can I have thrush and mastitis at the same time? please say not...

[twocatsonthebed]

I've been struggling against thrush for the last week or more - an unpleasant battle of aches, bleeding and cracked nipples and general misery. I went to the doctors yesterday and got fluconazole and more canestan and so on. He said, are you sure it's not mastitis, and I said no, I've had that before.

I definitely do have thrush, but now my right breast (the one with thrush, known in this house as 'the sweary side') is hot and engorged feeling.

AAAAAAARGH. I don't want antibiotics, as this will just make the thrush worse. What do I do? Would rather not go back to the doctors as they will just suggest that 4 months is a good go and why don't I give up breastfeeding?

[twocatsonthebed]

? please...

[twocatsonthebed]

OK, I give in, it's just me...

[trillium]

Poor you , I had thrush and mastitis at the same time and it's not pleasant. I also had the cracked and bleeding nipples.

It seems a long time ago now but I vividly remember lying in a hot bath, crying and "combing" my breast to try to get rid of the blockage.
It didn't work and as I also had a high temperature and the shakes, I ended up taking the antibiotics.

I really didn't want to expose dd to antibiotics at such a tender age but really had no option.

Get the mastitis sorted first, then deal with the thrush.

I went on to breastfeed for just under two years so don't give up

[AlanasMum]

Sorry to say I had thrush and mastitis luckily managed to clear the mastitis with Massage, but took a week before I recognised the thrush (DOH!)
managed to bf for 13 months
Hope this helps

[pregnabrain]

hello and poor you

I had thrush, poor milk supply and blocked ducts at the same time! It was horrible and nearly made me give up because I just didn't want to feel so miserable any more.

But....I got through it. Give yourself a day of trying to unblock the ducts yourself (unless you feel feverish etc). Blocked ducts don't always lead to mastitis and there's a good chance you can ublock them by hot bath / flannels, massage or combing and by rotating baby's feeding position so he/she is stimulating the part of the breast where the pain is (his/her chin should be where the pain is worst).

If it doesn't work, and you do need antibiotics, it's not the end of the world. I had antibiotics for a strep B infection while baby and I had thrush (oh happy days!) and it didn't seem to make the thrush worse in any way.

The thrush will go, eventually. It's hideous while you have it but you can really help by applying canesten religiously and avoiding certain foods.

Hope the above helps. Am not a breastfeeding counsellor btw, am just trying to remember my own experiences. I'm sure someone far more qualified will offer better advice!

Good luck and don't give up hope.

[steinermum]

Have you tried ringing the breastfeeding helplines (LLL, Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, NCT etc) as well as talking to your doctor?

[junkinmytrunk]

Pls get the mastitis sorted...my sil has spent the past 5 days in hospital with mastitis and still not home.
She's on 3 lots of IV antibiotics a day and my poor little nephew wonders where his milks gone!
sil ignored mastitis thinking it would go away but no.

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

One can lead to the other - so yes. You can take ibuprofen to ease the mastitis.