I apologize in advance for the length of this post, it is just that I want to get 
the details right, because it's a little unusual and I'm pretty sure it is not 
ductal yeast, though if I don't describe it in detail, I think that would be the 
logical conclusion.

I am working with a woman who is five weeks postpartum. She has extreme 
pain "like my left breast is on fire'" about an hour or sometimes sooner after 
nursing. Nursing itself is pain free, she describes the pain coming as her left 
breast is filling with milk and is experiencing intermittent, simultaneous 
neurological symptoms, numbness and pain in her arm extending to her hand. 
When she nurses the baby, the pain is relieved, though she can't bear to put 
the baby on her breast until she expresses about 5 ml of milk.She also 
experienced this in her right breast to a lesser degree, though that has 
generally resolved. She does not have oversupply, the breast is completely 
soft after feedings and  if she tries to empty more with a pump only gets a 
few mls following feedings.  Several test weights showed the baby took in 
between 2.5 and 4 oz per feed. Lawrence desctibes this type of situation, and 
suggests that it is caused by pressure on nerves in the axilla from 
engorgement in the tail of spence, though she doesn't describe the "breast on 
fire" sensation. Just to complicate matters, this woman also experienced 
painless blanching of her nipples during the first couple of weeks postpartum, 
though she says that with her burning breast sensation now, there is no 
evidence of vasospasm., no nipple color changes at all.

Have any of you come across anything like this and what did you do???!!!
Cabbage and ice have been somewhat helpful as has Sudafed, but she doesn't 
feel like she can take continuous Sudafed, and I find that concerning as well. 
Her supply is extremely average and I am worried about down-regulating it. 
Lawrence says that this usually resolves within several weeks, as 
engorgement settles down. But she is reaching the end of her rope and I am 
hoping someone out there in lactation world has a magic bullet...

Thanks for any ideas,
Kathy Lilleskov RN IBCLC

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]