need help from an expert

[madwoman]

I really need some help from someone who knows what they are talking about. I stopped feeding my son approx 16 months ago, he was 14 months. The main reason was excruciating pain from within my left breast after feeding. It was horrific, far worse than the pain of giving birth. The only way i could bear ir was to clutch my breastas hard as poss to my body, bit on a wooden spoon and walk in circles through the house moaning to get through it. This was until the painkillers kicked in, by then i was exhausted and would sleep for a couple of hours, usually by the timethe painkillers kicked in i was out of it, whether it was the drugs or the pain i don't know. My doc said mastitis and after 2 loads of antibiotics it was no better, another doc told me to stop feeding as i'd done my motherly duty, i told him to go and take a run and jump, it eventually came to a head one day when my husband came home and found me on the bed screaming in agony, incoherant. not capable of doing anything, he piled us in the car and took us to the ED, by the time we got there i was banging my head off the wall, by the time we were seen the pain killers kicked in and the pain started to subside. I totally bamboozled them, i had ultrasounds and blood tests and more people fondling my boobs than a prostitute does in the average year, but they had no idea what the problem was, I also have a feeling that they thought i may be imaginig it. Ithen spoke with a BF councellor who straight off said Thrush, although it was only in one breast and there were no other signs and my son had no signs, so it was cream on the nipple and acidopholus capsules. BY this time i had taken all that i could and stopped feeding my son, i had endures this hell for 2 months and was a wreck, i could not have done it if my husband hadn't been at home to care for my son after a feed. So i stopped feeding, the pain stopped, i presiumed all was well and we all lived happily ever after......... until wednesday..... I'm now 22 weeks pregnant, up until wednesday all had been fine apart from a few aches and pains, but then i noticed this chest pain, i didn;t pay it much attention i thought it was indigestion, by thursday it was worse, by fridayi was a bit concerned, then last night around midnight i woke up and thought i was having a heart attack........ i managed to calm down and then realised that the pain wasn't from my internal organs but from my breast, i prodded around and found some lumpyness and then it struck me..... this was the pain from the early stages of my BF problem. I lay awake all night absolutely terrified that this is coming baclk and worst of all that i wont be able to breastfeed this time.

So now you have my history what do you think? Could it have been thrush and it never actually went away and now my boobs are changing with pregnancy its reared its head again, is it more serious, is it going to get worse and how the hell do i deal with it

I amloath to go to my doctor, after the last time i went in and said well i think it was thrush, even gave him some printouts from the internet, he told me that was stupid and not something he had heard of before. I am going to the hospital on Wednesday and will mention it there, i know this will lead to ultrasounds etc which i'm happy with as it's best to check out everything, but i'm also scared that they wont believe me if again they find np "phisical" evidence, that was the problem the last time, trying to find someone who believed the pain i was going through.

It is sore just now, barable for now but ifthe increase in pain over the last few days continues then I'll be dependant on painkillers in a few days, with 3kids and one in my tummy i don't want to go there. I don;t mind admitting I'm scared, the memories of the pain are so vivid and i'm not a woose, my last son was born with no pain relief so i'm not one to rush for the panadol straight off.

If anyone has any suggestions on what to do, or what could be causing this i will be eternally grateful.

Thanks for reading and not falling asleep;)

MW

[SilverStarfish]

What a traumatic experience :hugs: I'm not an expert... but I'd certainly recommend finding a new GP!

[Jem]

What a traumatic experience :hugs: I'm not an expert... but I'd certainly recommend finding a new GP!


spot on! Find a new GP, Hope things improve for you soon! :hugs:

[Funkychicken]

MW, you really need to see a Dr and I would be doing it fast. I am not the expert that you want to hear from but if this pain increases again you are going to need/want painkillers and with a bub in the tum, this can't be good. Has anyone suggested a completely blocked milk duct?
If there was an infection, it wouldn't be just pain-you would expect to also have a fever and possible other side effects.
Maybe give Goosie22 a PM-she is far more experienced with these matter's than I am and I am sure is more than willing to help.
Definately go and see someone though. in fact I would call the ABA today and they will help you. Do you have their contact details?

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ (http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/)

[Tam-I-Am]

I'm not a breastfeeding expert by any means.

I do agree with the other ladies, however. I'd be getting a more supportive and INTERESTED GP! And also contacting the ABA immediately, before the problem worsens, would be a good idea.

I don't have any other advise than already given, just wanted to give you some hugs :hugs: :hugs: , and say that I hope you're feeling better very very soon.

[madwoman]

Thanks for your support everyone, i have sent one of the councellers at ABA an email so will see what comes from that, if it gets any worse before my hospital appointment I'll go to a different GP and see what they say. It's defo something i need to get sorted out soon or i'm going to be in a situation where i won;t be able to feed my bub which would be a dissapointment as it's one thing i know i can do and (eventhough i say so myself) i make a pretty good job of it.It would be a shame to miss out this time as i wont be having any more, although of course the other half says, he's not having me go through all that again and if bub has to be bottle fed then so be it, great, maybe he could just come to the doc with me and shout until someone takes notice!!! He probably hasn't thought that bottle fed means he has to take his turn of night feeds, but hey maybe with all 3 having been breast fed he feels he's missed out on something, never thought of that before!!

Anyway i am rambling and the footy is coming on, thanks again for all your kind words, I'll keep you updated as to how it goes just incase anyone else is unfortunate enough to ever have to experience this.

Go The Eagles
MW

[Beany]

I'm not an expert at all in the matter but my gut instinct suggests that the pain you are experiencing is a return of the thrush. The changes in hormones and the production of milk (or colostrum) is making a wonderful home for the thrush spores.

Unfortunately I know exactly what you are going through. It really REALLY sucks.

I identified the problem as thrush by myself - small blister on nipple that didn't seem to heal, pain with let down, lots of stinging, burning pain past the feed that seemed to radiate in from the nipple. The doctor told me to apply canestan on the nipples and give the baby nilstat.

Did that. Things didn't get better. The after-pains got to the stage yours did: excruciating shooting pains that felt like someone was sticking a knitting needle through my breast. Doctor told me to carry on with the cream. I asked about getting a systemic treatment like Diflucan but he said that it wasn't recommended during lactation.

Here's the thing - GPs tend to know nothing about lactation. I did some internet research and found that the RWH regularly prescribed Diflucan 150mg for breastfeeding mothers for whom the topical cream treatment didn't work. I also found numerous articles about how in cases like ours, where the infection has reached the milk ducts, the treatment needs to be very aggressive: 200mgs the first day followed by 100mgs every day thereafter for a month.

I told my doctor this, he ummed and ahhed and said that it wasn't recommended during lactation. I insisted (he's a family member, so I could insist in a very naggy way :D ) and he finally agreed to look into it just to shut me up. Called me back the day after having read all sorts of stuff and consulted with colleagues and said he'd write me a prescription. I just started the treatment so fingers-crossed, things should improve soon.

I hope you get somewhere useful with the medical professionals you see. In the meantime, start taking probiotic pills three times a day (or whatever the recommended dosage is) and maybe eating some live culture yoghurt or drinking that feral Yakult stuff.

Best of luck.