Unbelievable nipple pain...what could it be?!

[Truckerdoo]

For about 3 weeks I've endured fantastic pain in my left nipple. I can NOT find the cause but I am about to seriously lose my mind - I writhe in pain every time I have to feed from that side and I can't take it anymore!!!

I have tried heat, tried cold.

It's not a plugged duct - the pain is right like, IN my nipple.

The nipple doesn't look any different from my other nipple - sometimes it does turn white though.

It hurts all the time even when he's not nursing, though the pain is 100x worse when he does nurse.

My doctor is stumped - she gave me an anti-fungal pill to take but so far it hasn't done anything.

The other breast is totally fine/normal. Baby doesn't appear to have thrush.

Does anyone have ANY guesses?! I am seriously at my nipple's end here.

[lalemma]

The nipple doesn't look any different from my other nipple - sometimes it does turn white though.

I had that same thing for a week or two, always only in one nipple (my left) - I think it had to do with my son chomping down on that nipple harder or at a weird angle. It went away completely after we got better at nursing.

Here's Kellymom on it: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...blanching.html

It helped the pain if I put a warm washcloth on that nipple. But mostly I think he got better at latching and I got better at taking him off and making him relatch if I felt like he wasn't on right.

It was pretty OUCH. Hope it gets better soon!

[evinmom]

Originally Posted by Truckerdoo

For about 3 weeks I've endured fantastic pain in my left nipple. I can NOT find the cause but I am about to seriously lose my mind - I writhe in pain every time I have to feed from that side and I can't take it anymore!!!

I have tried heat, tried cold.

It's not a plugged duct - the pain is right like, IN my nipple.

The nipple doesn't look any different from my other nipple - sometimes it does turn white though.

Does that nipple look creased at all after baby unlatches? It sounds like it could be a latch issue on just that breast.

[AimeeandBrian]

i dealt with horrible pain for weeks before going to an LC, who immediately said thrush.

i totally sympathize. i would fantasize about bottle feeding and dread the next feeding.

is the cream she gave you All Purpose Nipple Ointment? it has worked wonders for me and has started healing up all the gashes on my nipples.

[Awaken]

is it thrush? if so, a lot of times it takes a lot more than just an antifungal med to get rid of it, although many of the treatments are natural remedies. google Dr Jack Newman, he has a very good candida protocol with dosages and exactly what to do to get rid of it.

Vasospasm?

although both of those would be in both nipples, I think, and not just one!

[ErinYay]

I have vasospasam, and have since I was pregnant (I have wonky circulation sometimes) in just the left nipple. It will turn white, and if I've been out in the cold, can be very, very painful. It actually doesn't hurt while or after I'm nursing, just when I'm really cold.

Kellymom has a good article about it.

[carmel23]

I initially though thrush, too...

[flapjack]

My gut instinct was to say thrush. Be careful with a long course of anti-fungals, as one of them (fluconazole, I think) can cause a temporary decrease in milk supply.
If it comes to it, it is possible to breastfeed successfully with one breast. I mention this as a last resort- because if baby has thrush, even if there's no symptoms, then the other breast can get affected too- but it's worth considering.

[Truckerdoo]

It was fluconazole that she gave me, yes: but it was only a course of 2 pills, each taken 72 hrs apart (I take the 2nd one today)

I'm kind of htinking its not thrush, since wouldn't I have it in both breasts by now from him passing it back and forth from his mouth to each breast?

I will read about vasospasm, but can someone summarize in the meantime?

I bet it is a latch issue b/c sometimes if I sit super duper upright it hurts a little less, and it doesn't hurt as much when I pump (though it still is sensitive for sure). UGH another thing to work out! I am still not off the nipple shields. I guess yet another excuse to get rid of them and to start over properly with him!! Am dreading the weaning process. :-Z

[ErinYay]

Originally Posted by Truckerdoo

I will read about vasospasm, but can someone summarize in the meantime?

It's basically a sudden constriction of blood vessels; a circulation issue. It's a physical issue in the mother not caused by the baby's latch, though it can be aggravated by a lousy latch. It can be caused by a number of things, including Raynaud's, smoking, caffeine intake,and nipple trauma, but it my case it seems to be idiopathic. If you can put cold packs on your nipples without pain and blanching, it's probably *not* vasospasm.

Kellymom article here on nipple blanching/ pain and whitening. With vasospasm, the nipple shape is normal after nursing; with compression/latch issues, the nipple is often creased, has a slant to it, etc. Vaso- pain usually occurs after nursing, not during, while latch/compression is during and after. Cold almost always causes vaso pain, while it usually doesn't factor in at all with latch/compression issues, unless they're causing a lot of trauma to the nipple.

Good luck! I know I dread catching a chill, as it really can hurt so much it makes me sick to my stomach.