Is there any chance this is anything apart from thrush?

[Hopefully]

DS2 is 2.5 weeks old. He feeds constantly but latch is great and feeding has literally been pain free from day 1 (huge surprise after weeks and months of agony with DS1).

Over the last 24 hours I've noticed a faint shooting sensation behind my nipple. Initially put it down to soreness from a mammoth 24 hour feeding session, but it's got worse despite a relaxed day, feeding wise, and I'm now getting shooting pains in between feeds.

Am so bloody pissed off, as my entire feeding relationship with DS1 was marred by alternating thrush and blocked ducts (and one memorable bout of mastitis), and it's so depressing to think of the same thing happening again after such a great start. Also, my doc twice prescribed me cream for me and DS (who got oral thrush), but seemed fairly clueless, and I've read that there are various treatments that are more effective than others.

Thoughts? Is it probably thrush? What can I demand from the doc? Is there anything I can do to minimise the chances of it recurring? Any advice appreciated!

Sounds like it tbh, especially as you recognise the symptoms .

The Breastfeeding Network have a great leaflet on treating thrush.

BfN leaflet

does sound like it. total arse

fluconazole most effective oral treatment but some GPs reluctant to prescribe. you can take leaflet with you.
nystatin often prescribed for LO
daktarin more effective for LO but need to be careful with application to tongue and mouth as bit gloopy
other cream for you - not sure which but GP prescribes
bicard soda wash on nipples apparently good
jack newman does specific nipple ointment that GP can make up - i know someone who emailed him and he emailed the recipe

no sugar, lots of yoghurt, no white bread, apple cider vinegar to be drunk diluted 1:10 with water apparently very good as candida albicans don't like the acetic acid in it.

hth

The cream will only fix thrush on your nipple - if the pain is inside the breast then you need fluconazole.

That BFN leaflet is really good - don't get fobbed off!

Thanks for replies. I will print off BFN leaflet and phone docs tomorrow.

Grrr, is so bloody annoying. Why do some women never get thrush/block ducts/any problems whatsoever and others seem destined for it no matter what? Have friends who seem to have nothing but delightful experiences. (rhetorical question really. I know that most women probably have one issue or another, I was jut so enjoying having an actual good and pain free BFing relationship and am pissed off that 2 weeks appears to be all I deserve).

Maybe it'll just be one bout of thrush and then you're sorted? We got thrush when ds was 11 days old - I wish I'd known then what I know now and could have just insisted on the right treatment from the start! Instead we were given one thing, it wouldn't work, I'd do some internet research and go back and ask for something else etc etc. The GP was always happy to prescribe me what I asked for, but I was the one having to look it up

Finally got rid of it at 8 weeks and have had 6 easy, painfree months since.

Get it treated properly and you should be able to shift it thoroughly. If you alternated thrush and blocked ducts before, I'd say you never actually cleared it properly.

Taking probiotics can help prevent recurrence.

Have you tried grapefruit seed extract?

I had what I strongly suspected to be thrush when feeding DD1 (though two doctors refused to believe I could have thrush if baby had no symptoms and so wouldn't prescribe anything).

I thought it would disappear when I stopped breastfeeding her, and indeed the pain did go, but as soon as I started BFing DD2 the pain returned almost immediately.

I took the GSE (15 drops) diluted in a glass of water three times a day, plus made up a solution to swab my nipples, which I did a few times a day for about a fortnight. I never swabbed baby's mouth.

It worked very well and the pain subsided within a couple of days. I still take the GSE orally to keep things at bay. So far so good!

(there's a lot of info online about GSE and thrush if you google it)

sigh

Doc basically didn't believe me. After trying to tell me i had mastitis (despite a complete absence of any mastitis symptoms), she more or less told me I didn't have thrush because DS2 has no symptoms. Eventually prescribed me some cream that wasn't the BFN recommended treatment (because apparently I don't need that one...) and suggested I get DS's latch checked (it's perfect, pain free, and the pain is deep in my breast, and in between feeds).

Am hoping that cream will improve things slightly, and will try various other suggestions to prevent recurrance, and see how it goes.

Japhrimel I hadn't really thought of the thrush and blocked ducts being linked, interesting.

Oh, the joys of HCPs.

Can you go to a different GP? Cream on your skin is unlikely to effect thrush inside your breast.

Maybe try the one dose fluconazole you can get over the counter? I know normally you'd be prescribed a course of it for thrush but it might be worth a shot.

i did have this for a bit in the beginning - i thought it was the milk being made . not to belittle your symptoms!? is it really bad? on a scale of 1-10? is is getting worse, or staying the same? would it get worse if it was thrush as the fungus take hold? (don't know, just trying to work it out )

go to a different gp - sounds like a twit

i forgot about GSE - it is supposed to be awesome!

i'm pretty sure the LO doesn't have to have symptoms too...