4Real Forums: For me - possible mastitis

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

Active Topics || Favorites || Member List || Search || About Us || Help || Register || Login

We Pray to the Lord
4Real Forums : We Pray to the Lord

Topic: For me - possible mastitis

Author

Message

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Dec 16 2005 at 4:43am \| IP Logged

Hi everyone,

Could I ask for a quick prayer for me? I think I'm starting to get mastitis. I've had it a bunch of times so I know how it starts, and right now I'm feeling really run down, headachey, with one swollen, painful "nurser"

.

I'm going to try to rest as much as possible today. My dh's big company Christmas dinner is Sunday, and it's one of those things where it looks really bad if he doesn't go, or if I don't go with him.

We plan how we are going to pull this off for months ... so my main concern is that I'm well enough for this. It means SO much to my dh.

Thanks for your prayers for my concern - I know it is small compared to the others.

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

Victoria in AZ
Forum All-Star

Joined: Feb 16 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 672

Posted: Dec 16 2005 at 10:41am \| IP Logged

May Our Lady of La Leche intercede for you.

Praying with you that you are able to attend party for dh's sake.

Hope you feel better soon.

__________________
Your sister in Christ,
Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug

Search for other posts by Victoria in AZ

Angie Mc
Board Moderator

Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400

Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 2:04pm \| IP Logged

How are you feeling, Amy? I'm praying for healing and LOTS of rest and fluids.

Love,

__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 2:32pm \| IP Logged

I'm doing better today - thanks to antibiotics!

By late morning yesterday I was really sick so a call to the dr. netted me the medicine. I haven't been able to rest much with dh away all day yesterday and most of today, so it's either the prayers, or the drugs, or both, because I feel 70% better. Yay! Thanks for your prayers.

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

JennGM
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702

Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 3:57pm \| IP Logged

I'm happy to hear the good news! I fought chronic mastitis with my son....the antibiotics did seem to help quite a bit.

FWIW...I don't do homeopathic on a regular basis. But what really got me over the hump...after I started recognizing the beginning of mastitis or clogged duct taking over (I had clogged ducts quite frequently, also), was taking the homeopathic remedy Phytolacca Decandra 200C. After going through 6 rounds of antibiotics in 6 months, someone told me about this remedy. Now if I just felt some soreness in my breast I take the Phytolacca for a few times and it clears me up. No more breast infections or clogged ducts! www.homeopathyworks.com is what I used...and had someone walk me through. Ask for the larger tablets as the second time I ordered the granules were microscopic. And ask for the most potent dose...they will walk you through it. There probably are sources right in your neighborhood for this, even just a health food
store.

__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to

& ds1

'03 & ds2

'07
Family in Feast and Feria

Angie Mc
Board Moderator

Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400

Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 4:54pm \| IP Logged

So glad you are feeling better, Amy. Here's more and more related to mastitis.

Caution bf moms..tis the season for mastitis. We can be inclined to do too much, not get enough rest, skip nursings, forget to drink water, stress around relatives, and hang around crowds, exposing ourselves to colds. Let's help each other to take care of ourselves, OK?

Love,

__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Jan 06 2006 at 4:23pm \| IP Logged

Question for all you homeopathic moms:

I'm still fighting the mastitis and plugged ducts. I felt fine for awhile but had a plug a few days ago (which went away) and then again today the same side (different spot though) feels painful and I feel run down (like the mastitis might be coming back).

So, I got the Phytolacca Decandra 200C. I accidentally got the microscopic ones! I thought I was getting bigger ones. Anyway, it says to take just 4 under the tongue. Really? Just 4? They are so tiny, is that enough?

At that rate I'll have this bottle for my grandchildren, lol...

Thanks for any advice. Offering up this pain for your intentions!!

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

MEBarrett
Forum All-Star

Joined: Feb 15 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 596

Posted: Jan 06 2006 at 6:22pm \| IP Logged

This is going to sound wierd, but I was actually hospitalized for four days with mastitis and was on an IV for ten more at home. My lactation consultant told me that if I had wrapped my breast in fresh green cabbage leaves at the first sign of a problem I might have avoided the whole thing. Cabbage leaves draw out milk or something. It was my fourth baby and I had never heard of such a thing but while I was in the hopsital the nurses wrapped me in cabbage.

By that time I was pretty far gone but for some reason it was soothing. Of course, by that time my diginity was long gone and I was willing to try anything.

Might be worth a shot.

__________________
Blessings,
Mary Ellen
Mom to seven beautiful kids
Tales from the Bonny Blue House
O Night Divine

JennGM
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702

Posted: Jan 06 2006 at 8:51pm \| IP Logged

Amy,

The homeopathic stuff isn't medicine. I'm no expert. But the advice I got was to just keep taking it when you remembered. You could never have an overdose...even if your child accidentally ingested it. I didn't have time to waste on the microscopic ones, so I just would put an "amount" in the cap and put them under my tongue. I'd do it almost every hour until the clog would disappear.

And rest, and hot showers, and compresses. Did I send these links before? I found out these things by hard work, and then found all the advice right here!!! Plugged Ducts and I also would find this to be the case with me so often, a milk blister that I would have to remove.

The cabbage suggestion was helpful in soothing...very naturally cooling, and not bulky wearing around the house

. From all your posts, Amy, stress is your worst enemy. Having to do the food allergy thing is just plain stressful...it's constant, and you always have to be vigilant. And doing your own diet...well, there you go, more stress!

I'm praying for you!!! I know that familiar fatigue, achy feeling coming on. Do take some Tylenol on Sunday to help you out some.

__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to

& ds1

'03 & ds2

'07
Family in Feast and Feria

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 3:54am \| IP Logged

I may have found part of my answer - from that site Jen linked:

Quote:

In her book Breastfeeding Matters, Maureen Minchin theorizes that if a mom has allergies, recurring mastitis/plugged ducts might be caused by the "complex immune responses" that occur when she is exposed to an allergen. In a group of food-intolerant women, Minchin observed that their plugged ducts, "which rarely progressed to overt infection and which often recurred either premenstrually or before ovulation," were "often accompanied by other symptoms of allergy intolerance."

I don't think I "cheated" on my "mom of allergic baby breastfeeding diet" before the first bout of mastitis, but I've gotten a plug every time since then after cheating and eating something I shouldn't (unfortunately, I would up cheating a lot with the holidays). Hmmmmm....

Thank you for that link, and thank you all for your prayers and advice. Guess I'll buy some cabbage today.

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

Elizabeth
Founder
Founder

Real Learning

Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 5:47am \| IP Logged

I remember strawberry picking with Molly when Katie was a baby. I had cabbage leaves stuffed in my bra and every once in a while I'd pull them out, leave them in the field, and put in fresh ones. I always wondered what the people who came to pick after we left thought. Crop rotation?

I'm a huge fan of phytolacca. It really worked for me several times when I was in pretty bad shape. I seemed to get breast infections when we travelled. I attributed it to sitting in the car and not necessarily nursing immediately and to sleeping in beds other than my own and so perhaps not sleeping well or nursing the same way...because we were away from home, it always took me a little longer than it should to find and start the phytolacca. Finally, I started routinely packing when we travel.

Here's a related question: I weaned six months ago for the first time in almost fourteen years

. I can still express a little of what looks like colostrum and I still get that tingling "I need to nurse" feeling especially in one breast. Anybody know about any of this?

__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 7:31am \| IP Logged

Elizabeth wrote:

Here's a related question: I weaned six months ago for the first time in almost fourteen years

. I can still express a little of what looks like colostrum and I still get that tingling "I need to nurse" feeling especially in one breast. Anybody know about any of this?

LOL about the crop rotation!

I've heard what you are experiencing is perfectly normal. Somewhere I read women may express a little something for years after weaning. That tingly let down feeling is normal too, although I don't know when/if it should go away. If I can find a link I'll come back and edit.

Here's one article - I was having trouble finding more: Life After Weaning

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

Karen E.
Forum All-Star

Joined: Feb 27 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1161

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 7:53am \| IP Logged

I've just now seen this thread --

Amy, I'm sorry you've been dealing with this. I'd definitely try the cabbage as well as the !

Elizabeth, there was a period of four years between weaning my Lizzy and Kate's conception. I could still express a little bit of something for at least three years, I think. I remember thinking, before I got pregnant with Kate, that if we went the adoption route, I'd be able to breastfeed.

__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."

Elizabeth
Founder
Founder

Real Learning

Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 8:28am \| IP Logged

Karen E. wrote:

I remember thinking, before I got pregnant with Kate, that if we went the adoption route, I'd be able to breastfeed.

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking!

__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)

JennGM
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 8:37am \| IP Logged

Karen E. wrote:

Elizabeth, there was a period of four years between weaning my Lizzy and Kate's conception. I could still express a little bit of something for at least three years, I think. I remember thinking, before I got pregnant with Kate, that if we went the adoption route, I'd be able to breastfeed.

3 years!!!?? It could last that long? Geez! It's been 11 months for me and I can still express something. I know they are saying it's normal, but...

__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to

& ds1

'03 & ds2

'07
Family in Feast and Feria

JennGM
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 7:31pm \| IP Logged

amyable wrote:

I may have found part of my answer - from that site Jen linked:

Quote:

Amy,

I hope you are feeling better. I missed that section about the allergy theory. But isn't this saying that it's the MOTHER'S allergy, not the child's? Do you have food intolerances?

__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to

& ds1

'03 & ds2

'07
Family in Feast and Feria

amyable
Forum All-Star

Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 7:57pm \| IP Logged

jenngm67 wrote:

Amy,

I hope you are feeling better. I missed that section about the allergy theory. But isn't this saying that it's the MOTHER'S allergy, not the child's? Do you have food intolerances?

Part of my unproven theory

about why my kids all have food allergies is that I'm dealing with "hidden intolerances". I must say that now that I'm off the major allergens in our household - eggs and dairy and some others, I have never felt better (except for the mastitis, lol, but I mean in general). So maybe I don't have true allergies, but I'm better off staying away from certain foods, I guess.

__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of

The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler

Taffy
Forum All-Star

Joined: April 05 2005
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1567

Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 10:49pm \| IP Logged

amyable wrote:

Part of my unproven theory

You and me both Amy! One thing that I found with my last one, I went REALLY slowly with introducing foods into his diet. He was colicky until I stopped eating dairy and had trouble handling gluten at first. I simply would keep them out of his diet for a month before reintroducing them. He can now eat anything and is the most atheletic and healthy of the bunch!

I also delayed his vaccinations which may or may not have helped...

Keeping you in my prayers Amy...

__________________
Susan
Mom to 5 on earth and 1 in heaven
Susan's Soliloquy

MaryM
Board Moderator

Joined: Feb 11 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13104

Posted: Jan 08 2006 at 12:35am \| IP Logged

amyable wrote:

jenngm67 wrote:

But isn't this saying that it's the MOTHER'S allergy, not the child's? Do you have food intolerances?

Part of my unproven theory

about why my kids all have food allergies is that I'm dealing with "hidden intolerances".

Your experience, Amy, of feeling better yourself when you are off the foods your baby shows sensitivity to is a common experience of many breastfeeding moms. It isn't uncommmon that mom also has a sensitivity but has learned to live with or not recognize symptoms from the sensitivity/allergy. She may feel these symptoms are completely normal until they themselves are off of foods for the sake of the baby and realize that those symptoms lessen or go away completely.

There are other diet related connections to recurrant mastitis. It can be worth having a blood count taken to check for anemia. Anemia can contibute to repeated infection. Supplemental iron or extra vitamin C and E might help combat infections in that case. Too much saturated fat in diet. Many women who have recurrent mastitis benefit from taking a lecithin supplement. There are various dosages recommended: one tablespoon per day (Drs. Ruth and Robert Lawrence) or one tablespoon three to four times a day or one to two capsules (1,200 mg each) three to four times a day (Dr. Jack Newman, Teresa Pitman).

Amy, have your periods resumed? Do you see any tie in with menstruation or ovulation as Maureen Minchin has observed?

In general, whether it is due to dietary assault or stress/fatigue related, if the immune system is compromised a breastfeeding mother is more at risk for mastitis. So another suggestion is boosting the immune system in general - lots of options (echinacea, zinc, beta carotene, garlic, etc.)

__________________
Mary M. in Denver

Our Domestic Church

MaryM
Board Moderator

Joined: Feb 11 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13104

Posted: Jan 08 2006 at 2:31am \| IP Logged

Elizabeth wrote:

Here's a related question: I weaned six months ago for the first time in almost fourteen years

. I can still express a little of what looks like colostrum and I still get that tingling "I need to nurse" feeling especially in one breast. Anybody know about any of this?

Many here have spoken to a similar experience already. I'm in a somewhat similar situation to you, Elizabeth, having last nursed about a year and a half ago (after 15 years of lactating) and I can still express droplets of milk if I were to try although it is very minimal. It is quite common and there is some evidence that one factor in length of this postlactation milk is length of time nursed - although I have seen a few women who nursed only a short time still be able to express quite some time later.

The "let-down" or milk ejection reflex is a conditioned response so it is possible to have some condition (seeing a baby, hearing a cry, holdign your child, etc.) that elicits that sensation even though there is no milk actually to eject.

The breast is somewhat like a pump - all it needs is to be "primed" and it can start flowing. Some woman inadvertently continue to produce milk because they keep checking to see if they have milk. Other types of stimulation to the breast (intimacy, pressure from bra, etc.) can also contribute. That can be enough stimulation to maintain minimal milk. It is considered normal for many women to be able to secrete milk on pressure/expression (called nonspontaneous secretion)for some time following weaning. Spontaneous milk secretion though should cease within a few weeks and only be present if expressed.

While it is most often normal physiologic secretion following lactation there are some other conditions that could be underlying for some women. Galactorrhea is the term for inappropriate or abnormal lactation (not associated with lactation following pregnancy/breastfeeding) which have a pathologic (disease) or pharmacologic (drug induced) cause. I won't list all those. One though is Hyperprolactinemia - excessive prolactin levels. Prolactin levels are elevated during breastfeeding and that is normal but they often return to lower levels sometime later in breastfeeding but definitely after weaning in a normal situation. Side note: hyperprolactinemia is also associated with infertility - high levels can interfere with the phases of menstruation in a couple ways - the reason why breastfeeding affects fertility.

When to get it checked out:
-secretion on only one side from a single duct
-discharge/spontaneous secretion occurring after three months of weaning time (doesn't count if you have to express it)
-significant volume of secretion (more than just a drop or so)
-clear, pink (serosanguineous), bloody (sanguineous), or yellow (serous) are more surgically significant except when lactation associated.

jenngm67 wrote:

3 years!!!?? It could last that long? Geez! It's been 11 months for me and I can still express something.

Jenn it probably won't last 3 years, and just a thought - I know you have had a pregnancy and miscarriage since weaning. That can impact milk production/secretion.

__________________
Mary M. in Denver

Our Domestic Church

Page of 2 Next >>
[Add this topic to My Favorites]

Printable version

Forum Jump

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You can vote in polls in this forum

Hosting and Support provided by theNetSmith.com