Help asap! mastitis

[JessieBird]

Hi everyone - I just realized why I feel so crappy today. I'm pretty sure I have mild mastitis.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling absolutely rotten - achy all over my body and nauseous. My right breast was a bit sore because it was engorged. DS is 11 mo and has been nursing a lot less over the last few weeks. I nursed him off the right and it felt much better. This morning I woke up feeling much worse, like I am coming down with the flu (classic flu not swine). Still some pain in my breast but I was too sick feeling to care till I just realized that the underside is bright pink. It is very tender to touch and slightly more firm as if there is a big lump deep down inside the middle of my breast. Sounds like infection, doesn't it? I've had blocked ducts before but they were just a sore lump close to the surface, no redness or this horrible achy malaise I am feeling now.

I don't have a fever (37.1) so does that mean this is just a mild case?

What should I do? Do I have to go for antibiotics or can I try to get through it and see if it will pass? Unfortunately DS won't nurse unless he's really hungry and I have never pumped. I could go buy a pump though. Are there any supplements I should take or other things I could do?

With all the H1N1 in our area now, I really don't want to go to the clinic or emerg - I'm liable to get more sick and the wait would be an eternity anyway.

I really appreciate your advice on how to clear it up before it gets worse!

Thanks!

[pbjmama]

Treat it the same way you would treat a plug! Hot compress, massage, express (hand express is better than nothing), ibuprofen, no bra or anything tight on the breast, take it easy, up your vitamin C, take raw garlic. If you don't have a fever it isn't to the point of infection yet.

[LianneM]

Definitely try to resolve it now before it turns into an infection. If you can get enough relief by hand expressing in a hot shower, I don't think you necessarily need to pump. I'm so sorry, I know it's miserable I hope you can rest and recover quickly!

[APToddlerMama]

I've had mastitis repeatedly, but haven't had to have antibiotics every time. It can turn very bad very quickly though, so you may want to make an appointment and then skip it if you're better. Typically for me, rest, rest, rest, and more rest, plus water, eating well, and nursing first on the "mastitis side" helped. I was able to avoid antibiotics about half the time, especially if I didn't yet have a fever.

I don't know what this does to mastitis when you have it, if anything, but one thing that helped me decrease my supply which helped me not continue to get mastitis (think I had some over supply issues which led to it), was peppermint (mass quantities of altoids) which was suggested by my LC.

Feel better soon!

[angelachristin]

nak

grapefriut seed extract 15 drops in a glass of water 3x a day + megadose of vit c along with nursing, massage and rest kicks it in a day for me...I hasd it last week with a low fever

[JessieBird]

Thanks everyone. Last night I was in really bad shape. My temp never got up to fever range but I was so weak that DH had to help me walk and dress. It was really weird, normally I am super stubborn and tough out any sickness but this was impossible to fight. Gradually throughout the night I started to feel a bit stronger. I slept from about 7 pm - 7 am, waking to nurse frequently. DS was unsettled so he wanted to nurse a lot more than usual, which was very good timing! The lump and redness are still very much there but I feel better overall so things must be improving. I went out this morning to get GSE and the guy at the health food store agreed wholeheartedly that it should help.