Any Experiences with Paget's Disease and Breastfeeding

Hi K., Sorry, I lost what I started before so I'm just going to get to the point. Marda mentioned that Paget's is a bone disease and that's is what I found out as well. Did anyone ever say that there was a chance that this is a form of Mastitis? An infection simply needs a little split in the skin to take off. Your child is 18 months old. How many teeth does he have? There is an awfully good chance that a tooth could have scraped your skin and then he may have touched it with his hand with something on it that could start an infection. There are too many other possibilities and Paget's doesn't sound right. I would consider talking to another Dr. who is going to take the time to figure this out without biopsy's etc. There are other tests. Good luck with this. You might read about this problem by Googling infections of the breasts.

I recall getting an e-mail from a cousin about Paget's disease of the breast about a month ago! I don't know about breast-feeding with that diagnosis, but I just googled "Paget's disease + breast" and got several results. Try that for more information. Also, webmd is a reputable site. I would continue to nurse just on the one side to reduce the risk of recurrent infections. Good luck.

I'm confused, K.. Paget's concerns the bones. The body doesn't rebuild bone. It is not contagious. the Web site said that it could eventually affect internal organs but does not mention skin or breast infections.

I think that they can take a smear when the infection is active to determine it's cause, whether virus or bacterial. Not all skin infections are contagious. I don't know if ingesting a virus or bacteria could lead to illness. I recommend that you talk with your doctor again to learn more about what is going on in your body and if you could infect your baby.

April 17, 2008 addendum

After reading Jennifer's post I looked up Paget's and breast and learned that it is related to cancer of the breast. Cancer is not contagious. I've had surgery for cancer in my lungs. Cancer is not contagious!

Your condition is different than I thought. However, there is hope. I had a segment of my lung removed and I'm cancer free after 5 years. Hopefully you have found the cancer early enough that you too will have success in ridding your breast of the cancer tissue. My prayers are with you as you go down this path. For me it was weeks before I had surgery and truly knew what was happening with me. It's the waiting to know that was most difficult for me. After they did a biopsy the doctor could give me more information and I was encouraged.

Since my tumor was in the lung they took a section of the tumor using a laryngoscope while I had twilight anesthesia. I didn't remember anything afterwards and I had no pain or discomfort. I don't know where they will take the tissue from in your case. I have a friend who had a biopsy of breast tissue years ago and she has a small scar on her breast. In my experience it's not the biopsy that's an issue. It's the waiting to find out the results.

Be assured that if you have cancer your baby is not at risk from breast feeding. And know that cancer is no longer a death sentence. I hope that your doctor will keep you informed as you proceed with the diagnostic tests. My doctors kept me informed and I was able to wait with arelative lack of fear the couple of months it took to decide about having surgery.

I wish for you the best care and a positive prognosis.

I don't have any experience with Paget's Disease, but you can try drinking a tea that contains sage to reduce your milk supply.

I hope this helps :)

K. I just yesterday read an email from my Great Aunt that was about Paget's, I had never heard of it before. If you are interested in reading this email and seeing some pictures I can email them to you. It's good that your Dr. is on top of things!

B.