I spent Friday night in the ER getting my right breast cut into. But let me go back a bit to fill you in. I developed a small lump at the top of my right breast over two weeks ago. I assumed it was a clogged duct and massaged it and applied heat/ice packs to try to help it go away. It did not go away. It just kept getting bigger. It was also red on the outside and very painful. A few days after that lump formed another smaller lump formed near my armpit. This one wasn’t as large but it was just as painful. So much so that it hurt to move my right arm.
So a week ago I called the OB and told her my symptoms. She said it sounded like mastitis and prescribed antibiotics. She told me to massage the lumps and apply heat while nursing. I did everything I was supposed to do and assumed the antibiotics would soon kick in. But on Friday morning both of the lumps were larger and more painful.
I called the OB on Friday morning and they told me to come in because it sounded like the lump was an abscess. It looked like a tumor protruding from my breast.
I went to the OB on Friday afternoon. She took one look at the lumps and said that I needed to have them drained immediately. She tried to get me in with a breast surgeon but no one could do it on a Friday afternoon. So she told me I had to go to the ER. I begged her to just make me an appointment for Monday. You know, since I have a one-month-old to nurse at home! She said NO WAY, I had to go now. If I waited any longer I could get really sick.
So off Naaman and I went to the ER. We got there around 5:30 p.m. I was assessed by like ten different people. The ER doc told me I would most likely be admitted and given IV antibiotics. I was freaking out. I only had like 5 ounces of pumped milk at home. But when it became apparent this was serious and that I would be there for awhile my mom went and bought formula. This makes me so sad because nursing was going so well for us. But we really had no choice. The kid’s gotta eat, ya know?
Around midnight they finally started draining the abscesses. HOLY SHIZNIT! I think I would rather go through labor & delivery again than have someone cut two gaping holes in my breast. It was awful. I wanted to throw up from the pain.
They are going to culture the puss that came out of both abscesses and if it is MRSA I might have to be readmitted and given very strong antibiotics through IV. Breastfeeding will have to stop. I’ll have to pump and dump until I’m better. So I’m hoping it’s not MRSA. But given that Naaman was hospitalized with MRSA six weeks after Landon was born it would not surprise me.
I was very surprised to learn that these abscesses were not caused by clogged ducts. In fact, they said I never even had mastitis. They said that I have very cystic breast tissue and I probably had two little cysts that never bothered me before but bacteria got in through my cracked nipple and infected them.
I am in a hell of a lot of pain. The wounds are open. They have to heal from the inside so I have two huge gaping holes in my breast. Thank GOD Naaman is a nurse. He has been packing the wounds and cleaning them. Every time he does I almost faint from the pain. I’ve completely lost my appetite and the pain meds put me to sleep. I’ve got a newborn and a toddler and I can’t really take care of either of them at this point.
I’m still nursing but it’s painful. If you could please please pray that the infection is not MRSA I would greatly appreciate it. I’m not ready to call it quits with breastfeeding. It’s just so unfair. I was finally getting a second chance with it and now it may not work out after all
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