Mastitis: fucking fed up!

[Flowershower]

Just that really - baby a few weeks old, not my first and successfully BF before. Had mastitis every time and this is no exception. Oversupply...boobs constantly sore and leaking...engorgement and plugged ducts...mastitis. Had a course of antibiotics which helped, stopped them and it came back. Now back on meds but haven't been a magic remedy, not convinced it's bacterial infection, think mainly inflamed at the mo (no fever, not red just sore and knotty boob), milk from 1 duct salty and baby not keen to feed from that side so regularly expressing to empty boob, also trying ibuprofen, lecithin, vitamin C, warm pack, cold pack...
Had it under control and supply had settled...then baby dropped a night feed and boom, back to square one.
Know it will get better eventually but right now so fed up and needed to whinge.

Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time, no advice as it sounds like you know what you are doing. Just didn't want to leave your post unanswered! Can you treat yourself to something really nice today to take your mind off it? Choc cake and coffee? fave film?

...although I would add I found lying in as hot as you can stand it bath helped with mastitis, as well as pumping. electric pump seemed more effective than baby at clearing blockages.

Thanks! Feeling a lot better after a day of doing nothing other than feeding, eating, popping millions of different pills and vit C drink and expressing. Need to slow down I think - have heard that mastitis happens more when you try to do too much and I am definitely guilty of that.

glad you feel better

Soooo much better now. In case it helps anyone else, this is what I did:

1. REST. Other than the school run, I did nothing apart from sit on my bed and feed the baby. The house is a mess but it can wait.
2. EXPRESS. I sat in a nice warm bath with baby feeding off the good boob while I expressed the bad side. Used my breast pump at first and then hand expressed with each let down. Boob was half the size when I got out the bath!
3. FED. Kept offering baby the bad side - eventually took it after I'd expressed loads - think this must have expressed off all the salty milk.
4. DRUGS. Regular ibuprofen. I'm also on flucloxacillin but it had flared up despite this so I'm not convinced that this was the answer. I also took lecithin four times yesterday, and 3 vitamin C soluble tablets. I felt like I was constantly taking meds but it seemed to help.
5. HOT and COLD. Heat pack before expressing/feeding to help the milk flow. Ice pack after expressing/feeding to reduce the swelling.
6. WASH. Obviously I wash usually! But I washed my boobs after each feed with hot soapy water to try and remove any bugs on the skin. It also was a chance to express any milk left behind.

Hope this might help someone else. Mastitis is just so bloody horrible.

good tips! it is horrendous im surprised this thread is so quiet but I had it last time and about to have baby 2 and start all over so its useful to have a few ideas to try