Help needed re thrush

[sammysam]

I need some advice for a lovely mum i've met who has had thrush almost since her ds was born 8wks ago.

I've never suffered from it so can't help much-she's seen breastfeeding c's, docs etc and shes now on the full wack dose of everything and has tried everything and its still not shifting and i think everyone has run out of ideas.

She was saying the other day that shes now cut all yeast and sugar out or her diet and its helped a bit but she still has pain.......

So please if anyone has any other ideas on what could help her-if you found some magic cure please let me know so i can help her!

[TheBlonde]

Has she tried grapefruit seed extract?

[Amberjee]

www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/thrush.html

there are a few suggestions from la leche...

[Manictigger]

Yep I used grapefruit seed extract (Citrocidal) and it worked. The medication from the doctor should work if it's taken for long enough but my GP flatly refused to prescribe antifungals and the creams I was given did bugger all. Now at 9 months I still take Citrocidal tablets if I feel any breast twinges because I never want to go through that pain again.

[laundrylover]

Yes the citricidal tablets were the only thing that worked for me too. I bought Exspore tablets from Nutriwest.com as manictigger says it cleared it and then as soon as I felt a twinge I'd start them again. Thrush free for momths now though and still bfeeding at 14 months. Bloody hell thrush is the pits though.

[Manictigger]

I think mine were from Higher Nature - they've got a website but you can prob get your local health food shop to order them for you. You can also get drops to put in water to drink but it tastes disgusting so I'd stick to the tablets. I think the only possible problem is that you obviously can't take them if you're allergic to citrus.

[DebsCee]

I suffered with thrush for ages too and here's the long list of things I did, which along with a high and prolonged dose of tablets did the trick for me, I also continued to do these for 14 days after the symptons had actually disappeared -

Drinking Yakult each morning
Taking acidophillus tablets AM and PM
Rinsing nipples in vinegar after each feed
Using daktarin cream on me after each feed
Daktarin gel on DS2 after each feed (though he had no signs in his mouth)
Pre-soaking my bras, muslins, towels etc in vinegar and Milton solution and then washing separately at 60C (basically anything that touched milk or nappies!)
Took 8 drops of grapefruit seed extract in juice every lunch time
Changing breast pads at every single feed and exposed boobs as much as possible to keep them dry - no more Lansinoh
Took Candida homeopathic remedy daily
Obsessively washed hands before & after every nappy change and feed
Reduced wine, wheat, sugar etc but easier said than done

FWIW - I also had problems with latching and some of the pain I attributed to thrush was actually the latch, though not all of it, so maybe worth just checking that with a BFC.

I hope this helps - I can really sympathise.

[laundrylover]

Those are great tips Debs...it's all coming back to me now! I would add:

-if you use a breast pump/nipple sheilds/bottle then switch to Milton as nothing else will kill Candida - even 20 minutes boiling!
-I put 20 drops of citricidal in the final rinse for my nappy wash and put my bras in with the wash. Washed at 60 until the thrush cleared.
-you can use diulted citricidal on your nipples too but for me taking it orally was key as the thrush was in my ducts.
-when you finally get rid of it bfing will be such a breeze that you may never want to stop....until your toddler starts saying 'booby' very loudly and gives you a nipple nip...

[sammysam]

Thank you-i wish i'd checked this before i went this morning-i don't have her number and only see her once maybe twice a week and i saw her today

She saw doc again today as ds had his jabs and he's now saying it can't be thrush as she's had it for so long and all the things she's taking still haven't cleared it

now she just gets shooting pains when she feeds, which sounded like my painful let down but she says it lasts the feed and is different.

Does it sound like it def if thrush? Maybe it was thrush AND something else?????

[sammysam]

She comes to our local breastfeeding support group 'bosom buddies' and has been speaking to nct. She is doing so well and is so determined- especially as there is lots of breast cancer in her family.

[Manictigger]

As I recall, I found the pain bad during feeding but it was even worse afterwards especially in the middle of the night. I think there's another disease called Raynauds syndrome that causes similar pain but someone like Tiktok or Mears would prob know more.

Actually have just found link that might help

www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipple-blanching.htm l

[sammysam]

Bump-any other ideas?

[maveta]

And his latch is fine? Maybe it isn't thrush at all but some kind of nipples trauma from a bad latch? I have raynaud's but the nipple goes white and painful and it generally doesn't hurt when he's feeding but after or between feeds, basically whenever my nipples get cold.

I had thrush which I thought was going on for longer than it really was, when my ds got his tongue tie sorted out the pain stopped so pain I had attributed to thrush was actually the bad latch caused by his tt. I still have the raynaud's but not as bad so I think that was exacerbated by nipple trauma too. Sorry I can't help more.