Good news: the mom with the severe nipple crack (my neighbor) called last
night to report that it appears to be healing. I gave her info on the moist
wound protocol (using hydrogen peroxide soaks) but she preferred saline
soaks (I had told her about that before I found the h.p. soak info in
archives). I also found a pharmacy that had anhydrous lanolin (but not
L***h) in a big tub and the pharmacist will sell me as little or as much as
I want, so I bought an ounce for a dollar and gave it to my neighbor. She
said it really was helping except it makes her nipple stick to her bra.
Even better news is that baby, born at 7#8oz is now 8#14oz at 3 weeks of
age! This in spite of having the sniffles, along with his entire family,
for about 9/10 of his life.

New problem: She reports a deep "hot" feeling in the right breast (the one
that had the crack). Non-localized pain radiating from mid-breast (not
starting at nipple) up to armpit. States her armpit feels as though she'd
just shaved it badly and gave herself a rash. In spite of hot feeling
breast is not actually hot or warmer than normal to the touch. (Her
observation; I haven't touched the breast myself). This does not happen
just during nursing. No flu symptoms; saw Dr. on 28th; he did not culture
crack for yeast but gave her some clotrimazole in case the crack did not
continue to heal as it was.

She has had both mastitis and plugged ducts with previous babies; we talked
about this possibility. But even though I wrote down all I could about how
she described this, I may not have related it properly here. I don't really
think it's a breast infection, but what else could it be? I mentioned
possibility of a pulled muscle in the torso somewhere from delivery that
was just becoming noticeable due to her increased activity (she was
unloading groceries when I talked with her last night) and advised moist
heat on the shoulder blades and nursing with knees above the hips to reduce
shoulder and back strain. Reminded her to keep hydrated.

Any suggestions? I'm pleasantly surprised she's still nursing. She's even
doing Lamaze breathing to deal with the pain she experiences from the crack
and whatever this new thing is.

Nancy Kramer
Watching the sun shine through the rain in
Port Angeles, WA