Extremely Sore Breasts

sleepydumpling · 12-03-2005, 12:23 PM

Hands up if you suffer this one? If you do - how do you deal with it?

I get very sore breasts around the middle of my cycle (when I would ovulate if I wasn't on BCP) and some days it's absolutely excruciating. Like today. I can't move without it hurting, and to take my bra off is AGONY. Laying down hurts, standing up hurts, sitting hurts! And because I'm VERY well endowed, I've got lots to hurt!

Has anyone got anything they can suggest to ease the pain a little. I've found immersing myself in cold water (swimming!) is good, but I just can't do that sometimes, and I don't have a bathtub. A shower is difficult because without my bra on, I'm really hurting.

I do take ibuprofen (either Neurofen or Advil) at bedtime which does seem to ease it a little bit (they do swell at this time too) but my nipples still REALLY hurt no matter what and it makes it so hard to sleep.

Any suggestions anyone can give would really help, because I've got at least another two days of this!

Thanks
Kath

chattabox_87 · 12-05-2005, 12:07 AM

hey sweety i am so sorry

i get the exact same thing - i havnt found anything to help it yet if i do one day ill let you know

just wanted to say you are not alone

love

christa xoxox

newfiecyster · 12-05-2005, 12:12 AM

I am going though that right now. Last night i took a nice bath i found that it help a little. Mine tends to stay tender till af shows her head.

IsabelleGrace · 12-05-2005, 01:37 AM

I get that too. It's usually a week or two before and the girls swell and are extremely sore. They tone down once AF shows up. I always thought it meant progesterone was high or maybe it's the estrogen. Ouch! A few years back when my hormones were raging wildly (I was on Met), my chest was sore to the point where I couldn't even stand to put a shirt on. This lasted for about a month. I lived on Advil and put ice on them when I got home from work. It was just awful.

ABumpyGal · 12-05-2005, 02:09 AM

Very gentle (((hugs))) for ya Sleepydumpling. I feel for you, it can hurt so badly sometimes!

Some things that have helped me in the past with the swelling is avoiding caffeine as much as possible during that time, increasing my water intake, and avoiding salt. The general advice for swelling. I rebelled against giving up my caffeine, but it really does seem to help. I don't know what over the counter medications you have available in Oz, but something we have here called "Multi-Symptom Pamprin" used to help me quite a bit with the swelling, too.

They have done studies on the herb Evening Primrose Oil for PMS symptoms (including breast pain/swelling). These studies have been inconclusive so far, helping in some and not in others, but it might be worth a try if you haven't tried it yet. I just started taking it myself, but it's only been a week so it's too early to tell.

Have you tried cold packs? Since you say cold things help, I thought I'd suggest it. Plastic bags of frozen veggies can stand in for cold packs if you don't have enough in an emergency. Heat always helped mine, to be honest, so I'm not full of suggestions on that front.

At night, or whenever at home, I'd actually bind mine up as much as possible. A nice, firm-fitting sports bra works great for this. Just avoid wires, obviously. If it was really bad I'd use an elastic bandage and bind those suckers to my chest. Just tight enough to prevent movement and provide support. It would really help with that "heavy, ache-y" feeling. During those days the only time I'd be without my sports bra or bandage is when I bathed. I even slept in it. Plus then my poor sore nipples would be protected at all times.

I hope you can find a way to be comfortable

I'm a bit lucky, since they switched me to more "PCOS unfriendly" BCP this symptom has all but disappeared for me, but I've paid in other ways. Perhaps there is a middle ground though? I'd mention it to your doctor. ((((hugs)))))

sleepydumpling · 12-05-2005, 02:23 AM

Thanks girls...

Cold does help, so I will try cold packs to see if that can ease it up a bit. As I said, I'd LOVE to be able to have a cold bath, but I don't have a bathtub in my little flat! (When the time comes for me to move, the FIRST requirement of a new place will be a bathtub, believe me!)

I like the idea of the elastic bandage, but I'm not sure they make an elastic bandage long or wide enough to hold these babies!!

Mine have actually got worse since the doc changed my BCP to a more PCOS-suitable one. But I've got rid of some even nastier symptoms, so I won't stop taking it. I've found since losing weight too that they're "droopier" so that awful dragging feeling is worse!

And to top it off, in the past 24 hours I've had a raging migraine and fever, which has meant that EVERYTHING is more sensitive than it was before! I've had 6 cold showers in 24 hours. But at least I seem to have beaten that for now - it's just the sore boobs!

Thanks for your suggestions girls, and if anyone else has any more, they all help!

Kath

_xSamix_ · 12-05-2005, 01:40 PM

i had sore nipples a few days ago, never happened before and it was agony! they couldnt be touched in any way shape or form!
and then i started bleeding, so im asumingit was af although it could be a break through bleed!
the only thing that helped for me was to keep a bra on