This has probably been discussed before, but if anyone could clue me in, I
don't have time to search the archives right now.  I am having a recurrent
problem with doctors in town prescribing a 7 day course of antibiotics for
mastitis.  I got a call today from a woman, in tears, because the doctor told
her "she would have to start weaning  within the next 2 weeks, because she
probably was going to have this problem again."
  It probably started at 10 days postpartum when she developed flu-like
symptoms which were diagnosed as a virus.  She had been told to start Ceclor
in the middle of the night, so she continued to take it.  2 weeks ago had
another fever, saw MD who finally looked at her breasts and decided that it
was mastitis and put her on Ceclor.  She has severe G.I. side effects to
antibiotics and Ceclor is one that she can tolerate fairly well.  She has
taken Penicillin in the past, and developed diarrhea.  She vomits with
Keflex.  Can't tolerate cipro, erythromycin, is allergic to sulfa drugs,
macrobantin.  Anyway, she started on 1500 mg/day of Ceclor and dropped this
to 1000 mg/ day when her tongue started "pitting".  She has been drinking
acidophilus milk and eating a lot of cheese and hasn't developed diarrhea.
 She was on a 7 day course, felt better, nursed a lot on the left breast.
 Now her right breast is red and tender underneath her nipple.  And she has a
fever.  So, doctor put her on ceclor again (1000 mg/day)   for 11 -14 days
this time, and told her that she really should start weaning, because it
isn't worth her health, or something like that.
She has always been prone to overproduction, has overactive let down.  Baby
started sleeping through the night.  She nurses hourly in the evening, about
every three hours during the morning and early afternoon.  Baby is 11 weeks
old.
I guess my question is--with her history of intolerance to antibiotics, would
it be worth trying another one?  Does this sound like staph, and is
dicloxicillin still considered the drug of choice for mastitis?  If diarrhea
is her main symptom, could she ward that off with acidophilus?
And, last of all, if it is overproduction, will cabbage help? And when would
be the best time to work on getting her production down?
TIA
Chris Lundberg
Indianapolis