Fungal issues - possibly thrush or ringworm - help!

[Itchymisery]

Firstly, I have been to the doctor but am seeking more info, hence why I'm posting here. There will be TMI, sorry :(

Basically, I developed what look like ringworm patches on one breast. As I breastfeed, not great. Anyway, started anti-fungal cream after going to the doctor. But a week or so later and it was better, not worse. It has spread across to the other breast and my upper chest and back are also very itchy.

I saw a different doctor (same surgery, it's just how they work) and he said it looks like patches of thrush and ringworm and gave me an oral tablet (fluconazole) and more cream.

It is only two days into this treatment so I should probably be patient, but I have a few concerns. One, I am incredibly, terribly, itchy and it also feels quite burny. I woke up in the night to itch. I normally have better willpower than this but I'm not doing very well.

Two, it is all over my upper body in one way or another. My back has been itchy for a while but I have dry skin so that's not unknown. There are definitely some ringworm patches there.

My upper chest is mostly just red and sore and has been for a couple of weeks. There are no specific round patches or white spots, it is just itchy and sensitive. I am wondering if this is the candida/whatever or a reaction to something else because this bit of me frequently is exposed to air and sunlight and it just seems strange to me to get a fungal infection there (fungus normally likes moist/dark places). It's been sore since before I put the cream on though, so I don't think it's a reaction to that. Anyway the soreness has crept up to my neck now and I'm feeling very miserable.

Third, as mentioned I'm breastfeeding. My son is six months old so has started solids but he is still on the breast several times a day. I have no doubt if this had happened just after birth I would've given up. I just don't know what to do now. I'm fairly sure he has a small ringworm bit on his chin and I'm treating his bum too as there is a small nappy rash that doesn't look very sore but does have little white spots like thrush. His mouth is clear but I know I should treat that too and the Dr gave me oral gel for him just in case.

Trouble is, I feel disgusting. It doesn't feel right putting him to my breast when I am covered in infection. His hands roam now so he's always scratching/touching the other areas around the breast. I feel sick that I could be passing on anything to him and have already caused him some ringworm/thrush :(

But if I give up bfeeding, well, I am not mentally prepared for it to stop like this or so suddenly. I don't think he would be prepared for it either, though I know he would probably get used to a bottle (he takes expressed milk occasionally).

Back to feeling disgusting, I feel totally minging. I go to babygroups and wonder if they can tell (it just looks red above my top I suppose and I don't get much boob out). Then I wonder if I should be going or am I just spreading icky skin conditions? But I can't not go out for weeks at a time. And I'm embarrassed to tell anyone.

Ultimately, I'm in pain, confused about feeding, unsure this will clear up and am hating the wait to see if the cream will do anything.

Can anyone who has or hasn't been through something similar offer any advice?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

I would return to the GP and ask for a referral to a dermatologist for their evaluation on both you and baby if you are still not happy. Derms tend to know far more about such things than GPs do.

Please do not feel embarrassed or ashamed; skin problems are very common in people. And go out as well, don't be stuck indoors.

I had a skin condition a couple of years ago (which I felt really upset about) which I showed the surgery and was told it was ringworm (it started in my lower back and spread to my stomach). I knew it was not ringworm because this looked completely different. These were flat oval shaped red areas which spread and this started on my back (this is called a herald patch). Fed up with feeling crap I paid to see a dermatologist who told me it was actually pityriasis rosea. As PR is not fungal no cream would work on it, it went of its own accord.

Good luck with getting it sorted, do seek further advice.

[nightcat]

If you are sure it's fungal, then you could try a zinc supplement, I think it's OK with bf. Zn is also good for healing skin and even some nappy rash creams are Zn-based.
Also, when you say your skin is v dry, try taking something like omega or evening primrose oil, again, this shouldn't clash with bf - or you can double check when buying.
When my ds had a fungal infection, no cream or even prescribed meds worked but once we started Zn, it cleared.

[CrispyCakeHead]

Ringworm doesn't follow the same warm wet pattern that other fungal infections have. I had it before and had two patches, one on my hip and the other on my leg. I know it makes you feel grotty, but you really aren't!

I would second the referral to a dermatologist, as it could be something else entirely, like discoid eczema (although if baby has it too, then more likely to be fungal)

Could you try some more oral tablets? It might just need a bit more of a boost to get the treatment started, especially if it's as extensive as it sounds. You can buy them over the counter if you don't want to wait and see the GP, but they are quite expensive.

I hope things start to clear up soon!

[Sidge]

Could it be eczema?

Try applying lashings of emollient until you can see a doc again and ask to see a dermatologist.

Get to a decent sized pharmacy and buy some Cetraben, Aveeno or Dermol and apply it all day every day. That should at least reduce the itching and possibly the soreness.

The fact that your skin hasn't responded to the antifungals suggests that another diagnosis needs to be considered. But of course I'm only speculating as I can't see you!

[moomaa]

This sounds a lot like what I have at the moment and I feel seriously manky! I have no advice but I do have sympathy, and actually, it's nice to know there's someone else in the same boat.

The nurse saw me first and gave me the same tablets you are having, they did nothing for two days, then they kind of kept it at bay but as soon as I finished them I started getting more patches. Went back to nurse, she got the doctor, who basically said that he didn't know what it was, could be bacterial, fungal or even viral. Gave me more antibiotics but with two types in one pill. Again, kept at bay, some started healing up too, this week back to the doctors again as one big patch flaring up again and 2 new patches. Got given cream, seems to be helping, different doctor who said it looked like something fungal that had got infected. Am feeling more confident that it will go this time, reacting well to cream and itching died right down.

Have also been examing baby and she seems fine. Have had 3 small patches on my face and one on my finger.

Last doctor said this kind of thing was common in breast feeding women as we get more hot and sweaty than most people.

Also, to make me feel even more manky I have been banned from shaving my armpits until it is gone as there are some spots there :S

[almondfinger]

First of all you are not manky!!!

Keep breastfeeding.

You might have a biotin defficiency, which can cause red scaly dermatitis. Did you baby have bad cradle cap?

Biotin rich foods are bulgar wheat, cashews, oats, soy beans, wholegrain cereals (wholewheat pasta, brown rice), kidney, liver, egg yoik, milk, butter.

Up your intake of essential fatty acids (olive oil, avocado, oily fish), you can safely take a fish oil when breastfeeding, in fact the baby will reap the benefits too.

Your zinc requirements are also increased when breastfeeding and zinc is excellent for healing. Zinc rich foods are oysters, beef, poultry, liver, green leafy veg, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, lentils, almonds, whole grains, legumes, cashews and oats.

Sulphur containing foods are good for skin - onions, cabbage, egg.

Persevere, eat well and see what happens.

[almondfinger]

Oh, and go back to the GP and get them to scrape some and send it for testing. Treating it blindly is pretty pointless.

[Itchymisery]

Thank you all for replying. When you're feeling a bit low and rubbish it really helps.

Moomaa - it is sort of good to know there is someone in the same boat, though obviously I don't enjoy someone else going through it. I haven't spotted any patches in my armpits yet but one is a tad itchy so perhaps I'll have to stop shaving for a bit too. Eeep.

My back has been driving me craziness with itching tonight and my poor right boob looks/is very sore, but I'd say the redness on my upper chest seems to have calmed a little, so perhaps that's a good sign.

Does anyone know if it is ok to moisturise something that's probably fungal? A couple of times I've resorted to sudocrem (not the same pot we use for nappy changes) or e45 cream just to give some relief but I'm not sure I should be doing it. I bought some hydro-cortisone cream too but it says not to use it on broken skin or athlete's foot (which is the same thing as ringworm) so I haven't bothered.

I have decided to stop feeding from the right side for the moment. I'm expressing and still feeding from the left so hopefully it won't affect my supply too much. It is just too sore to let a grabby six-month-old who likes to nip with his new teeth go on there.

If there is no improvement by Monday morning or if it's worse I will ring the doctor and ask for either proper investigation or a referral. I'm hoping I'm just about to turn the corner as the itching is so hard to bear. And I'm paranoid about infecting everything - argh!

Thank you for listening :)

[almondfinger]

Sudo cream would be soothing and might calm it down. Do you have any aloe vera gel?

[Itchymisery]

Update: It's definitely calming down now - the red patches are much smaller and don't itch or hurt as much. I'm back to feeding on the right side (it's his favourite side anyway and expressing never seemed to relieve any engorgement like he can) and I'm hopeful it will resolve now using the cream/tablets I'm already on.

Might feel better if I hadn't had a tummy bug yesterday though!