Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply HELP! Pain in right breast!

I would love your input to help figure out what is going on. Within a three to four hour period today, I started experiencing flulike symptoms in addition to some pretty sever pain in my right breast tissue. It isn't the nipple or areola area, mostly the outer to lower portion of my breast. I have the pain for example, when I move my right arm in towards my chest, when I bend over or just walking pretty much. Could this be Mastitis? I am continuing pumping every 3 hours and that doesn't hurt too badly but I need some help. I would love to avoid antibiotics if I could.
Anothe quick question...What, if any, indications are there for needing to turn up the suction of the PIS?

Many, many thanks,

I've never had mastitis, but I have had a plugged duct. Is it possible you have this? It can be painful.
I looked in Dr Newman's book, for a definition of mastitis. It says " a bacterial infection of part or all of a breast. It is always associated with a hard, swollen, read, painful area in the breast."
Does that painful area feel hard and swollen? Is it red? If it is just hard, and painful, it is likely a plugged duct. But that can turn into mastitis. If it is still painful to you, you should get antibiotics. In the meantime, try to keep pumping, and see if you can massage that hard area. This can help unplug your ducts, if that's what it is. Dr Newman recommends that if the symptoms are present for more than 24 hours, you should start antibiotics.
I wish I had more advice for you. I just don't have any experience in that area. Keep us posted, and let us know that you've cleared it up!