You have what I call “Irritable Breast Syndrome” if you experience these sorts of symptoms:
Recurrent “plugs,” mastitis, pain, nipple blebs, and more.
Any alteration to your feeding or pumping routine sends your breast into a tizzy.
You sometimes have a good day or two, then everything flares up again … then a normal day or even a week, then daily battles again.
You just can’t stand the feeling of fullness in your breast — it makes you anxious or feel like you’re being suffocated. You don’t get relief until you’ve fed the baby or pumped, but then the cycle starts all over again.
Just like the other IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), IBrS can make you miserable. Just like diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and bloating can run your life, it can feel like your breasts are running your life with IBrS.
Interestingly, there’s likely a common root in both of these syndromes: serotonin. There are innumerable serotonin receptors in your gut (common anti-nausea medications like Zofran work on serotonin) as well as your breast and nipple. The SSRI class of drugs has been very helpful in treating IBS and it works miracles for IBrS, too. We are currently reviewing charts from the past five years in my clinic and will be publishing results of our success.
