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How long did it take for you to get over mastitis?
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Anonymous
| Already seen a doctor, antibiotics, etc. Just miserable and wondering how long it took other people. TIA. |
Anonymous
|
as soon as I started the antibiotics, my fever and flu-like aches would start to fade.
I wouldn't start to really feel better until I got that clog out. Start every nursing session on the side with the clog. Put the baby on the bed and straddle her, letting your breast hang down, then nurse around the clock, meaning you nurse for a few minutes, then come off and move yourself around so she latches on with her tongue rubbing a different part of your nipple. Do this until her tongue rubs all around your nipple (lots of latching on and off, every few minutes). That is what worked best for me. |
Anonymous
| Ditto what pp said about getting the clog out. And although the antibiotics did help with the fever almost immediately, I found that if I didn't get extra rest, it would come back. When I got mastitis for the 3rd time, my doctor told me to stay in bed for a week. |
Anonymous
| Sorry, OP. Putting a warm compress on the clogged duct right before feeding helped me. Antibiotics are also clutch. |
Anonymous
| 24 hours after I started antibiotics - for me though, I had flu like systems and a red, hot boob but not any boob pain. The fever, chills and aches were horrible! |
Anonymous
| I got mastitis in one breast, and it seemed to get better in 2 days....then another day or so later I got it in the other breast while still on antibiotics, and ended up with a 103.5 fever and horrible pain. Had to switch antibiotics....so if you're not feeling better within 2 days, you may need to switch drugs. |
Anonymous
|
about 24 hours after start of antibiotics (probably about 12 hours after getting the clog out). Lots of warm compresses, warm showers, water, rest, and nurse nurse nurse.
feel better soon, OP. Mastitis was the worst "sickness" I've ever experienced and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. |
Anonymous
|
OP here, thanks so much for your responses! I completed a 10-day round of antibiotics three days ago and now the fever is back, I was wondering why on earth I was feeling so bad. Will look into starting with a different antibiotic tomorrow. The clog is in a nasty and painful location, and DS is 12 mo; I'm only nursing twice a day. Maybe that's one reason why it's taking so long? Will continue trying to get him to "help" me drain it.
Did any of you WOTH? I could use tips on helping the folks at work understand that I'm really sick. I think they're starting to lose patience. |
Anonymous
|
The second I feel a clog, I work hard to get it out. I've never had a clog more than half a day. However, after I get the clog out the mastitis remains. After about the first dose of antibiotic, the symptoms go away. I do complete the full 10 day round.
I also use my hand pump after each nursing session (I know a pain in the ass!) however, this keeps me comfortable and has resulted is a large freezer stash. I also carry my hand pump around just in case I'm away from baby too long, I like to relieve the pressure as to not get a clog that results in mastitis. |
Anonymous
Meant to answer this as well. No tips here, I just take a few motrin and make sure I have them on hand and suck it up and continue working. I have to take enough sick days for my baby that I can't afford them for myself unless I'm pratically dying. |
Anonymous
| OP here, thanks again for your responses. The MD is trying a different antibiotic and sending a culture of the pus (sorry if TMI) to a lab for more info. I'll have to pump and dump with the new antibiotics. |
Anonymous
|
Pus? Hm, I did not have pus with my mastitis, but maybe this is a different type? Are you sure it's mastitis? I got over mine in about 76 hours, but I did not use antibiotics (doc prescribed them and told me I might be able to kick it without, so I tried that and it worked). What I did was breastfeed normally, then pumped completely empty on the side with the clog so that I was sure the clog had a chance to clear. I had an oversupply in one breast, which caused the mastitis in the first place, so DS would not empty the breast completely.
I also took loads of warm showers, massaging the breast firmly (with hands well sudsed with soap) and applying warm wet washcloth compresses to my breasts before nursing or pumping. I also pumped hanging down (yep, like a cow) so that gravity helped clear the duct. Another reason hanging down is beneficial is that your breast tissue cannot compress itself as it does lying against your body, to prevent the duct from unclogging or to prevent the milk from draining completely. When you see the "stringy stuff" coming out, that's the clog. Is that what you're talking about when you say "pus?" |
Anonymous
| Pus??? Definitely didn't have that - might be something else entirely |
Anonymous
| 20:17 here, I would not have been able to work the first day, but I found that as long as I COMPLETELY pumped my breast to empty, I felt a billion times better and would have been able to work just fine then. That said, one thing I forgot to add is how important rest and sleep is for healing mastitis. Another thing you can try is vitamin C, D, and soy lecethin (suggested by my LC). |
Anonymous
| I was still on maternity leave when I had my bout of mastitis, but try soy lecithin as it has been shown to "thin" out breastmilk. Some women have fattier milk than others and thus are more likely to clog. Since you're only nursing twice a day, that may be a possible explanation for your sudden mastitis! http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29588.asp |