Re: R: frequent blebs and engorgments

[Guest guest]

I'll be eager to hear what everyone else has to say. I can't imagine how painful that must be for the mom.

In one picture in the first set, it looked like it was completely gone, and then obviously came back again fairly shortly. Do you know what she did that made it completely better for a short period of time?

Jan

Just to tell you that I finally was able to upload the pictures. I had to cut the “history†in two. Files are in the Files folder

Hope it is useful J

Hugs

a

[Guest guest]

You

don’t say what all treatment measures mother has tried. Has the mother used

castor oil packs on the breast? Saline soaks of the nipple? Possibly try a hand

vibrator or ultrasound of the duct, per Jack Newman’s protocol. Has the

bleb been opened with a sterile needle, preferably under sterile conditions so

as not to become infected? Blebs can also be the result of underlying

persistent infection. The physician’s I have worked with treat with

Newman’s all purpose nipple ointment or mom could choose a natural antibiotic

and anti-inflammatory salve of choice that is safe for nursing infants or

possibly oral antibiotics if the topical treatment fails.

Judy

Judith

L. Gutowski, BA, IBCLC, RLC

135 McGrath Lane

P Box 1

Hannastown, PA 15635-0001

Cell

Phone

Fax

[Guest guest]

How can you tell that from the picture (that it isn't blocking milk, that is).

And, in my experience, if it isn't blocking milk from coming out, it isn't a bleb. That's the definition of a bleb -- blocked/plugged nipple pore.

Is there any place else on the body in which inflammatory tissue is white, not red?

Jan

The white spot is inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from coming out.

[Guest guest]

White not Red

I don't know if it is inflammatory tissue

but the diamond shape under the tongue after a laser frenotomy.

Lou Moramarco IBCLC

Birth,

Breastfeeding & Before

International

Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Bradley

Childbirth Educator

Certified

Birth Doula

(732)

239-7771 marylou22@...

www.lunadoula.com

Hidden

Booby Trap: Is Your Lactation “Specialist” an Imposter?

http://www.bestforbabes.org/2010/03/hidden-booby-trap-is-your-lactation-specialist-an-imposter/

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From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of ibclc@...

Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011

1:29 PM

To:

Subject: Re: R:

frequent blebs and engorgments

How can you

tell that from the picture (that it isn't blocking milk, that is).

And, in my

experience, if it isn't blocking milk from coming out, it isn't a bleb.

That's the definition of a bleb -- blocked/plugged nipple pore.

Is there any

place else on the body in which inflammatory tissue is white, not red?

Jan

In a message dated

12/20/2011 11:57:36 A.M. Central Standard Time, giadaeli@... writes:

The white spot is

inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from

coming out.

[Guest guest]

Could it perhaps have been what we think are epithelial cells blocking the duct opening that were the inflammatory cells? Would that explain, maybe, why that skin is so darn tough, because it isn't really skin? We are always wondering why/how skin would choose to grow over the opening to a duct. Maybe it isn't really skin?

Dee Kassing

The white spot is inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from coming out.

[Guest guest]

Cotterman's theory (I'm almost positive it was her) was that somehow the milk was getting behind the epithelium of the duct itself and pushing the "skin" of the duct thru the pore. I'm explaining it badly, but I can picture what she is saying.

It's very much like when you get a sebaceous plug on your face. A pimple with a whitehead is very easy to pop. The sebaceous plug is also a whitehead but the skin over it is extremely tough and you can't just pop it with your fingers. Usually if you are going to mess with it you need a sterile needle to open the skin and then you can pop the gunk out.

Jan

Could it perhaps have been what we think are epithelial cells blocking the duct opening that were the inflammatory cells? Would that explain, maybe, why that skin is so darn tough, because it isn't really skin? We are always wondering why/how skin would choose to grow over the opening to a duct. Maybe it isn't really skin?

Dee Kassing

The white spot is inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from coming out.

[Guest guest]

Ha! I didn't know those "other" kinds of whiteheads had a name. When I get them, I dab a little vitamin E on them twice a day. If I get to them immediately, it usually only takes 3-4 days for the whitehead to rise to the top (thin the skin??) so I can simply scrape it off with a fingernail--no squeezing necessary.

Soooo, I know we don't ordinarily suggest vit E for sore nipples, due to risk of baby overdosing on fat-soluble vit E. But I wonder if in the case of milk blebs, if we suggest mother dab a tiny amount of vit E on 2x/day, but wipe it off thoroughly right before the next feeding, if they might open and heal on their own in just a couple days?

Dee Kassing

The white spot is inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from coming out.

[Guest guest]

I had some white spots on my nipples towards the end of nursing my second that

look a lot like the ones in the second history pictures. They showed up after I

was treated for thrush that I never felt got fully under control. After I

stopped nursing they took months to fade, but there are still some lighter

patches of skin.

I may have missed the suggestion, but has she tried APNO? The second set of

pictures really looked inflamed so I'm thinking either bacterial or fungal

infection. For regular blebs I often suggest mom wears a cotton ball soaked in

olive oil in her bra inbetween feedings, but I doubt that would help here. Maybe

warm moist compresses to bring whatever it is to the surface. That's what I do

with those " pimples " that are too deep to pop.

Heinz, BA IBCLC

Beach Babies Lactation Support, LLC

[Guest guest]

Dee, you might be on to something there. I certainly don't think it would hurt, and it might help....

Hydrocortisone thins the skin, which is why I'm not a huge fan of APNO since it contains hydrocortisone which only should be used for a few days, not for a long period of time. But -- I wonder -- and it is also anti-inflammatory which would go along with 's doc's claim that the white skin is inflammatory cells -- if we used a little Vit E along with some hydrocortisone if we couldn't take care of the inflammation and the thick skin and be able to scrape off the bleb.

Just musing here....

Dee, how did you ever come up with using the Vit E on those pesky sebaceous plugs on the face?

Jan

Ha! I didn't know those "other" kinds of whiteheads had a name. When I get them, I dab a little vitamin E on them twice a day. If I get to them immediately, it usually only takes 3-4 days for the whitehead to rise to the top (thin the skin??) so I can simply scrape it off with a fingernail--no squeezing necessary.

Soooo, I know we don't ordinarily suggest vit E for sore nipples, due to risk of baby overdosing on fat-soluble vit E. But I wonder if in the case of milk blebs, if we suggest mother dab a tiny amount of vit E on 2x/day, but wipe it off thoroughly right before the next feeding, if they might open and heal on their own in just a couple days?

Dee Kassing

The white spot is inflammatory tissue though, not milk. It's not always blocking milk from coming out.