Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Thrush, ouch, please help

8 replies

2point4pets · 25/05/2009 21:42

I know there must be lots written about managing thrush in the breast on this site - I have tried to search but keep getting bits of threads. The article on this site doesn't really help.
I have had varying pain for 6 weeks now, am now on my second round of flucanozole (4 weeks) and am treating my breast & baby's mouth with daktarin oral gel as prescribed by GP.
Tonight the pain seems to be getting worse again. Baby is 4 months old, exclusively BFing.
Would modifying my diet be worth a try - I drink the occasional glass of wine and have a reasonably sweet tooth - I have heard about cutting wheat and sugar out of my diet. If so, how soon should I see any result in the reduction of pain? I do like my food , so I only want to do this if it has some likelihood of working!
But after 6 weeks of pain I am willing to try anything. I am on 50mg of flucanazole BTW, is that enough or should I go back to GP and ask for higher dose?
Please help!!! I am really enjoying BFing apart from this...

OP posts:
MrsMotMot · 26/05/2009 08:33

Oh I do sympathise, it is hell on earth. I've posted lots about my battle with thrush so if you'll forgive me here is a cpoied and pasted bit of advice I've given before on this thread.

I had hell with thrush and it's only just gone in the past couple of weeks. My case is not normal but I thought I'd tell it anyway, if nothing else it should make you feel better in an 'always someone worse off than you' sort of way!

Great tips here from everyone- I had the same symptoms as well, plus DS eventually got white patches in his mouth. I also got a deep crack (from poor attachment) that did not heal for weeks and weeks due to the presence of thrush.

Because I was unsure it was thrush (most pain in bf is due to positioning and attachment issues) I left it FAR too late and it took absolutely forever and ever to get rid of.

Again, I must state I think I've been extremely unusual but I had three courses of the meds you have been prescribed, and during the last course I cut out sugar, (so no fruit either, just veg) white foods (pasta, rice, bread) all yeasts, alcohol, dairy except tons of live sugar free bio yoghurt, etc.

I took grapefruitseed extract tablets, acidophillus tablets, garlic tablets and used grapefruitseed extract liquid as a nipple wash and mouth swab for DS. I used my Silverette silver nipple shields (I used these to get rid of the crack in the early days) to try and create an environment in which the candida couldn't thrive.

I washed everything at high temp, changed towels, bras etc constantly. It was hellish. Eventually I went on a long holiday to visit my parents abroad and the total change in diet (tried to stay sugar free but eventually failed!), the heat, different breast pads (no plastic back or puffy-up gel stuff like most uk ones) and swimming in the sea every day finally did the trick.

My DS is 24 weeks by the way!

It was truly awful in the first weeks (I was on a long thread with other sufferers, including KiwiPanda here) and although the drugs helped a bit they didn't get rid of it.

I hope my story doesn't terrify you too much- I get vaginal thrush all the time, so am very prone to it (and had a horrific bout of vaginal thrush postnatally too) had been on antibiotics postnatally and left it way, way too long. You have caught it early, have the right treatment and fluconazole usually works for most. You do need to be persistent though. Best of luck!

My DS is now nearly 7 months and and the thrush is still at bay, so it is possible!!
HTH and sorry for the length x

KiwiPanda · 26/05/2009 17:29

Lots of sympathy from me too - I had it for 7 weeks and did pretty much the same as MrsMotMot - the fluconzaole (took two courses for me too, one 10 days, one 7 days, only started to go at the end) plus grapefruitseed extract, acidopholus capsules, TONNES of natural yoghurt, and the diet.

If you can bear it, no sugar, no processed foods (because they usually have sugar, I think) no alcohol, no caffeine, no fruit (although after 1 week I started eating one piece a day as I felt I wasn't getting enough vitamin C!) and no wheat. So basically, eat a tonne of vegetables and eggs. I don't know about meat because I'm vegetarian but assume it's ok if it's not processed/ coated in breadcrumbs etc.

It's painful but it does seem to work, and has the added side effect of weight loss

Good luck!

puffylovett · 26/05/2009 17:32

Meat is fine, as is fish...

I wouldn't cut out all fruits, simply because you need to be feeding the candida something, otherwise it goes burrowing off looking for other food sources. I usually recommend 1-2 pieces of fruit daily, preferably low GI such as berries or pears.

Other than that, what Mrs Motmot said !

KiwiPanda · 26/05/2009 18:43

That sounds wise to me (not to mention better - amazing how after a week on that diet an apple is like a box of chocolates..!)

Oh, but I seem to remember no mushrooms too. Presumably because they are a fungus (fungi?)

TamTam29 · 26/05/2009 20:23

I just eat more healthily - cut out refined sugars, white flour, anything with yeast and/or sugar really and mushrooms. Dont know where I got the ideas from - either internet or some old wives tales but it works for me!

Also cranberry juice seems to work with thrush as well as cystitus. I keep a cartoon in the freezer for any womenly ailments that may arise! Also cranberry flavour bio youghurt drink things - those little bottles that you take with "friendly bacteria" sorry hormones not good today - keep forgetting my words - but you know what I mean!! (i hope)

2point4pets · 26/05/2009 22:18

Thanks so much for the advice - I will be brave and try to cut our as much of the refined sugar as I can bear - the BFing is going so well apart from that so it must be worth a week or so. Fingers crossed I get the added bonus of the weight loss like Kiwipanda (also a Kiwi I might add!)
New diet starts tomorrow.....

OP posts:
Lotster · 27/05/2009 16:28

When nothing else worked, the GP all but gave up, and referred me to the BF counsellor who suggested the Organic Pharmacy who will advize on the phone and post remedies to you.

They gave me the homeopathic remedy "Borax", and a antiseptic spray called Colloidal Silver. I found first aid type relief within days, then a paste made from probiotic powder mixed with breast milk or water applied to the nipples a couple of times a day cleared it up for good.

Please try it, good luck!

puffylovett · 29/05/2009 09:25

oh yes forgot to mention, putting probiotic powder on the nipples before a feed so baby gets a dose will help clear up LO thrush too...

New posts on this thread. Refresh page