Two plugged milk ducts, HELP!

[RoRoMommy]

Last night I noticed a lump in my breast, and two white spots on my nipple. I had a plugged duct in the past, which lead to mastitis, so I used the same methods as before to clear the plug (pressure massage to swollen area, feeding on that breast first). I saw my GP this morning and she said that one of the ducts is plugged but without skin covering the opening (a good sign, the plug can pass freely through the nipple once it clears) while the other has a layer of skin over the top (dead skin cells), so she emphasized that I should exfoliate that part to get the skin off so the plug could clear. I have been applying a warm compress to the area, and I tried using a sterilzed needle to clear the skin away (this worked last time), but only succeeded in causing some bleeding (and now worrying that an infection will be able to get through that injured portion into my breast, causing mastitis again...).

Can anyone please tell me what you've done to clear a plugged milk duct, particularly one where a milk "blister" has formed over the top of the plug? What have you done to clear away the dead skin without causing bleeding, and what should I do to treat the now-broken skin there?

Note, also, that I am at work at the moment and have only a kitchen wash cloth, kettle, lighter, and the safety pin holding my shirt together, oh and my pump, to work with.

Thank you in advance.

Oh poor you! I get plugged ducts ALL the time (the last one was on Saturday) and they are horrible.
Here's a link to a similar thread. If I find a plug in my nipple I'm afraid I end up squeezing (and sort of rolling) my nipple between thumb and forefinger to get the plug to pop out. I am NOT suggesting this is the best way as I would feel dreadful if you damaged your nipple by being too brutal. It just works for me, that's all!

I haven't had the milk blister variety of plugged duct so can't help there though.

Good luck - hope it clears soon.

Thanks! I wish mine came out that easy. I can get bits of the hardened milk out, but nothing like the complete relief discussed on that thread! The milk blister is a real pain, because using a needle doesn't always work and it can increase the risk of infection and DREADED MASTITIS!

Dealing with all of this whilst at work isn't fun, either. I am shooting milk all over my office, trying to hand-express milk through the plugged ducts! What will the cleaning people think?

On a related note, can I give the milk to my DS that came from the nipple whilst it was bleeding? Presumably some blood got in to the milk.

Ooh ouch, poor you! I too get plugged ducts of the skin over the top variety and I have found eyebrow tweezers to be a good implement. I am not saying squeeze the whole nip, but I used the tip to squeeze or prod the offending, erm, bobble IYSWIM. I have also tried a needle in the past and, like you, found that it just bled. I do worry about infection with using the tweezers, even tho I put them in v hot water first, but I have reasoned with myself that BM is sterile and all the milk that pours out after unblocking will clean it. And that I'm doing it in the bath, and that the time I got mastitis it was from not dealing with the blockage rather than dealing with it.
Not sure I would like to attempt this at work tho!
Good luck

Thanks, McFly, that's v. helpful as I have a great pair of tweezers at home and plan to take a hot bath as soon as I get there. I got a laugh out of your post's use of "bobble" and "nip", so thanks, I needed that.

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