I've had a bit of a crap time of it recently, which has not been helped by a throat infection which has come back 3 times in less than a month, making me feel run down.
The first 2 times, I was prescribed erythromycin, as it is compatible with bf. When it came back a third time the doc took a swab before prescribing anything.
The results show I've got strep A, and that it's only sensitive to penicillin, amoxicillin and tetracycline. I keep getting it because it doesn't respond to the erythromycin.
The problem is that I'm allergic to penicillin (and therefore am also unable to take amoxicillin), and tetracycline is incompatible with bf and pregnancy (I am also currently trying to conceive, and awaiting period).
The doctor basically shrugged and said that my only option was tetracycline, and then of course only if my period comes. She said I would have to stop breastfeeding for the course of antibiotics (she said to express and store it in the fridge - but wouldn't that still be unsafe to use?).
I have a few problems with this. DS is 20 months, and I have moments where I would like to stop bf, but this is not the way I want to do it. We are down to 2 feeds a day, sometimes 1, but this is a result of me reducing feeds rather than DS cutting back naturally. I would hate to force him stop, and he would not stop quietly! He really is hooked on those 1 or 2 feeds a day, and can be a nightmare if they don't happen.
It has also been a very long time since I expressed, and I am really not sure how effectively I could do it. I am really concerned that a week or so without bf would be enough to ruin my milk supply and/or stop DS from bf. I can't imagine stopping bf for something as trivial as a sore throat/cough that won't bugger off.
I also would not want to risk taking tetracycline if I were pregnant. When I asked the doctor what would happen in that scenario, she didn't really know, just said that we would have to cross that bridge if it came to it.
Has anyone else been in a similar position? Any advice or thoughts? I feel like I'm being cornered into making a decision that I'm really not happy with at the moment.