Plugged duct, thought cleared, fever (XP BFing)

abbyful

Yesterday I was engorged on one side overnight. I didn't realize until last night I probably have a plugged duct, I thought I just hadn't got that side emptied.

When I realized it was plugged (late evening yesterday), I did warm compress and massage. I pumped. I've been starting baby on that side when nursing.

I don't think I feel engorged on that duct, but it feels bruised so I can't really tell.

How do I know if it's cleared? I woke up with a 101.5 fever and feeling pretty blah.

uncharted01

Every time I've had a clogged duct and cleared it, it definitely feels bruised for about a day. But, like @jlk6 said, the fever is worrisome. How do you feel otherwise? My girl friend has had mastitis several times and she said she feels like death when she has it.

tigerpawie

I also had a plugged duct few days ago. It was golf ball sized. Ouch!! Depending on where the duct is, try to have your baby nurse with the chin pointing towards the clog. I also used a personal massager on the duct. A lot of research shows that some moms use a sonic toothbrush to vibrate it so I thought a massage stick would work great. FI and I use it for knots on our body. I took Motrin (ipo) to try to avoid matistis.

The golf ball duct is now the size of a walnut... I think I've always had that walnut sized clog since LO's birth so I am not sure if it's normal but I keep an eye on it and regularly compress it during each feeding. (I stopped compressing my breasts for a few days and bam... Got the plugged duct... So I'm committed to massaging and compressing for few minutes during every single feeding)

Since you woke up w a fever, it does sound like you need antibiotics but along with that, try the other stuff I suggested. I really wish I kept the links I found those suggestions so I could link here. They were so helpful.

Other stuff I didn't try but is helpful to others:
-lethein(sp) capsules. It helps keep the milk thinner so less clogs. I'm not doing this because it seems that my LO gets more foremilk than hind milk. Taking the capsules would make it more like foremilk and I don't want to risk this.
-your SO sucking out the plug (I'm not even going there but seems have helped some ladies)

That's all I can think of. Good luck!

justjinny

I had the same thing happen to me last week. I got engorged overnight on one side, then felt sore throughout the next day before realizing what was going on. I tried all the recommended home remedies for the next day and a half before going in to see my midwife. I should have gone in earlier because it ended up being an infection in several ducts that wasn't going to clear up without the help of antibiotics. The infected area was warm and reddish but not with a defined lump like mastitis.

If you have that high of a fever you should call you midwife or doctor and get in to be checked up. It sounds like you might also be having flu like symptoms (chills, hot flashes, aches etc.) which is also a sign of infection or mastitis. Fevers above 100 aren't something to mess around with. 

I was told to get lots of rest (nearly impossible if you have another LO in addition to your newborn) drink lots of water, take double vitamin C and keep up with hot packs and massages. It took about two days of this plus antibiotics before I felt better.

tigerpawie

Oh one more thing. I don't think I quite emphazied that you really should call your dr for antibiotics like the other PPs. Left untreated, it can affect your milk supply. So all the tips we gave you should be in addition to antibiotics. With all the research I did, I also researched on matistis and abscesses to figure out what I had and the abscess freaks me out. Seriously. So definitely call your dr or go in urgent care since it's the weekend. Good luck again!! You'll feel tons better after u are on antibiotics.

carafern

Agree with PPs about calling your doctor. This was me last weekend, although my fever was 100. Doctor advised lots of rest and fluids and poor DH was basically a single parent that day and it helped SO MUCH. I slept and slept and felt a little better the next day. I still had am minor fever after that but ended up not needn't the antibiotics. 

I knew the duct was cleared when it stopped being red and warm (although still sore, as PPs have mentioned) and I could feel that it was smaller. The LC I saw advised me to massage it with a couple of fingers towards the nipple while LO feeds. This seemed to work. 

Definitely call your doctor.

abbyful

Called my doctor's office. They want to wait and see if it gets worse (pain, redness) before prescribing antibiotics, said it could be a virus.

So now I'm trying the recommendations on KellyMom to see if they help (rest, garlic, vitamin C, motrin).

carafern

Hopefully it doesn't get worse! If it helps, my process for clearing the duct was warm compress for a minute or two right before feeding from that side, massage while feeding, then cold compress throughout the day on that side between feedings to reduce inflammation. Its a bit annoying but I think it really helped and worked in just one day.

so72409

I dealt with pretty much the same thing last weekend. Another thing that really helped me was a hot "boob bath" filled a bowl with hot water, soaked it, and then hand expressed until I was completely empty, massaging while expressing. I also let LO always start on that side then would hand express if she didn't empty. I found hand expressing was more effective than my pump

justjinny

FX that the home remedies work for you!

If you will be taking Ibuprofen keep in mind that it can lower your temperature and 'hide' a fever.  Go by how you are feeling and call the doctor again if the flu like symptoms are sticking around even if you don't still see the 100+ temp.