Does the pain have any relation to where your scars (internal or external) from the surgery may be?
It sounds like these painful spots *may* be the origin points of your infections, perhaps some tiny abscesses where bacteria can hide and survive the antibiotic (don't ask me how), then thrive when it's gone and spread to the rest of the breast, causing a returning infection. With large abscesses, they sometimes do thin needle aspiration to empty them.
Have they done an ultrasound of the breast tissue? I imagine they (and you) have done some pretty thorough hand examinations. Can you feel anything in there that's not normal lumpiness? At this point, I'd be looking for physical structures that may possibly be these points where the bacteria could hide out.
You also mentioned during your pregnancy that you got in touch with an LC who was experienced with nursing after breast surgery issues. Do you still have access to her?
I've got very little experience with breastfeeding issues after breast surgery. :( Mine is only a guess. However, there is a mega-mailing list of lactation consultants, perhaps it may be worth asking your question there. It has literally hundreds of IBCLCs on it. Its archives going back more than a decade, are available and searchable online. It's open for subscription, so you could go and ask your question there. http://community.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
Good luck! I hope you can resolve this really soon!
I had an ultrasound during my last infection and the doctors found no signs of abscess.
The pain isn't quite where the scars are -- it's a bit beneath the scar line and also some ways away. Of course, my nerves might be slightly offkilter too as many were severed and had to regrow post-op.
There's a lot of small lumpiness along the scar line (scar tissue) and then other lumpy spots -- I make sure the other lumps dissipate in the course of feeding her. They usually do.
The LC I was talking to was someone in training; she was someone who needed experience working with a breast-reduction person, not someone who already had any. :-/ I've asked on the Breastfeeding After Reduction forums but the ladies there haven't been much help.
Try the mailing list, there MUST be some among the hundreds of IBCLCs who have experience with post-surgery nursing problems... let me know if you find anything!
Also, my understanding is that some women have a spate of mastitis for a couple of months in the beginning, and then it resolves spontaneously. Most often, it is related either to external injury (broken skin on the nipple through which bacteria can travel up) or a question of overfilled breasts (like when baby suddenly sleeps through the night, or you skip a pumping session). Did you have either of these?
What is your pumping/nursing/supplementing ratio these days? Does the really strict pumping schedule help? Or does it make things worse? Are things better if Laurel nurses or are things better when you pump? Did that really strict schedule of soaking your breasts between feedings and other treatments help?
My first time with mastitis, I noticed the fever first. The second time, I noticed pain in the breast and nipple first. The third time, I took motrin righ away and didn't develop a fever.
I've had broken skin on my nipple a couple of times. And the first round of infection happened after she slept maybe 4 hrs in one go, where her previous had been 3.
I'm not using the pump unless I need to drain my breasts and she's too sleepy to nurse. I barely even used it during this last infection -- I mastly just nursed through it. I don't know if the soaks/compresses help but they're pretty much mandatory as far as I can tell.
Mysteriously, the most recent culture showed no bacteria in the milk. So I'm feeling even more flummoxed than ever. (The first grew GBS, only on one side)
It sounds like these painful spots *may* be the origin points of your infections, perhaps some tiny abscesses where bacteria can hide and survive the antibiotic (don't ask me how), then thrive when it's gone and spread to the rest of the breast, causing a returning infection. With large abscesses, they sometimes do thin needle aspiration to empty them.
Have they done an ultrasound of the breast tissue? I imagine they (and you) have done some pretty thorough hand examinations. Can you feel anything in there that's not normal lumpiness? At this point, I'd be looking for physical structures that may possibly be these points where the bacteria could hide out.
You also mentioned during your pregnancy that you got in touch with an LC who was experienced with nursing after breast surgery issues. Do you still have access to her?
I've got very little experience with breastfeeding issues after breast surgery. :( Mine is only a guess. However, there is a mega-mailing list of lactation consultants, perhaps it may be worth asking your question there. It has literally hundreds of IBCLCs on it. Its archives going back more than a decade, are available and searchable online. It's open for subscription, so you could go and ask your question there. http://community.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
Good luck! I hope you can resolve this really soon!
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The pain isn't quite where the scars are -- it's a bit beneath the scar line and also some ways away. Of course, my nerves might be slightly offkilter too as many were severed and had to regrow post-op.
There's a lot of small lumpiness along the scar line (scar tissue) and then other lumpy spots -- I make sure the other lumps dissipate in the course of feeding her. They usually do.
The LC I was talking to was someone in training; she was someone who needed experience working with a breast-reduction person, not someone who already had any. :-/ I've asked on the Breastfeeding After Reduction forums but the ladies there haven't been much help.
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What is your pumping/nursing/supplementing ratio these days? Does the really strict pumping schedule help? Or does it make things worse? Are things better if Laurel nurses or are things better when you pump? Did that really strict schedule of soaking your breasts between feedings and other treatments help?
Reply
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Reply
I've had broken skin on my nipple a couple of times. And the first round of infection happened after she slept maybe 4 hrs in one go, where her previous had been 3.
I'm not using the pump unless I need to drain my breasts and she's too sleepy to nurse. I barely even used it during this last infection -- I mastly just nursed through it. I don't know if the soaks/compresses help but they're pretty much mandatory as far as I can tell.
Mysteriously, the most recent culture showed no bacteria in the milk. So I'm feeling even more flummoxed than ever. (The first grew GBS, only on one side)
Reply
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