Pain in the Lymph Node or Is It a Milk Duct?

Hi M.,

OMG - clogged milk duct pain is like no pain I had ever felt!!!!!!!!!!! I really thought that something much more serious was wrong. I could not lift my arm, and the pain was like a burning, sometimes pulsing pain. It was so sensitive that I could not wear a bra for a few days and I wanted to scream!! If my older daughter jumped into my arms, etc, I would burst out in tears.

What worked a bit for me was massage - it was difficult because of the pain, but seemed to loosen up the area. I would take an extremely hot shower and use a washcloth over the affected area. I would massage as completely as I could in the shower - the steam/heat seemed to alleviate the burning. I did not nurse on the affected side, but continued to pump and within 2-3 days, the symptoms subsided.

I had seen my doctor about it the first time it happened and he pretty much just shrugged it off as being a normal thing for nursing. I wanted to ask him if he knew what it felt like to wear a bra that someone had lit on fire because that was how intense the pain was. I of course did not ask him that...lol

Try the shower, but it never hurts to see a doctor to get a professional opinion.

Hope you are feeling better soon,
L.

Pain that's going from your shoulder down to your elbow sounds more like a pinched nerve than a breast issue. Pain from a pinched nerve can also be felt in the chest sometimes, so that explains why it might feel like you have a clogged duct. A clogged duct often feels lumpy too.

Be very careful about your posture for the next few days, especially when you're nursing or pumping. Try heat or ice over the area where your neck and shoulder meet, and if that doesn't help ask your doctor. Hope it feels better soon!

Your post reminded me that I had that same thing when my son was an infant! I was FREAKING out that I had cancer or something awful going on because it was so sore! My doctor explained that diagrams are only a rough idea of where the milk ducts are since every woman is different. So my pain ended up being a milk duct (it was in my arm pit just above the top of the bra cup line) and heat helped me the best. I had a heating pad that I used whenever I nursed the baby or when he was sleeping. You can make a little "hot pillow" with rice or beans in a cloth sack (a pillow case would work). Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it's comfortably warm. It stays warm for a good long time and is portable- plus is cheaper and quicker if you don't have a heating pad yet! Since your pain coincides with pumping, I guess it is not a lymph thing, but be sure you ask you doctor about it, especially if it still hurts in a week or so. An infection would need meds!

I just re-read what you said about the pain down your arm! That sounds like a nerve thing in your shoulder. Heat will probably also help that, but so would a massage! Good luck, Meg! I hope it stops hurting so you can enjoy the weekend!

I would strongly recommend calling your OB. I had a clogged milk duct and didn't realize it and started getting flu like symptoms, chills etc and by evening had a fever of 102 (it was either 101 or 102). My doc suggested taking fever reducer and I also took hot showers and placed as hot as I could bear towels over the clogged area and would massage and pump until the lump cleared. If it is a clogged milk duct you shoul visibly see a pink area where it is clogged and possibly getting infected. Keep using warm compresses, massage, and pump until it seems to no longer be clogged. I do not recall having pain from shoulder to elbow but again your OB may know better. Mastitis is no fun and it happened to me several times while I was still breastfeeding. The key is to address it before fever/infection. All the best.