Hello and thank you for asking in HCM. I read your question carefully and I understand your concerns. I didn t understand quite well when you say swaps to the other side . Do you mean that it disappears from one side and appears on the other breast, or do you have both breasts infected. Anyway, if the doctor that visited you more objectively concluded that it is really an abscess, than that s assume the right diagnosis. First of all, in case of abscesses just antibiotics doesn t work. If there is pus, it have to be drained. I recommend that the drainage has to be done by a doctor, not a nurse, since it has to be deeply explored for pus pouches, not just squeezing. In fact, squeezing is sometimes harmful. I recommend also to take a swab sample to identify what kind of bacteria is causing the infection and which antibiotic is effective. Smoking is harmful and you should consider quitting, but abscesses can and should be treated in smokers (I will repeat my self, lets assume that the diagnosis of abscess is the correct one). I hope my answer was helpful, best regards.