A teenaged patient is tearful and reports locating lumps in her breasts.Other history obtained is that she is currently menstruating.Physical examination reveals soft and movable cysts in both breasts that are painful to palpation.The nurse also notes that the patient's nipples are erect,but the areolae are wrinkled.The next nursing step is which of the following?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A common benign condition of the breast is benign (fibrocystic)breast disease.This patient has symptoms of fibrocystic disease,in which the breasts are bilaterally lumpy and painful,and sometimes nipple discharge is present.Symptoms are more apparent during the menstrual period.When palpated,the cysts (lumps)are soft,well differentiated,and movable.Deep cysts feel hard.Although it is a common condition,benign breast disease is not normal;therefore,the nurse does not tell the patient that this is a normal finding.During examination of the nipples and areolae,the nipple sometimes becomes erect with wrinkling of the areola.Therefore,consulting a breast surgeon to treat her nipples and areolae is not appropriate.

A Teenaged Patient Is Tearful and Reports Locating Lumps in Her