how long does mastitis hang around for?

[whenwillisleepagain]

several of you have been supportive to me over the last few days when I've posted about my saga of plugged ducts and then mastitis - thank you. Briefly, I had what I think were the beginnings of mastitis after getting two plugged nipple ducts in the space of a few days - red hot streaky breast, slight fever and feeling pretty miserable, but nowhere near as rotten as many women on MN have been with mastitis. My GP prescribed a 5 day course of amoxicylin and I have two more to take. The affected breast is quite a lot better, but not right yet - still unusually tender and a bit red. Hand expressing in a hot shower or getting my DD to feed off it bring relief, but it's short-lived. As it happens, am seeing the GP again tomorrow for 6 week check for me and the baby - but I just wondered whether this is a condition that takes some time to go away altogether, or if I need to be concerned that it's not totally gone yet.

I've just been speaking with a very helpful bf counsellor on the phone, who says I'm doing all the right things eg still hand expressing, massaging, having hot compresses and it may be that I need stronger antibiotics, as it should be better than it is by now. If that's the case, so be it, but I don't want to keep taking ABs if I don't need to. Has anyone had similar experience? thank you!

I have ABs for mastitis twice and I'm afraid that I think was feeling better than you by that stage... I was prescribed a 7 day course of flucloxacillin though I am starting to wonder whether I ever fully got rid of it the first time as I keep getting plugged ducts... The lumpiness has taken a long time to go away even when I have felt better.

Kellymom says:
^Typical antibiotics used for mastitis:

• Dicloxacillin, flucloxacillin, cloxacillin, amoxycillin-clavulinic acid
• Cephalexin, erythromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, nafcillin

Most recommend 10-14 day treatment to prevent relapse. Do not discontinue treatment earlier than prescribed.^

Maybe you should get a prescription and wait and see...

thank you both - bb good point about self treatment. Last night I did a particularly long, hot shower and loads of massaging and expressing while I was in the shower. Not sure if that was a critical factor - personally I think it was because the milk came shooting out where I had had a plugged duct before. But anyway, I woke up this morning feeling better than I have done for about 10 days - the tender area on my breast had, I imagine, unblocked, and I felt a lot cheerier too.

So I just told the GP all this rather than having to ask about more ABs - great result. I am keeping up the hot showers, massaging and expressing for the forseeable future though, oh - and crossing my fingers hard too!

Thank you wwisa, I came on here to ask about how to clear mastitis -it came on suddenly on Monday night, bruised feeling left breast, massive shivering, chattering teeth, then sweats got appt with GP yesterday and have 7days of flucoxicillin but can't seem to clear the lumpy feeling in breast. nothing seems to come out when I try expressing and DS2 (3wks) still seems hungry after feeding from the affected side so I'm not sure if he's having any more luck than I am with it.
Into the shower I go...

yorky if you're reading this, how are you doing? Improving I hope. I am sure your DS will be having better luck than you with the affected side. I've seen it written many times that the amount you can express is no indicator of what a woderfully efficient baby can get out.

Thank you again wwisa, feeling SO much better its great - I love ABx! GP is happy I don't have an abscess but may still have a blocked duct to keep working on in shower as still have a lump kind of central in boob, even after DS2 has fed
How are you getting on?

heading back to the shower! gone lumpy again - but no worse than that.... so far. I know exactly why, which is something. DD very wakeful all day yesterday, which meant she did a longer than usual stretch last night - 6 hours. Lovely on the sleep front, not so great for my dodgy boob.

Hello. I have had several bouts of mastitis, always same boob but in different places. The only thing I find that helps, especially for the lumpy bits, is savoy cabbage leaves. I now always have a cabbage as back-up in the fridge. Stuff a leaf down the bra after every feed. Good luck.

thanks Rhody - I tried this for the first time a few weeks ago, and yes it's brilliant. Just realised I'm about to run out of supplies though... must get some more in. Actually this time round, seem to have got my blockage unblocked, so spending all of Friday night showering, squeezing and all the rest, paid off. Phew!

Hi,

I have recently had the same thing. Fluey symptoms, sore breast etc. Took antibiotics and it immediately disappeared, however the day after I stopped them it started to come back again in the same place.

I looked on the La leche website and it suggested that you should change the feeding position every so often i.e. rugby hold instead of cradle hold for example, as always feeding in the same position sometimes doesn't enable all the ducts to get fully draines.

I did this and my breast cleared after a couple of feeds - whereas previously expressing and normal feeding had no impact.

Good luck.