Reoccurring milk bleb and vastoplam :'(

[Wants2bmummy]

I have been suffering for about a month with a reoccurring bleb after having a blocked duct. I feed through it, massage with a hot flannel and pierce it with a sterile needle but it keeps coming back. Also, piercing it gives very little relief as it's very stubborn and still won't clear.

I have noticed also that my nipple blanches - sometimes it's white when the nipple comes out of lo's mouth, sometimes it goes white after feeding.

I also get an intense ache in the breast and shooting pains.

I'm at my wits end. I don't want to stop breastfeeding, but this is really getting me down

Can anyone help? Has anyone else had this problem?

xxx

 

[summer rain]

Are you sure you don't have thrush? That could cause the vapospasm especially if you have shooting pains and an intense ache in your boob. The recurring milk duct, perhaps that particular duct is constricted in some way so it keeps happening again? Perhaps by a bra or clothing or just due to how it is naturally? xx

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Thank you so much for your reply, I'm at the end of my tether! I've been to the GP but he wasn't interested, just have me antibiotics and sent me on my way.

This might sound daft, but if I had thrush would it be in one or both boobs? I only have this is one boob? I don't really know all that much about thrush, I've looked in LOs mouth and he hasnt got any white patches and no nappy rash.

I've changed my bras to less restrictive ones.

It's really getting me down

xxx

 

[summer rain]

Yes thrush can be only in one boob and its possible for only one or the other of you to show symptoms xx

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Thank you so much. I'm going to go to a different GP for a second opinion. I don't know how much more I can take, but I really don't want to stop nursing xxx

 

[Wants2bmummy]

I've now got a really painful blocked duct - AGAIN! I've also had a recurring blocked duct for a month. I've tried piercing the bleb, compressions whilst feeding and positioning lo's chin in direction of blockage and its still blocked and incredibly sore. I don't think I can do this for much longer :'(

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Btw, my GPs usual reaction is 'most women only do two weeks anyway so perhaps I should stop' so no support from there xXx

 

[vaileasmama]

oh my, get a new gp!!!!
i havnt sufferred from blocted ducts, but i think i remember on here something about medication you can take that prevents recurring blocked ducts? sorry, cant really help anymore with that.
i have however sufferred with thrush, and its a bitch to get rid of!!!
personally, i didnt find any relief from the medication that my dr advised me to buy anyway, i got relief from more natural methods which im not sure if ur interested in?
i bought some acidopholous powder - i would have this 3 times a day mixed with water, and would lick my pinky finger and dip it in the powder and let lo suck it off.
also, CUT THE SUGAR!! i cant stress this enough, cut all sugar out of your diet - this includes fruit!
if you really wanted to go extreme, google anti candida diet - thrush is candida. this diet truly does work, although its pretty hardcore.
wishing you the best of luck - i had thrush for about 9 weeks turns out - i just thought bf was that painful, but my naturapath traced it back to when i used milton for a nipple shield. once it cleared up, i can honestly say bf is now completely pain free.
hopefully someone will come along with more suggestions about the ducts.
keep it up mama, you're giving your babe the best start to life xo

 

[vaileasmama]

oh forgot to mention, i also had vapospasm - but it seems i kinda grew out of it?
i can now let fabric touch my boobs without writhing in pain, and cold no longer has me in tears!!!

 

[Farie]

I had severe vasospasm, try wool breast pads they help a lot, and nipple shields also.

Any questions feel free to PM me

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Thanks so much your replies. I've been to the gp this morning and as I expected she was a waste of time. I had to ask her to examine me - she wasn't even going to look! She's prescribed me some antibiotics to take as she thought the breast felt hot. She didn't know what the white patch was but she said maybe a milk blister.

This is the best bit- she told me NOT to feed on the sore breast as it will make it worse and lo will be drinking infected milk! What a load of poo!!! She then went on to say that as she doesn't have kids of her own she doesn't know much about it!

I've phoned everywhere I can think of for help. The infant feeding and breast feeding support workers for my area aren't answering the phone. I've rang the birth centre at the hospital and spoke to a midwife who said don't take the antibiotics unless I get full blown mastitis and no midwives can see me cos lo is too young. Noone seems interested in the vasoplasm or the white patch on my nipple.

Now I don't know what to do. Should I take the antibiotics or not?

God, I'm pissed off

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Sorry, that should be no midwife can see me cos lo is too old!

 

[summer rain]

I'm really not sure; but the advice from the midwife sounds sensible; keep trying the local BF team as they can be really busy. If it is thrush and it sounds like internal thrush in the ducts you will need a course of fluconazole....x

 

[summer rain]

Btw, my GPs usual reaction is 'most women only do two weeks anyway so perhaps I should stop' so no support from there xXx

Maybe this sounds a bit militant but I'd totally complain about that; both the NHS and WHO recommend exclusive BF for at least 6 months and WHO recommend BF along with solids until the age of 2....

 

[Wants2bmummy]

Just a little update. I think the blockage has gone (for now!) but I'm still experiencing pain and blanching of the nipple as well as the white patch still being there.

I spoke to the bf support team who agreed that the gp had given me the wrong info. They've got a drop in clinic on monday that I can go to so I'll have to keep my fingers crossed it doesn't get worse over the weekend.

I'm looking into a formal complaint through pals. Imagine if I didn't have the support on here, I'd be leaving the blocked breast to fester and get worse! I won't be seeing that gp again! Xxx

 

[Dizzymum]

I really understand what you're going through. I've had thrush in one of my breasts for 9 weeks now, caused by a course of antibiotics for mastitis when LO was 2 weeks. Antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in your body, then a yeast infection can occur.

I have seen 3 different doctors, and each have given wrong advice, and emphasised that if I stop breast feeding then the pain will go! No help to me as I want to breastfeed.

I've had a few courses of tablets, and they haven't worked, so now I need to go back to the docs again, but they don't know anything about this condition.

For the last two weeks I have had to give my baby a bottle of formula a day just to give my boob a break, as it is soooo painful, especially after a feed, and can last up to 2 hours - by the evening time it's hell.

I really resent the fact that I haven't had the right support, and consistant advice from the professionals. Even the HV can't give me anymore advice. I didn't want my baby to have formula this young, but really was left with no choice - it pees me off tbh.

I hope you get it sorted soon hun -it's not a nice situation to be in.

 

[summer rain]

So sorry dizzymum, considering how the NHS promotes exclusive BF for six months their staff training and policies really don't help that . Wants2bmummy good on you for complaining, I shudder to think the amount of mums who have developed serious infections due to bad advice such as you received; and probably countless mums have given up BF because they have wrongly been told to or they have just themselves come to the conclusion its too difficult or pointless carrying on beyond x number of weeks...