Hello everyone!

I am helping a friend and fellow LLL Leader with some breast pain she is
having, and she gave me permission to post.  As always, a private
response is welcome if you want to respond off-list.  She does not
subscribe to Lactnet but said she would be happy to correspond by email
if anyone wanted to do that.  You may email me privately for her
address.  If any of you have had a similar situation with a mom, and
have ideas, or have said "Yeah, it turned out to be mastitis" or
whatever, please let me know!

(I am the other LLL Leader she consulted and we just were not at all
sure what to think!)

Here are her symptoms as stated in her email to me today:

Last Friday, my left breast felt sore and tender (outside of breast from
3-6 o'clock position - no one area, just whole area was painful).  I had
no lumps, redness, swelling, fever, flu-like symptoms, etc. and my right
breast is fine.  Nursing on the left side is VERY painful, but nursing on
the right side is fine.  My left nipple felt raw and burned, but there was
no sign of a crack, blister, redness, white patches, etc.  I have also
felt a bit tired and run down (but I have been feeling that way for over a
month which I blame on lack of sleep (my 15 month old is waking often to
nurse in the night and going to bed late and waking up "to play" during
the night, etc....normal mom tiredness is what I attributed my fatigue
to).

I didn't seem to have enough symptoms to identify thrush, plugged duct,
breast infection/mastitis.  The pain I felt in my breast and nipple was
constant and worsened when I nursed - I had to do labor breathing to get
through a nursing.  My symptoms were the same on Sat., except my breast
soreness/tenderness and nipple pain was worse (still no symptoms of any
common breast problems and still only on the left side).  On Sun., my
breast pain felt like it was deeper in the breast and was excruciating all
the time and I cried every time I nursed my 15 month old son because the
pain was so unbearable (curl my toes painful).  I checked for poor latch
or teething issues and found none.  I felt slightly nauseous all day, but
was still able to eat and was hungry.  I also had a really intense
headache and felt achy and sore with a good deal of pain in my back and
neck from my bra line up to the top of my neck at my hairline.  My husband
massaged this area and it felt better while he massaged but the pain
intensity did not diminish or go away and returned in intensity when he
stopped.

I am an LLL Leader and I talked with an LLL Leader and we decided that I
should treat myself for a breast infection with rest, fluids, heating pad
on breast, warm moist hot compresses, massage, frequent nursing on
affected side, etc.  I continued this treatment all day Sunday, all day
Monday and most of Tuesday with no improvement or relief.  I talked to an
LLL Area Professional Liaison and she was as baffled as I was but agreed
that I did not have the classic symptoms for thrush, breast
infection/mastitis, pregnancy or breast abscess.  On Tuesday late
afternoon, I saw my family physician who was convinced that I was
pregnant.  I was convinced that I was not (and later proved it with a
pregnancy test) since the pain was distinctly different from the pain I
experienced in my 1st two pregnancies and it was confined to just one
breast.  My family physician examined my breast and confirmed that she
didn't feel any lumps (she also seemed baffled) but sent me home with a
prescription for Keflex 4 times a day for 10 days which I started on Weds.
morning.  My family physician said she thought I had a deep, early breast
infection that had not worked it way to the surface yet.  On Weds.
morning, my breast started to feel better and my nipple too, but the pain
is still there and bothersome.  Nursing on that side is still
uncomfortable, but not unbearable.  It is now Friday (one week since this
began) and my breast still feels sore and tender (still deeper breast pain
and now more concentrated below the areola, but still in the left outside
quadrant).  My nipple is also still tender, but nursing is not as painful
as Sunday.  My back and neck soreness is VERY intense today.  I have had
plugged ducts before and this pain feels different.  I have also never had
plugged ducts without a lump that I was able to get rid of with rest,
massage, frequent nursing and hot warm compresses.  I am completely
baffled and if anyone has any insight, I would be most grateful!!!

Thanks so much,
Liz Cammin, RN, LLLL


-- 
I didn't give you the gift of life.  Life gave me the gift of you.

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

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