opening in the skin from which to drain, there was probably no reason to do it, unless I felt it relieved some discomfort.
She said if the cyst drained, that would be a good thing. Surgical removal was an option, but the entire "sac" would have to be removed, or else it would likely just return again. If the cyst isn't actually causing any problems, it's usually best to just leave it alone.
I mentioned that the bruise was becoming more painful as the day went on. The NP suggested I wear a supportive bra. (Back at home, I pulled out my most supportive bra and wore it for the next several days, even while sleeping. It really did help relieve the pain quite a bit.)
Finally, the NP took a photo of my bruised lump to show my regular NP. I wish I had thought to take a photo, too, for my own records. But I didn't.
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