Ductal thrush? Neuralgia? Agony!

[Mismatc]

My LO is 18 months old and I have developed the most intense neuropathic pain for a few hours after draining my right breast. I did have some other signs of thrush, a shiny and swollen nipple. However, it is only one side.

I’ve been given 150mg fluconazole today and two further doses to take every 72 hours. I have fed once from that side in 24 hours and the after effects are agony. I usually feed on demand many times every 24 hours.

Please help. How long will this take to improve. It is agony. Do I need to just quit cold turkey, I can barely care for my child for hours at a time as the pain totally stops me in my tracks

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/an-update-on-our-information-on-and-approach-to-persistent-breast-and-nipple-pain-when-breastfeeding/

Could it be mastitis?

The other thing I can think of is this

breastfeeding.support/mammary-constriction-syndrome/

Thank you for this. I feel well and there is no swelling, redness, pain on palpation or lumps so I really don’t think mastitis or abscess. It is 100% related to the breast being drained and goes on for a few hours later. It very much feels like nerve pain.

The information in the first link is interesting and it reflects the more up to date information I was finding last night regarding ductal thrush. The other suggested causes and advice do not feel all that relevant to me 18 months in though, I don’t have a young baby to adjust attachment for.

My current plan is to feed from that side as little as possible and maybe even rapid wean. I wasn’t ready to wean at all but am reaching acceptance that I may choose to in view of the pain.

Could it be vasospasm? I had endless trips to the doctors and was given medication for mastitis, thrush x 3, steroid cream for blebs and vasospasm. In the end the breastfeeding team suggested it was a form of vasospasm - mammary constriction syndrome. https://breastfeeding.support/mammary-constriction-syndrome/ No medication needed and the pain subsided after 3 months or so. Took a lot of painkillers to see me through those months.

So frustrating for you. It is possible to just feed on one side if you want to keep BF and the pain doesn’t subside

Thank you both so much.

@panda42 it could be this as I do get more milk blebs on this side. I will research it more

@fashionqueen0123 I’ve thought the same today. My toddler does demand both breasts though so it could get interesting. She likes to pick which one and switch between them 😅

I feel a bit like an alien reading the advice for how to support with these conditions as it all seems aimed at young babies. I’m not sure whether that means that these issues only come up earlier in the breastfeeding journey so the information is not relevant to me or it’s just so unusual to be feeding an older child that they’re not represented

I’m a Bf peer supporter and if you contact any of the Bf organisations then no one will bat an eyelid :) it’s all normal to us. Problems can happen later down the line.

Sometimes even toddlers can get a bad latch - being a bit lazy, getting new teeth etc! Just being bigger and sitting on you differently . The worst pain I had wasn’t until my child was about 9 months old and I kept randomly getting this awful like dent in my nipple. God knows what she was doing!