Mastitis - help please

[BabloHoney]

Wasn’t sure where to post this! Can anyone help please.. Almost certain I have mastitis.. I had it with my older child and symptoms are the same. One boob completely red on one side up to my arm, the other has a patchy red rash, they feel very sore to touch and breast feeding is so painful now :( Have also got shivers and aches (no temperature).

Had to get antibiotics to clear it up when I had it before, but my GP surgery don’t have appointments for over a fortnight, they tell you to go to a&e for emergencies but obviously don’t want to do that at the moment! Have been looking online how to treat at home but just wondered if anyone has any tips that might help to clear it up?

I can’t even buy paracetamol as all our shops are totally out!

Can you email or ring the GP surgery and explain you know exactly what is wrong, you don't need to be seen, just a 2 minute phone call and a prescription?

Thanks @AlphaIndigo I told the receptionist yesterday I was sure it was that and she said no prescriptions over the phone, she could book me in for 2 weeks time or if it gets really bad I should go to a&e. Maybe I should ring back and be a bit more insistent? So hard to know what to do, no one wants to be mistreating the NHS at a time like this!

That’s terrible advice from your GP receptionist. Mastitis can be dangerous without antibiotics but obviously A&E is not where you want to be or where they need you to be.

I had mastitis and was seen on Friday at GP and then on Monday they did a telephone appointment as I needed new antibiotics (bad reaction to the other ones) and prescribed over the phone and electronically sent to a pharmacy near me. Doc could may also prescribe paracetamol as you’re struggling to get hold of it. I’d phone back and push that you need treatment - I understand GPs are under tremendous pressure but now is not the time to transfer that pressure to A&E. Whatever you do OP, don’t just leave it (I’m sure you won’t). I know someone who had mastitis and it became sepsis as she didn’t think she would need antibiotics.

Hope you get the treatment you need and get better quickly

Do get back on to them, I got sepsis twice from mastitis, got abscesses and was operated on at four in the morning!