Sudden Mastitis; Home treatments?

[sangtarah]

This morning my breast was a bit sore. This evening I spiked a 103.5 fever and was shaking and my breast was way too painful to touch. After Tylenol and time, my fever has come down to 101.3. Baby has emptied that side continuously and I am resting and downing water like crazy. I’m also hand pumping to keep breast empty. And putting warm compresses on it.

 

What should I do at home? Does this ever resolve without antibiotics?

 

I’m sure the week of traveling and sightseeing, interrupted sleep from ds being sick, and lack of normal feeding routine has contributed.

[Guinevere]

I've heard olive leaf supplements work, but I get so sick so fast, I go straight for the antibiotics. I'm weak and slow recovering each time, too.

[amy g.]

Big cabbage leaves inside your bra can help relieve the pain. Don't ask me how or why. Diluted peppermint oil in the compresses helps too.

 

I've always needed antibiotics to actually get better though.

 

So sorry this happened!

[Cecropia]

I've had mastitis resolve without antibiotics.  I followed Kellymom's treatment advice.

 

Be prepared for your supply to possibly take a real beating afterward.  It was weeks before my breast was producing at pre-mastitis levels.

[ErinE]

With a fever, I'd go see the doctor. But if you are trying to wait until an office is open, I would continue with Tylenol and warm compresses. I also massaged the blocked duct by running a firmly pressed finger down the length, even when it was painful, which seemed to help clear things up.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I've had it resolve without antibiotics.  And I've had other times where I needed antibiotics.  Holidays and travel were often triggers for mastitis for me.  It sounds like you are doing everything right.  If, after a day of following that regimen, you are not feeling better, then I would call the doctor. 

[Word Nerd]

That doesn't sound like a mild case that will resolve on its own—even by the Kellymom recommendations.

[Epicurean]

Hot showers while hand expressing. Skip the compresses and go straight for an electric heating pad on the highest setting you can stand. The heat will kill the bacteria (a fever is your body's way of doing just that). But if I were you, I'd also get antibiotics just in case.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Like PP, for hot showers (I mean really hot) with the water as close as you can.  I ended up getting antibiotics though but the heat helped slow it down a lot.

[ktgrok]

If you call your OB's emergency line they will probably call in a script for you. 

[mamamoose]

I got so sick from it I wouldn’t mess around. Any of the natural remedies will cause a major reduction in supply too.

[hornblower]

Um, hot shower will help express but will do nothing for bacteria in the breast. The amount of heat that you'd need to kill bacteria inside would cause burns to your skin. 

See a doctor.

Once you're in fever territory and extremely painful breasts, you're risking a full blown breast infection or an abscess. 

[barnwife]

In addition to all the previous suggestions, eat raw garlic. Mince it up and throw it in some salsa or something and eat it for it's anti-infective properties. I find a warm bath and massaging/expressing works better for me.

FWIW, I've had multiple cases of mastitis over my nursing career. I took antibiotics the first time as I didn't know other options (kid #1 was only a few weeks old). And apparently the antibiotics didn't eliminate it completely, as it came back very quickly with a vengeance. the lump/blockage/sore spot was bigger than my fist. I decided then and there that I needed something besides antibiotics and started treating with all the suggestions here and raw garlic.

I haven't taken antibiotics for mastitis since. However, if I ever had a fever for more than 24 hours with it, I would absolutely consider it.

FWIW, I've never noticed a reduction in supply due to mastitis, but ymmv.

[Melissa in Australia]

If you have a fever etc then you really need antibiotics. I have had it quite bad twice. that side of the breast has some permanently damaged tissue. it is very sensitive, and smaller than the other side. I haven't breastfed for 13 years ( or had mastitis). I have a friend who had it so bad that she had to have her breast lanced to let the infection out. she left it too long, trying "natural" remedies first. I think a blockage is something that can be fixed by natural remedies, and I have done that myself but mastitis with a fever etc is a different matter altogether.

[Kiara.I]

Hm, I thought the advice was 24 hours with a fever with no improvement before antibiotics were the standard?

 

Anyway, you can help clear the blockage with lecithin, maybe.  Most is soy lecithin, but you can find sunflower lecithin too.

[sangtarah]

OP here.

 

Baby girl is sick too now. I’m assuming she has the same viral respitory illnesss that ds has this week! Fever, croupy cough, congestion. She’s miserable and so am I!!

 

She doesn’t appear to be having the same breathing trouble yet that ds had.

 

My prayers are for healing, for all of the Hive, And that our families don’t partake of our many illnesses. My other kids have asthma, so they in particular don’t need a respitory virus!

[fralala]

Oh, no. Sounds miserable.

 

I'd switch to an anti-inflammatory painkiller like ibuprofen if possible, see if someone can run out and get you the lecithin, and keep up fluids and warm compresses-- I found the longest-lasting damp heat (better than dry heat for mastitis) came from disposable diapers, with a bit of water dumped into them and microwaved briefly. Then I could just send someone to re-nuke the diaper as necessary.

 

I just hope your DD is still nursing. The congestion can make it hard. And hand expressing really doesn't cut it for mastitis. That was where I was thankful for my insurance-granted double electric.

 

I'm prone to plugged ducts and fevers-with-plugged-ducts and have had about 3 cases of knock-you-down mastitis that improved without antibiotics; I am not anti-medicine and this is not medical advice, it's just that with rest and the interventions above things generally got better before I could even call the doctor/get someone to the store to pick up a prescription. Hoping you all feel better soon!