Is this thrush? Can I just ignore it?

[Kiff]

I've get a brief 'broken glass' kind of pain deep inside outside quadrant of my breasts about a minute after a feed. Sometimes a quick burst at random other times. No other symptoms. I've looked on Kellymom - sigh - it sounds like thrush doesn't it.

It's not really bothering me, or apparently ds. If I ignore it, will something bad happen?

I'm instinctively anti faffing about with medications when small babies/breast milk is concerned. I haven't been on antibiotics.

Advice appreciated

[moondog]

Hi Kiff.
To add to your pushchair troubles eh??

I have had bad thrush twice and it felt exactly like this.If you check out archives,there is a link to Breastfeeding Network page that tells you exactly what you need 9some doctors don't know.) It is fluconazole in partic. dosage.

It will be fine,believe me and I am the sort that starts making the sign of the cross and waving garlic at the sight of a Fruit Shoot and Angel Delight.

[eidsvold]

you could try daktarin oral gel (if it is thrush - which it sounds like) - just put it on your breasts after feeding. Does not affect babe but can also be used to treat babe. Works a treat. I used it when I had thrush with dd2 and a couple of times I felt the start of thrush and just got the gel out and got rid of it.

[beansprout]

lol Moondog - I'm the same!

Hope you feel better soon K.

[moondog]

I wouldn't ignore.
It frightened me how bad the pain got so quickly.
I couldn't even stand up straight as the feeling of a shirt on my nipples was agony.

[eidsvold]

agree with moondog - do not ignore it - jsut gets worse!!

[Kiff]

Ha ha moondog - am I nominated MN moaner of the week (to Harry hill TV burp tune). I also had my teeth drilled 2 days ago - which used up the last of my 'brave little soldier' enthusiasm for doctor types.

Thanks guys...

And its daft to say that SMA is the lesser of two evils here, isn't it? Ds is about 11 w.o.

And I don't wanna give up white bread and sugar.

[eidsvold]

honestly the daktarin oral gel - you can buy over the counter... I just talked to the pharmacist about using it - was fine. Honestly can say the pain went so quickly it was amazing.

[moondog]

I didn't give up anything.
You just have a quick blast of the drugs and get on with yer life (which in my case involved copious quantities of red wine.)

[Kiff]

Riiighhhht.

Got a young chap who was really keen to try to diagnose me with mastitis and give me antibiotics.

He reckoned thrush in milk ducts is incredibly rare, but prescribed me fluconazole (albeit in much lower dose - 50mg 7 days). He advised not feeding while I was taking it, and not for 4 days afterwards. Covering his back I guess. No sign of thrush on nipple or on baby's mouth so nothing topical prescribed.

[moondog]

That is shit Kiff and common apparently as doctors don't get this whole thing.Have you looked up the Breastfeeding Network thing???

[moondog]

The not feeding thing in particular.
You can actually buy the stuff yourself if and dose yourself too.

[Kiff]

Yeah - bfn stuff was very good.

I've no intention of not feeding - I could put cream of the ruddy stuff in his gob according to the license, so it is not exactly arsenic.

I didn't push the issue with the dosage - thinking that since I seem to have a fairly mild case perhaps 50mg/day will clear it(vs 400mg/daythat bfn recommend) in conjunction with cutting out sugar and taking probiotics .

I saw daktarin cream in the pharmacy - but I felt it was kind of speculative to use it when I had no nipple pain.

I scared the poor bloke! He asked what my job was, and 'what gave me the idea of thrush'. I said: 'because I have textbook sympotms', to which he came back with 'sometimes mastitis presents unusually... come back in a few days if you get worse - we may have to rethink not using antibiotics'

[moondog]

Rightyo.
Let us know how you get on eh?

[eidsvold]

make sure it is the oral gel not the cream.

[pigsinmud]

Hi Kiff - I too can recommend daktarin gel for baby. I had mastitis just before Christmas and ended up on antibiotics. I took a probiotic at the same time, but ended up with a different type of pain! My fab pro-bf hv decided it was early thrush. I was very sceptical about the gel as dd showed no signs of thrush, however I gelled her and creamed me making sure I didn't get them muddled up (as the helpful pharmacist pointed out??) and it cleared up. Hope it clears soon.
My hv gave me a photocopy of the bfn page on thrush - I was so impressed!

[Kiff]

schilke -you went solo without gp oversight?

[EmmyLou]

Kiff - I fed through about six weeks of fluconazole in total. The pain was, as Moondog describes, unbearable after feeding. The thrush wasn't caught early enough: GP no1 prescribed 2 courses of antibiotics as he reckoned I had mastitis, even though I took a breast feeding book in with me and showed him the paragraph on thrush that described my symptoms exactly and this was my third child.

The dosage for fluconazole is quite specific - if the loading dose is not big enough, and if you don't take it for long enough you may end up having to have another course.

Breast feeding network site gave the best info - print it off and take to your GP. Ductal thrush is becoming far more common.

[EmmyLou]

Sorry - meant to say that it was GP no3 who finally gave the anti fungal meds.

Acidophillus capsules are a good supplement.

[SoupDragon]

Just to give an alternative view, I had those symptoms, ignored it all and they went away...

[SoupDragon]

I had the same as the original poster, not the unbearable pain mentioned by ohers!

[Kiff]

I've taken my second 50mg today - together with having dropped most of the sugar/white carbs/dairy from my diet. Pain has pretty much gone (together with about 2lb in weight!).

Really hoping finishing 7 day course will shift it. At boots they've got it selling for £11.99 - which'll make it mighty pricy to go completely solo. Do doctors listen to bf counsellors? The gp i spoke to took a very dim view of dosing not according to his little manual - and I doubt my hvs are much help.

I've looked all over the place for acidophillus - where is it sold?

Really appreciate you guys taking an ineterest and sharing your experiences, btw.

[EmmyLou]

Kiff, I got acidophillus from my local health food shop, it's made by a company called Quest, but you could try an online site like Healthy Direct - I can't see it in their catalogue (grrrr all you have to do is order one thing and the catalogues come like a rash) but garlic capsules are also meant to be v good for promoting good internal health and the ones from here seem to be cheap.

here

Your HV sounds a right old nightmare - your GP too - why don't they just admit their BF ignorance? It's so much better than misinformation. I had v supportive HV when BF, consider myself V lucky.

[pigsinmud]

Hi Kiff. My HV gave me a prescription for the daktarin oral gel for my dd and told me to get daktarin cream for me. I didn't see my gp about it. The hv seemed to know what she was talking about and I had already thought it might be thrush. I got acidophillus tablets from Holland & Barrett ... I think they were strawberry flavoured?!

[Kiff]

got the acidophilus! 1-0 to local corner shop pharmacy vs big high st chains!