Blocked duct a month after weaning?

[UK Mom]

I finally stopped BF'ing after 2 children and 7.5 years last month. My son had been feeding only once a day in the evening and then stopped. Now, about a month later, I think I have a blocked duct and possibly turning into mastitis. (I had it 8 times, so I know the feeling.) Is this possible? How long after weaning can you get a blocked duct? And since I no longer have a pump, how can I treat it without going to the doctor? I have done hot showers and massage - is there anything else I can do?

Thanks for any advice/experience...

[doubledutch]

i think it's very possible to get a blocked duct a month after weaning. without a pump, you can try hand expression or the "jar" method of pumping. let me see if i can find links for you.

hand expression:
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com...rmet-technique

how to express milk with a jar:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...l#juicejarpump

[UK Mom]

Thank you. I did try to hand express the other night, but I did it wrong and I am a bit sore now! I will try with the method on your link to see if that helps.

[PGTlatte]

During the process of weaning our second child, I had what I thought was a really bad blocked duct. I worked at worked at it, tried everything that had ever worked before, took lecithin, even went for acupuncture on it. Finally after an ultrasound and biopsy, it turned out to be a fibrocystic lump. I am still convinced the development of this had something to do with our son's weaning - it was not at a steady pace and there was a traumatic event in the middle of it, and we went back and forth from extremes of almost weaned to frequent nursing to cold turkey (medically necessary) and back to frequent nursing, and then this developed. I haven't found anything to support this idea but I still feel that somehow the fibrocystic lump and the weaning are connected. I have a friend who also developed fibrocystic lumps for the first time after weaning. If your symptom of a plugged duct does not go away, it might be worth having it looked into to see if it is fibrocystic tissue.

[UK Mom]

Hi, thanks for that. I must admit I was wondering if the lumps were more than just a blocked duct. Did yours hurt? Mine do. Do you know the symptoms for these fibrocystic lumps? I will look them up now.

Thanks again.

[PGTlatte]

Yes, mine hurt, and are sometimes very sensitive to pressure. They also get worse in the middle of my cycle. Coffee makes them much more sensitive. The online information I found says "caffeine", but I've found that for me, it is specifically coffee - when I cut way back or eliminate coffee but have other caffeine sources, they don't get worse. Vitamin E and evening primrose oil are also said to help. I also heard that progesterone cream can help but haven't given that a thorough try yet.

For me, mine was a squishy lump that felt exactly like a tender blocked duct that I could not get out.

Originally Posted by UK Mom

Hi, thanks for that. I must admit I was wondering if the lumps were more than just a blocked duct. Did yours hurt? Mine do. Do you know the symptoms for these fibrocystic lumps? I will look them up now.

Thanks again.