Refusing antibiotics due to breastfeeding. What will happen?

[SeptemberBabies]

I need the professional opinion of people in the medical profession about what will happen if I choose not to treat a soft tissue infection in my wound, just leave the wound open (with packing) and keep daily dressing changes and wait for the infection to clear.

DD will be 6 weeks on Friday, she was born by emergency C-Section and straight after birth I developed a soft tissue wound infection... that just has not gone away. It is now considered a chronic infection.

I spent 5 days re-admitted onto post-natal ward with IV antibiotics. Discharged with oral antibiotics which I took for 14 days. 1 week break and infection not cleared so another 10 day oral antibiotic.

Daily dressing changes at doctors. Wound still smelly, lots of discharge, one open hole and the rest of the wound keeps re-opening in small sections(sorry TMI). They think my body is rejecting dissolvable stitches and is pushing the stitches to the surface of my skin (also issues with ingrown hairs), causing skin to break and infection.

So the dilemma. I have been asked to attend a review on Monday with the doctor. The antibiotic I am taking is not working (penicillin). But I am breastfeeding. The antibiotic I need cannot be used when breastfeeding. But breastfeeding is going so well and I don't want to give up! [cry]

My options are

• to be readmitted for IV. No guarantees this will work since it didn't last time. Also makes family life difficult since I am SAHM to three older children. If it's unlikely to work then is it worth the hassle?
  
  
• To take the antibiotic I need and stop breastfeeding for the duration of the course. I can express and dump to keep up supply. But my supply will no doubt be affected. I also don't have enough stored milk for any length of time and I am quite evangelical about DD not having formula milk.
  
  
• to refuse further treatment (since I and DD are both well in ourselves) and continue with dressing changes, keep wound open, hope it clears up on its own in time.
  
  I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do
  
  I am most inclined to go with the last option. What will happen if we don't treat the infection?

[WiIdfire]

Agree Tazocin (Pip/Taz) and Gentamicin are both IV only.

Has anyone looked at the wound with a view to reopening it and cleaning it out - then letting it heal from the bottom? You Could have a sinus which will take ages to heal otherwise (not something that can be diagnosed over the internet though!!) just a suggestion.

[SeptemberBabies]

The wound is already open and being packed to stay open. It's cleaned out with saline every day. The plan is that it will heal from the bottom up, but they cannot let it heal at all until the infection has cleared.

I don't know what the IV antibiotics were when I was re-admitted last time. I know there were two different IV antibiotics I was given for those 5 days. Maybe it was those two on the list? I'll have to find out. The problem is they evidently didn't work because the infection hasn't gone.

[marleymooo]

OP a friend of mine recently ended up in HDU extremely ill with sepsis following an infection that wasn't picked up on so no abs. She was too unwell to bf her baby. If there's anyway at all you can get suitable antibiotics I'd take them. Get well soon xxx

[Hedgehogging]

Both pip/taz and gentamicin generally have to be given IV, so that's probably what the chat is about. Looks like pip/taz is an option to allow continued BF though.

[Hedgehogging]

Oops, didn't see the second page of comments. Apologies for repeating the info!

[stillstandingatthebusstop]

I had to stop bfeeding ds3 after he got complications after heart surgery and had to go on a fat free diet for about 6 weeks. I expressed and my supply was affected massively. By the end I was getting tiny amounts of milk, like a teaspoon full. But my supply came back when I was allowed to bfeed again. I successfully breast fed ds3 for ages (and I totally cannot remember for how long but I think it was until he was 2yrs ish).

[howtodrainyourflagon]

If you do have to pump and dump it'sreally worth it to hire a double pump. Best wishes to you whatever you decide.