I am being colonised by a fungal infection

[Beachingtons]

Help!

In late January DD2 brought athlete’s foot home from nursery. I thought it was hand, foot and mouth at first, but she was scratching intensely and crying about it at night, so when it didn’t clear up by mid-Feb using OTC creams, I took her to the doctor and she was prescribed an anti fungal cream. She cosleeps.

By this point, I’d developed a rash on both sides of my groin that was SO intensely itchy, especially at night. I started applying Canesten immediately. I saw the pharmacist who said it could take two weeks to go. After two weeks, it was still awful and had spread further and to my armpits. It’s keeping me awake at night and I’m regularly taking ibuprofen to relieve the itch. I cried on the phone to the doctors, who brought me in to have it swabbed, but haven’t had the results yet.

This week, I started using Daktarin. This has taken the itch from my groin and it seems to be healing there, but it’s still spread to my armpits, knee pits, and today I’ve noticed new patches under my watch strap.

Things I have been doing for weeks:

• no exercise, sex or anything remotely sweaty
• keeping DD’s feet covered
• showering daily or twice daily
• replacing towels and clothes on every use
• wearing only loose cotton, and no underwear/bra unless necessary
• using Head & Shoulders on my hair and the patches
• wearing cotton pyjamas at night, changing bedsheets every couple of days
• drinking diluted apple cider vinegar
• applying either Canesten, or now Daktarin, three times a day to washed skin

I’ve had ringworm a few times in the past but it’s gone within a few weeks with Canesten application.

What the hell is going on?!

Please ask doctor to test for candida auris. They won’t know what that is probably so you’ll have to tell them, but it’s important you get this looked at soon as possible. It’s an emerging treatment resistant fungus but I know of people with it through my work in healthcare. It can infect your insides too so you’d need to have antifungals via a drip not just topically xx

I wouldn’t use dakacort or trimovate as they contain steroid, which masks the fungal infection but it comes back stronger.

Id wash it daily with Nizoral treatment wash and put Lamisil once a day on it.

Whaaat the hell??? I'm shocked!

I’ve had some kind of ringworm/fungal infection on my inner thigh for the first time in my life (I’m 37!) after a birthday spa day in October. No cream the doctor gave me helped. I sympathise with the itch it’s horrendous. I was at my wits end. My old school dad said have I tried iodine. I didn’t think it would work but out of desperation ordered some in little like Q tips from Amazon. A week later and it’s started to clear up!!

Last week vs today

I think it's scabies too.

Google "scabies in an infant" and look at the pictures. Commonly affects soles of feet and palms of hands/face in an infant which fits with you thinking foot and mouth.

Scabies can be missed even by professionals.

If you are prescribed a treatment make sure age is taken into account for your child with what is suitable.

You could have a look at the "ink burrow test" too.

Weird tip but put socks on before underwear otherwise you pull the fungus from your feet up your body. Wash at 60, towels after every use. Anti fungal talc after bathing. Try to avoid deodorant. Antifungal cream daily and I find aloe Vera helps soothe the itch.

I'm sensitive to antifungals plus they don't work well for me, but amazon sell an amazing herbal antifungal cream that heals anything like that within a day or two. I always keep it to hand just in case and I've never had an adverse reaction from it, despite being sensitive to many creams and medicines. it's expensive but spreads well so you don't need much.

ETA link isn't working. it's called Antifungal Cream for Scalp & Body Skin: Suitable for Athletes Foot, Ringworm, Jock Itch, Tinea Versicolor & Seborrheic Dermatitis, Gentle and Effective Plant-Based Formula 20g
Brand: Kopa Haiku

And there was just no other way of phrasing this, for sure.
I know people do not give a flying fuck at all, but here is the definition of a colony: A territory that lies outside of a heartland. But the heartland still controls it, for economic reasons mostly.

Put some sulfur cream on that shit and don't write essays about your groin, woman. Showering twice daily also wrecks your skin barrier, do it only once.

Colonisation is also medical and scientific terminology.

Have you changed your washing powder or soap recently. With the location of the rash it could be dermatitis. It seems to be where clothing is in contact with skin and may get damp, armpits groin and feet/socks.
I have an SLS and sodium benzoate allergy ( found in a lot of detergents). In the summer I double wash clothing, first with detergent then without so it rinses out as much detergent as possible.
Manufacturers can change formulas from time to time so even if you haven’t changed brand you can still have a reaction. Possibly changing to a hotter wash cycle may be helping inadvertently because it may remove the detergent more effectively.

But it could be scabies. It spreads rapidly in care settings. It also takes 4-6 weeks for rash to appear so may not be from nursery. If you’ve travelled abroad recently or stayed in a hotel recently that may be your source.

Sounds more like scabies

Hands you tried propolis balm (bee product). I think it's anti fungal as well as anti bacterial. It's very good stuff.

I am a pharmacist. Once as a student in Australia a Dr came in. He had contracted scabies from an overseas patient (it is very contagious so suprised your DH hasn't got it). He used a lotion Benzyl Benzoate. You literally apply it all over from the neck down. It is very strong and handy for treatment resistant scabies. Paint more, on the badly affected areas. You apply it once. wait then rinse off in the shower. Have you seen on Google how scabies presents as others have said in crevices like between thumb and forefinger. Little dots. Also as pp said the hydrocortisone will only be temporarily reducing the itch as it is anti inflammatory. Not a long term fix. I would compare photos of the rash to Google images if similar use the option I mentioned that should fix it although how you contracted it is a mystery this dr had been in contact with a patient recently returned from India.

You might need help applying to your back or use on of those bath/shower loofah sponges with a stick. You want to cover you whole body from neck down. Best of luck OP. Really shitty thing to happen.

Optimise your Vitamin D level will help with fungal infection

Yes I have heard of a few people with scabies lately.

Yet another one voting scabies...its intensely itching as the mites are burrowing under the skin.

That was my thought. It sounds like scabies. Groin and armpits, intense itching, worse at night.

Just coming on to suggest washing bedding etc in Halo Sports Wash which kills fungus as well as bacteria. It costs a small fortune but it really works. The cheapest olace I've found for it is Sainsbury's.

My husband had different very symptoms but also immune related post COVID. Like his system was over reacting everytime he got a cold.

If you suspect immune issues then I would try to support that as well as seeking treatment for the condition itself.

I did a ton of research about supplementing for immune recovery and ended up buying a weird collection of pills and potions for the things that helped. Zinc, probiotics, PREbiotics, vitamin D, b vitamins.

In the end I spotted that some of those little daily probiotic yoghurt drinks had almost everything on my list and DH started using them. My rational brain can't quite believe that it worked (always thought they were a bit of a scam) he's been taking them for about 3 years and hasn't had a single repeat of the long COVID symptoms.

It was actimel immune support specifically if you want to try it.

Wow, what the hell is your problem

I was thinking the same. If the swab results don't come back with anything fungal this would be my first thought. I've had it multiple times and in odd places too, so the textbook cases aren't the only way it can present. It was intensely itchy.

If you head on down through the dictionary definitions you get to this one:

Biology
a community of animals or plants of one kind living close together or forming a physically connected structure.
"a colony of seals"
a group of fungi or bacteria grown from a single spore or cell on a culture medium.

Which I think is probably what the OP was aiming for when she chose her wording.