Berkeley Parents Network: Yeast Infection of the Breast

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Yeast Infection of the Breast

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Painful ductal yeast infection, allergic to diflucan

Yeast infection for 2 months, won't go away
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Advice about Yeast Infections

Breast Infections

Painful ductal yeast infection, allergic to diflucan

October 2003

Does anyone have experience with curing a ductal yeast infection of the breast without diflucan? i broke out in a rash and might be allergic, but the ob didn't prescribe anything else. she said just wait but the pain is unbearable at times and i am getting very discouraged. i am cutting down on sugar, cheese, and carbs, and taking acidophilis, yogurt, garlic tabs/ echinacea, vit.c, b-complex and lecithin. will try gentian violet soon even though most of my pain/irritation is internal, and baby does not show symptoms. he is a big spitter though, like his older sister (with whom i had no yeast problems) and seems more gassy and irritated by feeding and digesting. (he is 4 weeks old.) i had plugged ducts and then mastitis in the same breast, and everything started with very sore nipples and engorgement. if you have any experience to share with me, please contact me.

I had terrible problems with breast yeast infections when I was nursing my son. In general, I tried just to keep it manageable; curing it completely seemed just too hard. Anyway, here's what I did to keep it under control: Limit sweets. I couldn't or didn't want to completely eliminate sweets from my diet, but I cut way, way back. Wear cotton nursing bras, which unfortunately usually means the ugly ones. Use only cotton or wool nursing pads and change them at every nursing. Go braless when possible, especially when a little sun exposure is possible. Swab nipples with a water/vinegar solution after nursing (vinegar kills the yeast); baby never minded the taste. Never, never wash bra or pads with any of baby's poopy clothes. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle during bra and pad washing. It's a lot to remember, but not really hard to do once you start. Good luck

While I never had a breast ductal yeast infection, I did have reoccuring yeast infections in my past. What caught my attention in your posting is that you took diflucan and broke out in a rash. I took diflucan in March 2002 and broke out in a rash that I still have (1 year and 11 months later!). I was living in NYC at the time and had extensive tests done. I was planning my wedding and packing to relocate to the Bay Area. I kept asking if the rash was stress related. I was told it was not. I had tests for shingles, parvo, and 98 other common allergies--all tests came back negative. I am convinced the rash is from the one time dose of diflucan a few days before the rash appeared.

Today, the rash ''travels'' around my torse. It shows up (itches like crazy, I scratch like crazy which I know I am not suppose to do) and as it heals, a new patch of rash shows up a few inches away. Does any of this sound familiar?

Regarding your current condition, you sound like you are doing all the dietary things I would do. I did hear that butter milk has a high acidophilus level, but no idea how it tastes. I hope you find relieve and recover soon. Mary

Yeast infection for 2 months, won't go away

December 2002

Hi- I have been suffering from a yeast infection in my breasts since my baby was about a week old (she's just 2 months old now). I have taken and am still taking acidophilus, eating yogurt and taking a prescription for diflucan. I have also used nystatin topically. My baby has not had thrush but I am still plagued by itching, burning, painful nipples and breasts. I have been on the verge of abondoning breast feeding but have pumped and am toughing it out. It has gotten better but not totally. I was wondering if anyone out there has been in this situation and has any other natural recommendations. Oh- I have accepted that I simply am not willing to do all the dietary restrictions-with a new baby it is hard enough to make food for myself I won't give up wheat products. H E L P.... Marion

you must treat your baby for thrush even if he/she doesn't appear to have the symptoms -- you have had it for two months and odds are your baby does too, even if low-level, and so long as your baby has it you won't get rid of it. rather than going with a harsh medication, speak to a lactation specialist or physician about trying gentian violet -- IF used properly (not too much), it works wonders although it is quite messy. you can use it on you breasts as well. good luck, I know how painful this can be,
a friend

Try gentian violet. It's the only thing that helped 2 of my friends. You get it at the pharmacy and paint it on your nipples. The baby's mouth will be purple for a few days, but it's harmless and it works!
Debbie

Boy, I can really relate. I have struggled with yeast on and in my breasts since my twins were born as well. All the things you are doing are helping. Have you tried Gentian Violet? It is available at Long's Drugs even though if you ask them for help they will think you are crazy. It is an antifungal that you dilute with water and apply to your breasts. The deal with this is that is is a very strong dye. If you spill it it will remain there forever. Your baby will get a purple mouth and lips but it fades. I can send you some links and directions for more info. You can also try white vinegar and rinse your breasts and add it to your laundry. Hot water in the wash is not enough to kill the yeast. You need more bleach than you want to use or some vinegar in the wash. I also had great success with wearing my bras only once. Then boiling them in the kitchen on the stove before and between each wearing. Anything that touches your breasts (bathroom towels) needs to be basically sterilized so that it isn't breeding yeast that you are just bringing back to your body. I didn't want to do to many dietary restrictions either but found that it was sugar that made it flare up the worse. Understand that carbos are all sugars but the more complex the carb the less it will aggravate the yeast like simple sugars. Also getting overheated will cause the yeast to have a warm environment to breed in. So I tried to stay cooler on top especially. No sweaters, not to hot at night in bed. If you are home try going topless. Air and sunshine can help. I understand how challenging it is but please don't stop breastfeeding because of it. You can conquer it. I think it is also worth treating your baby. They can have the out of whack flora in their gi track and be breeding it and returning it to you as well. So you can give the baby the acidophilus too. I think you can even buy a pediatric form at El Cerrito Natural grocery. I also used grapefruit oil with some success. It is a vile citrus oil extract that you put in a little water or other liquid and chug quickly. It helps with the balance in the gi track. It is also available at El Cerrito Natural grocery. It might also be worth mentioning that I believe my yeast was worse in our old apartment where there had been a flood once and there was a terrible mold problem. When we removed all our pictures on the wall there was a black area. It was gross but we didn't realize when we were living there that we were living in a little moist petri dish. That is a lot of info but hang in there and this is worth fighting for. Please email me if you want to talk more or just want some support from somebody that has been there.
Dana

I thought I suffered from a thrush, too. I did get some relief from gentian violet. I found it at Longs. You and your baby are a mess, but it cools the itching. I also had some luck w/ what the kaiser lactation nurse called ''triple nipple cream''. You basically swab a bit of bacitracin or antibiotic cream, a bit of lotrimin, and a bit of hydrocortison cream on. In the end I got a referral to a dermatologist.This was after months of assuming it was thrush. Do you have a skin condition appearing anywhere else on your body, esp. elbows and knees? This appeared on me for the first time in my life post baby. The diagnosis? Psoraisis. I was prescribed a very strong cortisone cream. I used it in very minute doses (when I knew I had a fairly long gap before the next nursing) and never as often as the label suggested. Sometimes not even once a day. I've been fine ever since and don't experience discomfort during nursing or from nursing bras etc. any longer. I noticed that the drier the weather the itchier I was, too. I hope some of this helps.
been there!

I had breast yeast and my daughter had thrush when she was only 1 week old. We used the Nystatin for 10 days, which seemed to clear up her thrush, but did nothing for me. Acidophilus and OTC anti-fungal cream were also ineffective. Finally I tried Gentian Violet and it worked wonders. I applied it to my nipples and then had her nurse from both breasts once a day for three days. It is staining and a bit messy, but not nearly as bad as I had thought it might be. This method worked for me, and many others I know, when all other methods failed.

The Gentian Violet is available at drug stores (I got mine at Longs). It's behind the counter, but you don't need a prescription. You should use the 1% topical. They may have to order it for you. It only costs a few dollars.

Also be sure to sterilize everything that is touching your breasts and the baby's mouth (bottles, pumps, pacifiers, bras, pads, etc.). I just washed my bras with a bit of bleach, but others I know preferred to boil them and let them dry in the sun, which also worked.

Feel free to contact me with questions. Good luck!
stacy

I have a breast yeast infection, too. Like you, it began immediately. My daughter had thrush (she's almost two now), and see was repeatedly treated with Nystatin suspension oral medication, but it did not resolve until she began to eat other foods regularly. She still nurses, but only twice per day. I want to nurse her until she's two years old, so I have learned ways to cope because, like you, I am too frazzeled to change my diet yet.

Gentian Violet works well to get rid of yeast and can be applied to the nipple area and swabed in the baby's mouth. I would have your pediatrician check the baby for thrush. She probably has it or you wouldn't be having such a hard time getting rid of it. It's VERY HARD to see if it is almost resolved in the baby's mouth. Gentian Violet works FAST (you'd need to apply three times per day to both of you for 3 days). You can find it in the homeopathic section at Longs. It's a purple liquid (kind of like iodine) and it stains everything, but it is the quickest way to get rid of it.

Because I have accepted that this won't go away completely until she finishes nursing, I use Lotrimon AF on my nipples at least once everyday becasue Gentian Violet is so messy. If I skip a day, I experience the same symptoms as you do.

My infection was not as bad as yours and did not last as long, but what worked for me was to wash my nipples with a white vinegar soaked cotton ball after every feeding or pumping. I didn't quit wheat, but did cut back on sugary stuff. Good luck!
Natalie

I had a horribly painful yeast infection in both breasts when my baby was a few months old. I spoke with my obstetrician, my pediatrician, La Leche League, and did my own research. I tried at least seven different remedies and nothing worked. Breastfeeding was excruciating. Finally I saw Janaki Costello, a wonderful lactation consultant who concluded I needed rest. I was rundown and depleted. After 24 hours I was better. The pain threatened to come back once or twice later and I took that to mean I needed to take it easy and drink more water. I think a yeast infection is an autoimmune problem and in my case needed to be treated holistically, which I believe was psychosomatically. It's possible that only you can make yourself better. I don't think diet would have cured me, and giving my infant medication was very stressful. Please contact me if you'd like to discuss this further and need more support. Good luck and you will get better! Ilona

I had severe breast (nipple) pain for 8.5 months, consulted with several lactation specialists, a homeopath , and a medical doctor, tried around 20 different things to treat the problem (including Gentian Violet), with little improvement. We had ended up in C-section after 4 days of labor (my baby just could not drop), and immediately after the procedure I had spiked a fever. So they had given me antibiotics in the hospital, (which I usually avoid,) creating the possible reason for thrush. Many of the treatments were for thrush.

Around 8 months after the birth, I developed a sudden severe case of mastitis, and agreed to use an antibiotic again. The antibiotic actually cleared the mastitis quickly, AND cleared the nipple pain for good. It must have been a low grade infection all along. Just goes to show there is definitely a time and place for each of these Western Medical interventions. My tendancy is to avoid such treatments.

My daughter is now 21 months old, and loves breastfeeding still. We enjoy wonderful bonded time together, playing many silly games while nursing, and just cuddling. The experience made me understand why so many women give up breastfeeding. I think I was a bit judgemental toward such decisions prior to our ordeal. I am so glad, though, that I gritted my teeth through the whole time, and did not give up. There had been so many times that I would sit there with tears running down my face, trying not to stomp my feet, wanting to scream, and feeling very sad and disappointed that nursing did not feel like the archetypical wonderful experience it was cracked up to be.

My advice is to not give up. If all of the thrush treatments, positioning, cleaning techniques, diet changes do not help, possibley consider whether it could be a low grade infection. Good luck. Hang in there!

-No longer sore, and enjoying breastfeeding!

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