How can I stay thrush-free? Do I really have to give up all my favourite foods forever?

[naturelover]

Seems like the thrush is back. DD is 12 weeks old and I only got rid of the pain two weeks ago. It's quite frankly very disheartening. It's not like I even eat much bread or sugar or drink alcohol, in fact I have a healthier diet than most people I know.

So I guess it's back to the GP to beg for fluconazole, and the whole faff with creams starts again....

are you taking a probiotic yogurt? can you go topless more? (my DH thinks this will do the trick ) has DD been treated? she could be transfering it back to you.

Every day I drink Yakult and Actimel and eat tons of live natural yoghurt. I'll give topless a try but my house is chilly now! I treated DD with Daktarin oral gel and used Daktarin cream on my nipples after each feed. Needless to say I've begun using the cream again since yesterday.

I will also buy some acidophillus capsules - can't do any harm can it?

Staying off sugar is the hard part. I have a really healthy diet 95% of the time but I do love sweet things. Especially mince pies at this time of year!

Have you tried grapefruit seed extract?
I found it recommended via kellymom

I posted this list on another thread recently, which may help you. Don't know if you've already had a course of Fluconazole, but if so it may mean that you need to take it for a longer period, as the thrush may never have actually gone away this time around which is why it is back so quickly IYSWIM.

I did all of the following and it worked for me:

Took Fluconazole pills for 20 days - 19 days of 200mg after the loading dose
Drinking Yakult each morning
Taking acidophillus tablets AM and PM
Rinsing nipples in dilute vinegar/grapefruit extract after each feed
Using daktarin cream on me after each feed
Daktarin oral 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 that one!

After the tablet course was completed I continued with everything else for an additional 2 weeks. I haven't suffered with thrush again since DS2 was 3 months old (now 10mo), and I haven't really changed my diet. I think it was the higher dosage and longer course of drugs that cracked it for me.

Hope this is helpful.

don't get too upset umntil you see the GP. I had thrush that kept coming back, despite changing diet etc. but I went to GP, she gave me some tablets and it didn't come back again.

Thanks DebsCee, that's an impressive list of things to do, I'm already doing some of them and will stock up on the homeopathic remedy tomorrow.
Isn't grapefruit seed extract disgusting?
Thanks for the advice.

Naturelover,I had the most hideous bout of thrush ever which cleared with Fluconazole.

i didn't do anything else.

Life too short to faff with vinegar and deprive oneself of wine.

Grapefruit seed extract is vile, but barely noticeable in orange juice

Agree with Moondog though, despite every additional precaution I took, I'm convinced it was the higher dosage of tablets that I took for 20 days that cleared it for me. I had Fluconazole prescribed at 100mg prior to that and the blasted thrush came back a week after I completed that course And to be honest I only took so many precautions because I was plagued with thrush pretty much from day one and I was prepared to do anything to be rid of the agonising pains. I've suffered from thrush intermittently most of my adult life, so I guess it was inevitable that I would get it in my breasts.

Because of this my diet is pretty healthy and low in sugar and wheat anyway, but the glasses of wine probably compensate and I never did manage to cut that back

Get a prescription from your GP and so long as it's a high enough dose for long enough, you won't look back, pain completely subsided after 5 days for me.

you can get tablets of the GSE ( I tried the liquid it was bluergh)

Thanks everyone. I really hope I can get enough fluconazole to get rid of it once and for all. I've only been pain-free for about 2-3 weeks and it's depressing that it's returned.

The first time, my GP would only give me 150mg initial dose then 50mg twice daily for 14 days. I'm seeing a different GP this morning, I have a printout from the HV saying I need 400mg initial dose then 100mg twice daily for at least 14 days.

Strangely I find it harder to faff around with creams, vinegar, soaking bras and nappies etc than to give up dairy, sugar and yeast. I got so paranoid the last time about reinfecting myself. I will however go and buy disposable breast pads and nappies and give up the washables for the time being.

There is a product called plantolin it is an anti fungal cream all natural usually used for feet but I bought it as I was getting thrush on my skin after a lot of steroids I had endless fluconazole etc nothing worked but this cream was a miracle.You can order it online Look up plantolin and it is the fungal intensive gel.About £7

Well my GP gave me the full dose of fluconazole that I asked for so fingers crossed!

Brill