First post, so here it goes...
3rd of January 2014 I gave birth to my second child - a healthy baby girl. Without a thought in my mind, I began my breast feeding relationship with her, thinking it would be as easy as my eldest daughter's. I had exclusively breast fed her for fourteen months and had enjoyed every last minute of it.
After two months of breast feeding the little one, I noticed she had started to sleep through the nights completely. Of course a sleep deprived me was over the moon at this...however, my left breast because really engorged in the mornings and eventually this led to blocked ducts and a very bad fever. The doctor diagnosed me with mastitis, and sent me on my way with antibiotics and an instruction to see a breast feeding counselor to check the latch of the baby. I had visited two separate clinics and both had said everything was fine, and just told me to keep the breast drained.
A few days later the mastitis had seemed to be clearing, and I had happily fed my daughter. I gave her a bath after the feed, then began on my eldest daughters bath. During that time I was having a stabbing sensation in my left breast. By the end of her bath time I was unable to lift her out of the bath as I was clutching my breast in agony. The stabbing sensation had gotten worse to the point where I wanted to chop it off! Thankfully I had been staying at my mum's, and she was able to finish off bath time whilst I rolled around in agony on the bed, crying and literally screaming as if I was in labour. My mum then took me to A&E where I was checked over alongside baby, and I was diagnosed with ductal thrush, possibly as a result of the antibiotics. Baby thankfully showed no signs of oral thrush. The doctor prescribed me with Canesten thrush cream.
I then visited my local GP the next day after speaking to a breast feeding counselor again. I told her that I would need medicine for the baby also, so that we don't pass it on to each other so she prescribed her Nystatin. She also changed my medication to apply Daktarin, and again I was sent packing..
After a week had gone I was still in the same agony. My right breast was fine, but I had reduced the feeding on my left breast to twice a day. Once in the morning, and once at night. That gave me four hours to cry each day.. and as you can imagine, my left breast became a lot smaller after this! I called the breast feeding counselor again, and she said I would need Flucanazole ASAP. So I went back to my GP, she refused to give it to me. The following day the counselor had visited me at home, where I was again in agony. She phoned up my GP and demanded her to prescribe me the Flucanazole. She obliged to a 150mg loading dose, and 50mg twice a day for ten days. The counselor advised I change my diet to a no sugar/ no dairy/ no carbs diet ;introduce probiotics; change my bra daily; avoid towel sharing; and stick to the application of Daktarin. A few days after, the pain calmed.. and I thought it had gone completely until it came back towards the end of my course. I then went back to my GP and this time she gave me a larger loading dose of 400mg, and then 50mg twice a day again for ten days. She has asked for me to come back and review the course, as she admits to not knowing much about the case.
To be honest, this didn't really help me much. Although I wasn't rolling around in bed in agony, I still felt the stabbing pain and it would prevent me from going about my daily business in the house or outside.
I've now started taking Grape Fruit Seed Extract from the whole foods store, and almost instantly I feel like its helping a lot. I'm still battling with the ductal thrush now.. and I hope the GSE works.. because I don't want to think about what the next step will be. And above all I do not want to stop breast feeding.
This journey has been an emotional rollercoaster for both me and my husband. I'm at a loss as to why ductal thrush is such an issue with doctors. I would have thought something as painful as it would have studies upon studies on the matter.
Has anyone else experienced this?