I'm getting my butt kicked!

Holy cow, I think Mastitis is kicking my butt. I had Mastitis-like symptoms on Sunday, yesterday I was fine, and now today again. I'm so miserable. I looked up Mastitis on the Mayo Clinic site and below I will post my findings (but don't worry, I won't post any pictures from the site, let's just say they were a little graphic!!). I really feel like I should go to the doctor, but Erik seems to think I'm fine and that I should just "be tough"... if only he knew what it was like...

Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that causes pain, swelling and redness of the breast. Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding, although in rare circumstances this condition can occur outside of lactation. The condition can leave you feeling exhausted and rundown, making it difficult to care for your baby. Sometimes mastitis leads a mother mistakenly to wean her baby before she intends to. But you can continue breast-feeding while you have mastitis.

Signs and symptoms
With mastitis, signs and symptoms can appear suddenly and may include:
- Breast tenderness or warmth to the touch
- General malaise or feeling ill
- Swelling of the breast
- Pain or a burning sensation continuously or while breast-feeding
- Skin redness, often in a wedge-shaped pattern
- Fever of 101 F (38.3 C) or greater
- Although mastitis usually occurs in the first several weeks of nursing, it can happen any time during breast-feeding. Mastitis tends to affect only one breast — not both breasts.

Causes
Mastitis occurs when bacteria enter your breast through a break or crack in the skin of your nipple or through the opening to the milk ducts in your nipple. Bacteria from your skin's surface and baby's mouth enter the milk duct and can multiply — leading to pain, redness and swelling of the breast as infection progresses.

When to seek medical advice
In most cases, you'll feel ill with flu-like symptoms for several hours before you recognize that there's a sore red area on one of your breasts. As soon as you recognize this combination of signs and symptoms, it's time to contact your doctor. Your doctor will probably want to see you to confirm the diagnosis. Oral antibiotics are usually very effective in treating this condition. If you've had mastitis before, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics over the phone. If your signs and symptoms don't improve after the first two days of taking antibiotics, see your doctor right away to make sure your condition isn't the result of a more serious problem.

Treatment
Mastitis treatment usually involves:
- Antibiotics. Treating mastitis usually requires a 10- to 14-day course of antibiotics. You may feel well again 24 to 48 hours after starting antibiotics, but it's important to take the entire course of medication to minimize your chance of recurrence.
- Self-care remedies. Resting, continuing breast-feeding and drinking extra fluids can help your body overcome the breast infection.
- If your mastitis doesn't clear up after taking antibiotics, check back with your doctor. A rare form of breast cancer — inflammatory breast cancer — can also cause redness and swelling that could initially be confused with mastitis. You may need a biopsy to make sure you don't have breast cancer.