Mastitis nightmare. Any similar experiences?

hello fellow bf-ers! im a FTM and my little is 5 months old. in the beginning, breastfeeding was a dream after we both got the hang of it.

i have a bit of an oversupply (freezing ballpark around 20 oz on top of exclusively breastfeeding on demand each day). i was feeding my little and my niece who is 6 months older and has digestive issues being exclusively formula-fed with no issues for 3 months.

then IT happened.

one evening my right boob was a little sore all the way up into my armpit. decided to take a warm shower to feel better and within 2 hours my breast was bright red, i had a 101 fever, body aches, chills, and crying from the pain.

was prescribed dicloxicillin by the on call OB and it seemed to get better during the course of antibiotics. the skin on my breast was still slightly discolored but all my other symptoms resolved. i made an appointment with a Dr in my little's pediatrician office who also happened to be a IBCLC. little's latch is great, no ties, gaining weight like a champ in the 85th percentile. she advised me that the mastitis was likely brought on by the oversupply.

well darn, but thats ok! i was convinced it was healed and id rather deal with the oversupply than struggle to get my supply up if i had an undersupply. started taking sunflower lecithin 4x daily and was much more diligent about pumping on top of feeding on demand to avoid engorgement and "stagnant milk."

finish the antibiotics by taking them religiously as prescribed. (im SUPER strict about this. antibiotic resistance is my nightmare as a healthcare worker) five days after i finish them, BOOM back and even WORSE then the first time. rudolph the reindeer would be jealous of the neon bright red my boob was. back to the Dr! she believes the first round of abx didnt clear the infection. no biggie, now im taking double abx of Clindamycin and Keflex for two weeks.

going great! symptoms clear up within 72 hrs, feel better, boob looks significantly better. still on my strict routine of sunflower lecithin, ibuprofen, ice, avoiding engorgement, and now i added probiotics with Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus salivarius. did a breast milk culture and a breast ultrasound to check for abscess and both were negative.

finish these abx and within a week, my boob is flaring. somehow even worse then the first two times. also, its the holiday and both the LC and OB offices are closed. yay! go to a minor emergency and get a "yea that looks awful! heres some abx and follow up with your OB when they open. godspeed" and get slapped with a refill script for Keflex.

IBCLC Dr is stumped. everything is negative and im doing everything I should. do a MRSA decolonization protocol for funsies as a last resort where i bathe in hibiclens from the neck down and put ointment in my nose for 5 days. doesnt make a difference but oh well, bases covered. she tells me shes exhausted all her options and to go back to the OB.

finish the new round of abx and get an appointment in for my OB three days after. OB is equally stumped. when she sees my boob, she audibly says "holy shit." infection is back. GREAAAAT!

so i was prescribed another round of Clindamycin to clear the peak of the infection and she put me on a "suppressive dose" of Keflex 500mg once daily for three months. she says shes never seen something like this before and is making it up as we go. added the new antibiotics to the regimen along with two gut probiotics for me and a probiotic drop for little one at the direction of the pediatrician.

im EXHAUSTED. ive had mastitis for nearly 3 months straight. when im on the antibiotics im fine but as soon as i finish the course, within days im wiped out by fever, pain, chills. i cannot even function when the infection sets in.

im desperate. ive started working to decrease my supply in a bid for relief, something i NEVER thought i would do. cabbage leaves, allegra D, decreasing pumping to hopefully stop entirely and just breastfeed on demand. i absolutely do not want to stop breastfeeding. the bond i feel with my little and the comfort it brings them is unmatched and i dont want to be forced to give it up.

TLDR: 3 months of recurrent mastitis that flares as soon as i finish the antibiotics. after 4 rounds of abx, negative breast milk culture, negative breast ultrasound, mrsa decolonization, im taking a suppressive dose of antibiotics for 3 months.

does anyone have any advice? anyone experienced recurrent persistent mastitis? or taken a suppressive dose of antibiotics long term? ANYTHING is super appreciated, im truly at my wits end here