horrible bite wound!

[Altair]

My (almost) 10 month old baby bit me about 4 weeks ago. He hasn't bitten me since, so this is not an ongoing issue. It was due to a middle of the night sleepy bad latch. I made such a shocked noise that he's been scared to do it again!

TMI:
It hurt at the time, and it seemed to start to heal, but then it took a turn for the worse. As it stands now I have a hole, literally, where my areola meets my nipple. It's about 1.5 mm in diameter would be my guess. The skin around it looks healthy and like it has no intention of ever closing up to cover the hole. The hole is filled with a white liquid. When I nurse, nothing happens except for EXTREME pain (much worse than labor, and much worse than when he bit) like it's on a raw nerve and the hole gets a little stretched out. When I pump (I pump twice a day at work) it doesn't hurt as much because the pump doesn't come into contact with it, but it seems like it stretches it more than nursing and it's sometimes oozing/bleeding a little after pumping.

Nursing is downright awful. I cringe so much and wince so much despite trying sooo hard not to and it's making the little man angry. He pops off screaming if he thinks I'm not happy. I don't want anything to jeopardize our nursing relationship, so I try really, really hard to relax and ignore the pain. For middle of the night feedings turning my head away from him and biting the pillow works. Of course, this is only half the time as I block feed and the other side is great.

I spoke with 2 IBCLC and my very breastfeeding knowledgeable family doctor. The first IBCLC said to use topical antibiotic (I use all purpose nipple ointment, which she said was the right one to use) and keep it moist, always put on lanisoh so that the under fibers of my skin could reconnect. She said also to do epsom salt soaks 4 times a day=-- this had worked when I had really bad nipple trauma when he was a newborn. The problem with the epsom salt is that my partner and I tag team childcare, so I go from working all day to being alone with baby all night and I only have time to do one soak after he goes to bed. I've been following this advice for a week with no progress.

I spoke with another IBCLC and my family doctor Saturday and they told me to go on a low-dose oral antibiotic. Been on that since then and I see no improvement.

So now I'm trying no moistness. On a whim because nothing else is freaking working and I'm in pain! So I'm using a nipple shell in between nursings when at home to see what that does.

What is there to do? I could try a nipple shied while nursing but I can't imagine a 10 month old being flexible about that.

Help!

[Katie T]

Hugs, Is the white stuff that comes out milk? If not I would try putting breast milk on it & exposing it to as much air as you can. Good luck that sounds really painful!

[SnglAPmama]

I think I may have responded to another of your posts about pumping? If so, I'm not stalking you, fyi.

Ouch!!! That sounds like an awful sore! When you say you're putting a shell on it, do you mean a seashell? I've heard good things about that. Another thing that comes to mind is calendula. There are creams but some have carbomer and pthlalates and such in them but not all do. You might be able to find calendula flowers at your local healthfood store and you could moisten them and leave them on your nipple. Even a used chamomille tea bag couldn't hurt and might help. I would also suggest eating lots of garlic if it doesn't upset your or your ds tummy. I might have more ideas when I can get to the book I have. My daughter is sleeping in our bedroom where the book is, though, but I'll look it up tomorrow if I remember. Hope you feel better!

[Cetan Luta]

I highly recommend Comfrey ointmen and Vitamin E oil. Your body uses Vitamin E to help grow and repair skin. Comfrey helps skin regenerate MUCH faster. Both would also be things you could have on while at work, and still be effective. HTH

[ElliesMomma]

yipes, that sounds horrible. is it absolutely necessary to nurse equally on that side, until it heals a little? i wonder if, with all the pain, it is somehow reopening it to have him latched on... and if you could give it a rest and *only* pump for awhile or at least cut out some of the direct nursings on that side, if it could start to heal up better. i understand about supply and all, but i wonder if some block of hours "off" (24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours) + antibiotic + ointments + whatever other treatments (with stepped up pumping on that side to retain supply) could get you closer to a "cure".

4 weeks is a long time to have an open wound.

if it were me, i would not want this to go on much longer. has the doctor actually seen the wound, or just heard it described over the phone?

[PatioGardener]

They have some awesome wound dressings now. Usually if a wound is wet it is dressed dry to heal and vice versa. Seeing a doctor who is good with wound care may help.



Also I would not use APNO on it as the steroid in it can thin the skin and may actually be hindering healing with longer term use.

[FondestBianca]

I had this twice. At first I thought it was a bite. Then I realized that while he did bite down and cause the wound... it only happened because the skin was compromised by thrush. I didn't even know I had thrush until it was too late. I used gension violet only and walked around with a cloth prefold down my flimsy, shelf, sports bra. I had exactly what you described. A gross looking wound gaping open. The two sides of the wound didn't touch one another. I also had the same problem with my noises of pain scarig ds. It hurt so bad that I shook uncontrollably in pain while he BFed. Ds's teeth always fell right INTO the open cut and every time he moved his mouth to suck his teeth dug in more. Oh... and the white stuff that came out of it... wasn't milk in my case... it was infection. Eww! Both times it took a couple weeks to heal. A couple weeks of HELL. I kept feeding on both sides. I'd give the bad side (though they were both fairly bad due to the thrush) a rest maybe every 3rd feeding or so but aside from that I just winced, dug my nails into a blanket, and did my best to keep it clean between feedings. It did heal and everything was back to normal after not too long. But I feel your pain. It was murder. I think the pain was extra intense because of the thrush. That is why I might suspect you have the same. Don't give up!

[kismetbaby]

I had nipple cracks in the beginning (from bad latch not biting that is) that also turned white in the wound and wouldn't heal. . .turned out the wound was harboring thrush. Which cause A LOT of pain and was preventing healing. It took me forever to figure this out!!! But when I did it didn't take too long for it to heal. I used gentian violet and also grapefruit seed extract (which IMO was the most helpful).

Check out this site: http://www.drjacknewman.com/help/Candida-Protocol.asp

Especially since they gave you a round of antibiotics--that can make the thrush worse.

You could always pump on that side to keep up supply if it is just too painful to nurse. And I'd try to keep up with the Epsom salt soaks. . .they are really helpful! And look into a good probiotic to help rebalance your system.

Good luck I know how rough it can be!

[Altair]

The antibiotics I was put on by 2 IBCLCs and my family doctor because my chance of mastitis is so high right now with an open wound for 4 weeks.

Pumping doesn't help at all-- it hurts less, but because it is suction and not compression (like a baby) it's actually stretching the wound open more every time. I have to pump twice a day at work. I tried today to hand express that side but couldn't get anything. I'm doing the lowest suction and using a bigger flange on that side.

There's a chance there's some thrush in there, I have some thrush cream I'll start adding to the regime.

I just don't know how to make the wound close. The reason the last IBCLC I spoke with said to keep it moist was b/c the skin edges will harden and then not be able to reform.

I'm so, so scared this is going to end breastfeeding on this breast. I haven't been in person to the doctor yet, but that seems to be the next step. I wanted to give the antibiotics a week to run its course first. I just emailed her now.

I'm so at a loss with this.

[kismetbaby]

IMO it's never a good idea to take antibiotics to prevent an infection!!! I would only take them if I already had mastitis not to prevent! Yes, and open wound can lead to infection, but it won't necessarily and the antibiotics can make you suseptible to yeast. But too late for that. . .

I would start with grapefruit seed extract NOW! It comes in a liquid form that you can dilute with water and use as a rinse for your nipples. You can also drink some drops in water (it tastes horribly bitter). If you don't want to buy the GSE vinegar can also be diluted to use as a rinse for your nipples. If it is thrush the wound will not start to heal until you get the yeast under control! It took at least two solid weeks of me doing GSE, gentian violet, vinegar (I also added vinegar to my rinse cycle to sterilize clothes) and probiotics to start to see wound healing.

I know that sounds like forever when you are in pain! But it will get better. . .you must, must get the thrush under control though. There is a prescription med for yeast, but I wouldn't consider it till you have tried the other methods first. I wouldn't worry about the edges hardening. . .that area gets used enough and sees so much moisture IMO. In fact, I spent loads of time air drying and not wearing a shirt and also "sunning" my nips --if you have a window or balcony you can stand by and actually get some direct sunlight on your nips this will help. Of course I am not an LC, but I have gone through hell with thrush myself.

Hang in there! For me, none of the Dr.s I saw had enough experience with BFing issues to be helpful. . .so I wound up curing myself with the help of an LC and that website I linked earlier and also just googling nipple/breast thrush and looking for help that way.

It is possible to keep a BFing relationship on only one side if worst comes to worst. And don't be surprised if you notice a dip in supply on the hurt side. . .mine did that, but it bounced back as soon as I started healing again.

Please start treating for thrush!!!! None of the treatments are harmful (especially if you avoid the gentian violet which some people think is too harsh) and if it turns out not to be thrush you won't have done anything "wrong." Get rest, take Vit C. . .basically be kind to yourself and allow yourself to heal. And if you can, grit your teeth through the pain to keep the milk flowing on that side.

Hugs!

[Altair]

I had been treating for thrush before, so I started that up again a few days ago. In the past, none of the "natural" thrush remedies have done anything for me, and it only cleared up with nystatin or the cream that's in APNO or diflucan. I battled thrush a lot and did all the sterilizing everything and washing everything. We seemed to be in the clear for awhile. There are tiny white spots in my baby's mouth again, so we're not in the clear.

The oral antibiotics were suggested by my primary IBCLC. She treated me previously for nipple trauma and thrush at different times. My family doctor works closely with her.

This is getting to the point of not being able to breastfeed on that side at all. In a few more days I might make the decision to only hand express from that side until I heal, because regular pumping isn't helping. Problem is I get such low output when I hand express I know my supply will tank.

[ElliesMomma]

get to the doctor!