Calling VVVQV, ScaryLittleCarrot, and IamDaisy, ANYONE...blocked duct help please

[RoRoMommy]

Hello there! I posted about this a few days ago and Scary, you responded, which was great, but they are still plugged despite my efforts...baths every night, tweezers, squeezing, rolling, needles. Now my right breast is visibly larger than my left and my right arm is starting to ache, signs that an infection is impending. Oh, and my nipple hurts like HELL.

SO, two questions...first HOW CAN I UNPLUG THESE DAMN THINGS?!?! I managed to break the blister over one plug, so now they're both exposed, but I can only seem to get bits out at a time, little tiny bits, rather than strings or globules. Milk is flowing, though slowly, though one of them, but not the other (the one that had a blister over the top until last night's foray with a needle).

Second, should I start taking the antibiotics now, or wait until I have the redness, swelling, and fever of mastitis? I get thrush (down there; hey, we're all friends here, right?) everytime I take antibios, and am loathe to take them until absolutely necessary.

Please help. Losing morale and feeling helpless.

I'm pondering...I wonder if because the plug is basically cream, which is a fat, whether the olive oil is to dissolve it, since water won't?

SLC - sounds plausible. I honestly don't know how the olive oil is supposed to work, and I've never tried it (last one I had I managed to "ping" the plug out) - would be interested to hear how it goes though.

Good news! I think the olive oil, and a bath with some "boob brushing" helped a lot. My breast feels much more "slack" than it has in days, so I think the trapped milk is flowing. DS was great tonight, insofar as he was basically strapped to the boob for three hours (I think he missed them today .

I can see milk flowing through one of them, and though the other isn't flowing, it seems less swollen and the area is much smaller.

How is yours, Scary? I hope it doesn't persist. Try the olive oil trick...my fingers are now crossed for you!

Tangle, I loved the thought of the "ping". How satisfying would that be?

just wanted to say i ALWAYS used to get plugged ducts after expressing, scary, you're no the only one. i'm glad i've found a plugged duct post expressing partner, because i was stating to think it was All In My Head.

whyyyyy dont i preview my posts?
not and starting

So glad things are looking up for you, RoRo, and that the olive oil seemed to help Fingers crossed for you, SLC.

As for the "ping", it was quite surreal - managed to flick out the plug and then squirted milk halfway across the bathroom. But the relief...

Yeah, I know what you mean sherazade. I am pumping three times a day five days a week in order to keep on breastfeeding and working...and the plugged ducts started. But I don't want to stop bf, I would love to ebf, so I persist with the help of my plugged duct buddies here on mn.

have you tried changing to a different type of breast pump?

RoRomummy - I know how you feel, I have had endless blocked ducts and am currently trying to get rid of another bout of mastitis. I was very fevery last night but feel a bit better today.

La leche league were quite helpful last time. Apparently it's often to do with diet and consuming more saturated fat than usual. I bought that lecithin stuff as well.

I wouldn't take anti-biotics before you get mastitis. I have managed without them so far and it's a good job as I've had it so many times. It's not recurrent either, different breasts every time. Take them if you really need them though.

I have found homeopathic phytolacca helpful with the blocked ducts and lumps.

scarylittlecarrot - I haven't come across another carrot on here yet! I guess we won't be confused as you're little, and the Mrs in my name makes me sound bustley, though I'm not really.

No! I love my breast pump! Please say it can't be that...I tried three others before this one, which is an American model from Playtex, and they all made my nipples bleed

Mrs. Carrot, poor you! I can't believe you talk about the dreaded mastitis so flippantly. I had to sit in a cold bath for an hour last time around to get the fever down. It went from 101 to 105 in TWENTY MINUTES. Ouch. I really hope you feel better soon.

Is there anyone to take care of you? I don't know about you, but I really need TLC when I am ill. My mom was great (we were on holiday in LA at when I got it).

"Apparently it's often to do with diet and consuming more saturated fat than usual."

[RoRo looks down at the carton of Haagen Dazs she's polishing off in shame, and not a little bit of fear]

must say that some of these descriptions make for FASCINATING reading... [WINK]

Did I sound flippant? No, I have felt like death. Last night I could hear drums in my head, I had the shivers, sweats and dreadful pains in my legs. The red lines have turned into pinker patches today though so I think it's turned though I still feel ill. I would take AB'S if it worsened after 48 hours but it has always begun to improve by then. He is 9 months and this is the sixth time now, plus endless painful lumps. never had it with my other two. Dh has been around today though which has been a great help.

Off to have another bath. Hope you feel better soon as well.

Haagen Daaz? Mmm, I haven't had that for ages. I don't normally eay dairy food and I could identify some of the outbreaks to when I'd had a cheese binge. Worth bearing in mind anyway.

Oh, MrsCarrot that's awful. I am so sorry you feel so bad. I guess the fact that you're even typing on a computer takes you miles away from where I'd be (crying in bed to my DH to make it all better...). How odd that it's hit you so bad this time around, but not with the other two? What in the world is that about?

Sending you healthy vibes...

just checking in to see how you are RoRo, and there's even more food for thought (no pun intended ). I'm glad things are a bit easier, and am inspired by your upbeatness (if that's even a word?)

what exactly do you do with the olive oil? I can only think soak a cotton ball in warm oil and apply to nipple? am I even close?

sympathies to you MrsCarrot. When I had my last bout of mastitis it looked like my DS had attacked my boob with a red marker pen. It was over a month ago, but there is still some skin discolouration where the blockage was and that whole patch feels numb.

Much as I'm now loving BFing, it will be a relief to get my boobs back.

I'll be looking more closly at my (very often pretty poor) diet to see if I can pinpoint a link, but the cheese thing is ringing lots of bells as DS and I were getting through a huge block of cheddar a week around the time of all my problems. I've been eating less than half my usual amount for a few weeks now, and haven't had a problem

oh, and LOL MrsCarrot at your "different breasts every time"....

....erm, how may do you have exactly?

LOL on the "different breasts"

As for how to apply the oil, the version I heard was: use a corner of kitchen roll or a folded tissue, soak in oil and put in your bra (inside a pad ). I got the impression you wanted it to be in contact for as long as you could. Be interested to know how long you needed, RoRo, though - I might be miles out.

I'll bear the saturated fat thing in mind - I HATE blocked ducts.

Hi Ladies!

RoRo, I'm relieved for you that those blockages seem to be resolving, that was quite some nasty ductathon you had to endure there. My personal blockage seems to be a lurker; it hasn't totally blocked up, (yet)just a bit lumpy and tender for now. Hoping it just retreats as I'm just NOT in the mood for it.

Interesting to hear quite a few of us have made the blocked ducts / pumping connection. In all my surfing, I only ever found one reference to this possible link. I was getting cheesed off (sorry for pun) with all the references that it was almost certainly due to a dodgy latch, as I really didn't think this applied to me.

Also, I had a pet theory about the Haagen Daz diet / blockages theory too, but was in denial, and you've confirmed my suspicions that there may be something in that too, dammit.

Poo.

Good morning. I may have been optimistic too soon...my left boob is painful and really full, despite DS feeding throughout the night. Will keep you posted and put more olive oil.

IamDaisy, I put the oil in a cotton wool in my bra, under a pad.

Catherine, very interesting about the pumping connection. If that's the case I'll have to take lecithin by the boatload and stop eating fat altogether, because I work all week and I WILL NOT give up breastfeeding just because I have to work.

Must sort out plugs. Grrrr.

DS is wiggly, must go...

sorry things are still looking bleak RoRo, but hats off to you for persevering with it all.

This thread has been great for some different ways of treating the damn things. I had a bit of a twinge last night, but thankfully it hasn't amounted to anything.

Is this going to be the inaugural MN Blocked Duct Support thread?

and I've bypassed bonfire night and gone straight for the Christams name

Don't mean to be ignorant - but where are yu getting the blocked ducts - is it in your nipples or further up the breast? Sounds pretty rough so really feel for you (am only into 2nd mth of bf so learning!)

Hi nutella

Speaking for myself, I get a hard lump in my boob which gets bigger until there's a whole quadrant of breast which is engorged with backed up milk. Sometimes, but not always, I find a tiny little plug in the pore of my nipple. If I can get rid of this plug (think of a champagne cork popping) then the backed up milk flows out and the hard bit "deflates".

amazing. and a wee bit yuk.