I’m scared . Pls talk me down

[lisalisa]

I’m 56 ( naturally not pregnant or breastfeeding ) and have somehow contacted breast cellulitis .
it started with a small nipple discharge and a soreness at the end of my breast so I saw my GP Sunday morning . I was give flucloxacillin by Monday it was spreading and I started feeling unwell - flu like , shivers , tired .
my insurance covered me to go a breast clinic at a local private hospital where they were amazing and changed the antibiotics to augmentin . I’ve now had 3 doses of the augmentin over almost 24 hours but the infection is still slowly spreading , slowly being the word . It’s ever so slight . I would have thought though that the augmentin would at least have stopped the further spread even if it took a few days to reverse it .
This is complicated by the fact that I’ve had a urine infection for a while initially treated by nitrofurantin but then be cephalixin whrn the nutrofurantin didn’t quite get rid of it . Even after the cephalexin I still had signs of the infection so on Friday they told me to start nitrofurantin again which I did . It started to work but today the urine infection symptoms are coming back .
im so frightened as I seem to have two infections and am scared something bad is happening .
pls talk me down and reassure me that antibiotics take a while to stop the infection spreading and that I shouldn’t panic . Please

It normally takes 2/3 days to see the effects of the antibiotics working. If you still feel as though the symptoms are worsening tomorrow night I would consider revisiting the gp on Thursday.

Hope you feel better soon

Thank you @justfirthisboard . My dh says he’ll take me back to the clinic tomorrow if it’s still spreading but my worry is that they won’t be able to stop it - because also of the urine infection .
I’ve had so many small ish things wrong over the past 2.5 years it feels as if my system just isn’t throwing things off properly anymore

Please try not to panic. You have lots going on but I am sure they will be able to stop the infection. If you start to feel more unwell, please seek more urgent care but otherwise, I would go back to the clinic as your DH suggests tomorrow.

Thanks @BoilingHotand50something . Your username made me laugh because it’s how I am now ! Hot and 50 something although not hot for the right reasons !
my rational side says they must be able to stop the infection but with two going on I’m feeling so scared ….

I am literally glistening as I write this!

Poor you. It does sound like your immune system needs a boost. Have they done blood tests etc?

@BoilingHotand50something i hear you ! Blasted menopause !
ive had a fair few blood tests over past 2 years . They found low vitamin d 5 months ago so I had an injection of it - presume it’s ok now. Also pre diabetic but have taken good steps to cut out sugar and reduce weight and also fatty liver . That’s about it .
but I’ve had so many minor things wrong that something feels off .

I had an awful breat infection when I was 49 and peri, red hot breast,nipple discharge and a lump in areola and felt very flu like.
I was prescribed Flucoxcillian and then augmentin, as the lump remained I had a biopsy and it turned out to be infection caused by ductal ectasia.
I got another infection a year later in the same area and that turned into an abscess that burst on its own. I went back to breast clinic and they did a needle aspiration to remove some fluid and I have not had a problem since and that all happened several years ago now.

@DeerWatch sounds like a very similar thing to me then . My gp said duct ecstasia too. How did it go eventually as you said augmentin didn’t cure it ?

Also do they do a biopsy under general or local anaesthetic?

I have had a number of biopsies over the years and I have always had a local.

The infection did clear eventually after 12 weeks of augmentin. It was a core biopsy under local anaesthetic, the procedure was fine, the week wait for results was the worst part.

One dose of vit d is unlikely to keep you at a good level. Ask for a test or buy one from city assays. You may need a high dose of it's really low for a while. Recurrent infections can be a sign of low vit d...

Thanks @shewolfmum i will ask for a repeat blood test then .
@DeerWatch - 12 weeks of augmentin!!! Bloody hell ! I guess im half mad then expecting to see a stop of the spreading after 3 doses. Did you have the pain and hotness and swelling in the breast that long too ? I guess I’m fine provided it doesn’t continue spreading but it’s the spread that worries me

The week of Flucloxacillin got rid of the hotness, fever and nipple discharge but I still had a lump left which was diagnosed as infection by the core biopsy. As the Flucloxacillin was really upsetting my stomach I was moved onto the Augmentin which I tolerated fine apart from frequent thrush! It cost me a small fortune in prescriptions, thrush treatments and dressings.
The following year I needed 4 weeks of Augmentin to clear the abscess and infection.
I did have a swab done, perhaps ask for one to be done to see if you need a different antibiotic.
I hope it clears up soon, do come back and say how it is going.
Try not to worry, easier said than done!

@DeerWatch i can’t thank you enough for sharing your experience as your journey sounds similar to how mine is shaping out to be . Also with a lump left it’s scary as we all think the worst so at least if that happens to me I’ll remember your experience and not panic too much .
I think infection brings you down and makes you feel teary and low anyway and my house are early sleepers ( dh has been asleep already since before 10) so I’m just sitting here alone in the dark with a hot painful breast , urine infection pain and piles of tablets . Hear you in the thrush too . That’s just starting …..

I have yo wait up till 12 though to have augmentin before bed

I had an infection that took 9 weeks to clear, it can take time, but it's important to keep on top of it and visit the hospital so they can change medication if the infection is resistant to certain types of medicine. I wish you well soon.

There are two things I would do to help (as well as hydrate, rest, get on top of your vitamins and take your meds at the right time). One is take d-mannose to help your uti, it has evidence now and helped me stop years of uti's. The other I'd look at is using Mannuka honey on your breast (you should talk to your doctor first), proper manuka honey (£30 a jar) has evidence of reducing wound infections

Pressed return too quickly! I would look into manuka honey and check to make sure it would be okay to try and not just listen to my random internet post! Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you @iceandcheques . I’ve heard that about Manuka honey too and I’ll ask . I’ve also heard about d mannose but it’s v high in sugar and I’m almost diabetic so do t think it’s a good one for me

On my way back to the clinic now as I have temperature and it’s spreading ( the redness)

Gosh, I hope you feel better soon OP.

I'm sure I am wrong, but I always thought that cellulitis type infections that are difficult to clear (i.e. no immediate improvement on oral A/Bs) would be treated with IV antibiotics? I'm probably wrong, although it seems very tedious to have to undergo 12 weeks of antibiotics for your type of breast issue. I can only imagine the effect that might have on your gut, so you might consider probiotics to help.

I'm sorry again, but my mouth is open with surprise that it could take 12 weeks oral meds to clear this. But I am obviously living on a different planet or something!

Hope you're feeling reassured, OP, and get some good treatment xx

I've had this 3 times. The fluclox worked each time. It's pretty common at our age.

So I’m back home from the clinic. Although the nipple discharge has cleared a bit the ultrasound showed it has spread and I can feel myself the area of infection has spread and has risen up my chest .
the doctor says if it’s not improved tomorrow morning I will need to go in for IV antibiotics.
I just hope those work .
pls come and tell me stories of IV antibiotics working where oral didn’t .