What about talking to the MD about adding Rifampin to the antibiotics for a couple of days to increase penetration of the antibiotics into the breast tissues?  This was something talked about at a conference with Australian MD's doing research on recurrent mastitis.  This med is used for tuberculosis but also as a synergistic med to increase effectiveness of antibiotics on folks with heart valve replacements or other cardiac issues where structures are intricate and bacteria can "hide" avoiding the antibiotics with resultant recurrence of infections not effectively treated.  Just a thought.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Erika Lance
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 8:35 PM
Subject: persistent plug ducts

I have a client that is having persistent plug ducts. She has given me permission to address all of you.  She birthed her baby at home. She had sore, cracked nipples which turned into full blown mastitis with high fever, pain, feeling miserable. She refused antibiotics at this point and tried alternative methods with essential oils, etc. She seemed to get better. Baby was off the breast at this point to heal the nipples and she was pumping.
After it seemed like the mastitis cleared up there was a large plugged duct.
She did ultrasound and got the baby latched and the plugged seemed completely drained. However a few days later, mastitis hit her harder and she finally agreed to take antibiotics. After 10 days on the antibiotics and now yeast...she doesn't want the baby at the breast due to the yeast and is now exclusively pumping to preserve milk supply yet that side with the previous plug duct now has a larger mass and ultrasound, heat, continual pumping all the steps to help relieve plug ducts has gone unsuccessful. She barely gets any milk out of that side. A few cc's if lucky at each pumping session.  I am at loss to figure out how to release the duct and get her milk supply back up. Do we just let her dry up on that side and hopefully start over?

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