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  1. #1
    quikeye Guest

    Default Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    Hi all, I thought being so well ino our bf relationship that I wouldn't be able to get an infection... For the past 2 days, I've had moderate pain centered around one of my nipples-- I woke up w/ it yesterday and thought babe had nursed a bit too vigorously the previous night. This morning is worse, and it's starting to concern me.

    The pain is concentrated on the nipple area, but not like a "cut"/surface pain, sort of a deeper "body-centered" pain. I googled mastitis but I don't have the feverish/etc symptoms, just this (annoying) pain. It's also not extremely painful, but it may be just that I'm nt that sensitive to it. It does hurt more to nurse; I've been nursing on both sides since, well that's our routine & I can't imagine hoe painful it would feel to have a full breast... The breast is also not "hot" or swollen (more than usual), looks the same in comparison to the other. I definitely feel the pain when nursing though-- its not worse than my son chomping on them with a mouthful of teeth, but that feels bad in itself! :)

    ::sigh:: We also haven't had any real change in our bf routine-- still nursing quite often & regularly (to sleep, so you know how that is). Is mastitis the one where i should take lechithin? Would a plugged duct make this much pain? It's concentrated & only located on the nipple (the pain), so maybe it's not mastitis?

    Has anyone had "just" pain for mastitis?

    Unfortunately I don't have healthcare right now, so I don't have easy access to an md & don't really have any easy way to get around w/ babe there. I could go to planned parenthood; is mastitis or plugged duct something I could deal w/ without an md? (I'm a wahm, so I don't have work issues).

    TIA, (ouch)

  2. #2
    Rachels is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    Do you have shooting pains in your breast, whether nursing or not? If so, it sounds like you may have thrush. Is your nipple very red? That would be another sign of thrush.

    Another possibility is that you have a tiny plugged pore on your nipple, called a bleb. You can try taking lecithin 1200 mg 3x/day to see if that helps it clear, and you can use warm compresses to try to soften the milk and get the pore to open. Often the milk that's blocking it is just the size of a grain of sand, but it hurts like crazy. If you're developing a white spot or a pimple-like thing on your nipple, that's what it is. If you have an obvious plug on your nipple, you can open it with a sterile needle, too, and then massage the dried milk out.

    It doesn't sound like mastitis, though. Mastitis makes you SICK.

    -Rachel
    Mom to Abigail Rose
    5/18/02


    "When you know better, you do better."
    Maya Angelou

    http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...pphire_24m.gif Two years and counting!

  3. #3
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    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    Hi,

    I've had the same thing happen to me a couple of times. The first time it was that I was covering myself too soon after nursing(usually happens when we have company) and not letting myself dry well enough. In other words, the moisture caused a crack in the nipple. My solution is to go without a bra for a couple of nights(I've worn a bra 24/7 since baby was born). Once the tiny crack healed I was fine.

    The second time, I think it was a minor plugged duct. I massaged as she nursed and even manually expressed some milk. It hurt as I did it but felt a lot better when I finally worked it out. I have to say that she's not nursing as much as I'd like her to because she's so busy exploring her world. I think that might have been why I had this issue just last week.

    HTH,
    Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.
    --Moses Maimonides

  4. #4
    quikeye Guest

    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    Thanks both, I didn't even think thrush! (Thrush to me is always associated w. white spots and none of those).

    No "shooting" pain, but definite pain on the nipple when it brushes against my shirt & ESP nursing. I almost don't want to nurse on that side it hurts so bad, but I will... I don't see any dots or plugged duct, but I do seem to remember for some reason i was engorged a few days ago on this side (remembering since it's unusual for me to be engorged anymore)-- probably had something to do w/ it.

    I'll take all the advice re: compresses & lechithin, here's hoping it's only a plugged duct :) Thanks all!

  5. #5
    Momof3Labs is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    That was always my sign that mastitis was coming on - the flu-like symptoms usually followed shortly after. FWIW, I first got mastitis at about 11 months, and I won't tell you how many times I had it after that, primarily because I lost count...
    Single mom to

    DS ("twice exceptional") - September 2002
    DS - February 2006
    DD - July 2009
    DD - July 2009

  6. #6
    TonFirst is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    Oh, that sounds like thrush to me - and I've been battling a stubborn case of that for a month and a half, now.

    You may need Diflucan, but don't worry - it's available inexpensively in a generic version. DO NOT SETTLE FOR ONE DOSE. You will need a two-week course. TRUST ME.

  7. #7
    quikeye Guest

    Default RE: Breast/nipple pain? Anyone help with symptoms... mastitis? ducts? (Poss tmi)

    OMG wth was I saying "only a plugged duct"?? I'm thinking that's what this is, unless the flu symptoms are coming (jeez, on top of this??) I am in such pain I can't believe it. I was actually doing lamaze breathing when ds was bf'ing so I could have him continue, covering my face in a pillow/blanket to wince (ds got concerned when he saw me making faces :( )... I'm actually a very high pain tolerance person too... It is so much worse when nursing, gets better as it goes on but still hurts afterwards.

    I can't imagine mamas going thru this at the beginning of their bf relationship. For reals, it hurts so bad I almost want to quit (I'm not going to, but I still can't believe how bad this is!)

    Thanks again all... dh just doesn't understand me complaining & it's nice to be able to vent/get such good advice here. :)

    Here's hoping it gets unplugged soon. :)

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