Are blocked ducts always painful, or is it something else?

[PickledLily]

I've had (what I think) is a blocked duct for ages. It's big but not painful at all. It usually disappears after feeding, especially with some massaging, but always reappears once the breast is full (the breast usually gets engorged pretty quickly, the other side isn't so bad).

I'm assuming it's a blocked duct (what else could it be?!) - how do I clear it and keep it clear?

To be honest, it doesn't sound like a blocked duct if it disappears after every feeding. I've had blocked ducts and they were really hard and painful to touch and quite difficult to unblock. It took alot of pummelling massaging and feeding to clear it. It sounds to me like it is just a 'full' duct that you can see and feel when the breast is fuller, or engorged. If it isn't painful and goes away after each feeding I wouldn't worry too much.

If you have very dense breast tissue with little fat coverage, breasts can feel knobbly when engorged. Maybe this is one such knobble?

Thanks for the replies. It's more than knobbly, it's the size of a 2p piece. It took ages to clear originally after lots of massaging, but now the baby's chin seems to do mostly clear it each time. Sounds like it might be a full duct (or reservoir, in my case!).