urgent fanjo advice please!

[fanjoissues]

OK urgent help needed. I have jad to name change! I am so sorry but there is definitely too much information in this email! Do not read if you are eating or about to. We are on hols in south of France. I had a urine infection last week and was prescribed cefalexon antibiotic. I took hardly any of them as I was really busy at work and kept forgetting (lame excuse). It appears to have cleared up anyway. Just arrived on holiday (2 day trip in car) and for the last 36 hours my fanjo has been on fire. red hot. I only have a small handbag mirror so can?t even see what looks wrong but the front bit feels red raw (so much so that it may even be cut now) and really really itchy. Had a look last night and there is now discharge so reckon I may have thrush (which I have not had for tears). Goodness knows how I slept last night. OK it gets worse. My bum has now started to feel really itchy too ? do you think this is psychosomatic or can thrush go from front to back and how on earth do you treat a bum thrush? Do I really need to try and find a doctor round here to frighten him with what a mess it is at the moment or shall I just try and get some canestan (and do I need the cream version to use on my behind too) and a pessary injector for the front half. Sorry I know this is disgusting but I am in AGONY. Yours desperately

God, poor you, it sounds awful. As far as I know, thrush can indeed following a urinary infection (I've had it after cystitis) and can also pay a visit to the 'back door' as well, if you know what I mean.

Personally I would try and see a doctor (a female one for preference!) if your French is up to it, it sounds pretty horrific and not one you should be self-treating with Canesten even if you were in the UK. In the short term, I would get yourself some live yoghurt pronto and apply liberally to your bits.

Good luck, I hope you're feeling better soon.

Try applying plain yoghurt- cooling. If you don't have any urine symptoms your infection might have gone. You can often get thrush after taking ABs.
Thrush can spread the the anus, so treat that area too. Try Canestan.

If you can,,wear a skirt or dress and no knickers to let the air get to you.

It could be thrush following the AB, it could be just severe local irritation from a combination of the urinary infection, travel +/_ thrush.
Shower a lot in the next 24 hrs, dab dry, and try sudocrem lightly a few times per day and canesten PV if you have some.
Like Amelia says let the air get to the area but not sand or chlorine.
If no better 24 hrs see Dr
HTH

Can you track down a pharmacist to begin with? Then go knickerless under a loose dress?

cold tea bags on affected area. takes the redness and calms the inflamation - even though temporary.

I had to go to chemist before I received any of your replies. I went to 2 non English speaking chemists and they did not sell canestan or microzole which someone suggested was similar and sold in France

I would be grateful for your thoughts on what I purchased (it was that or nothing).

2 pessaries (and no applicator) something called myleugyn (says L.P. 150 mg and nitrate d?econazole) use some tonight and then 3 nights time (internal use).

Also something called mycoApaisyl (econazole 1 %) a topical antifungul cream that has English instructions and says nothing about being able to use on your fanjo

Also Septidol 8 - oh8 cleansing gel for intimate hygeiene for use with gynaecological treatment (i.e. a mild soap I expect).

Any thoughts? Many thanks

If the chemist was anything to go by then I really don't fancy seeing the doctor - it was embarassing enough using sign languagw with the chemist! Looks like I may just have to be in total agony for the week.

Any views on whether can use the mycoApaisyl (econazole 1 %) a topical antifungul cream externally on front and back bits (how embasassing is this post?)

Will hot baths help or hinder? salt baths?

French people get thrush! There must be an equivalent of canestan! I always get thrush following antibiotics now after a couple of years being on them a lot for eat infections. Ime the cream soothes and can nip it in the bid in the very early stages but what you need at this point is the pessary or better still the oral pill you swallow to knock it on the head.

I know this is no help now but I never go on holiday without a tube of canestan and when the doctor puts me on antibiotics I ask for a prescription for the pessary at the same time! Symapthy, this will ruin your hol til you get it sorted, I know. Someone in France please tell her what the equivalent o canestan is!!

Is be tempted to put all an any anti fungal cream you have on it as all anti fungal stiff I've had, canestan, daktarin etc has been suitable for Fanjo, nippl etc but that is just me, don't think anything you could buy in the chemist could do much damage?! (am NOT a doctor). I think you will need the pessary/pill as well though. Where are you in France? I'll send you some if you get desperate!! In laws are in south of France tho and post can take over a week.

no to hot bacths.
cool showers only or water poured from a jug/bottle.

no to the funny creams- too much of a risk.

yes to cold plain yoghurt and possibly sudocreme. Insert some yogurt with a tampon applicator- take tampon out first.

Have you been to a large supermarket? european laws on drugs are laxer than hours, so you may well find canestan there- at home you can buy it in Waitrose!!!!

bath in bicarbonate of soda- buy a big bag/tub from supermarket ( look in baking section) or chemist and put a few tablespoons in cool bath.

I wouldn't use the cleansing gel - Femwash or whatever it is called here (pink clear gel stuff) actually made me develop BV. When I went to the clinic the lady said it is ironic how trying to clean your bits with something apparently designed for it always makes them prone to infections. She said she saw a direct correlation between feminine washes and thrush/BV. I'm personally quite that they still sell them. I now use an aqua emollient cream to wash (which same nurse gave me) as soaps also ruin PH balance. Water alone is best if you have no emollient.

anything ending in ..onazole is an antifungal in the UK so probably an antifungal pessary...not 100% sure but likely.
I'd probably go with cool showers, dab dry and fresh air with sudocreme and pessary tonight.
wet creams might sting atm if skin broken and /or not help.

You poor thing. Live yoghurt definitely worked for me before and cleared the thush completely. May sound silly but there are loads of Brits in France on the Living overseas section, I'm sure if you post there too someone will have a suggestion for the right medication and where to go. Hope so. Good luck.

Hi
I recognise those drug names, the pharmacist has given you stuff for thrush - I was once in similar situation to you on holiday in France, and they are thrush meds. Thrush is 'la mycose' and the pharmacist made me even more embarrassed when I told him, by asking in front of a queue of customers if it was 'buccale', which means in the mouth, pointing in his mouth, or 'vaginale' by holding his finger up and sort of swirling it round as if cleaning a vagina with a finger....

Slap on some live (natural!) yogurt and get yourself to a doctor. (I've never met a French doctor who couldn't speak English). Far less humiliating than trying to explain to a local pharmacist in front of a queue of french locals!

Were you like Bridget Jones asking for a pregnancy test God alone knows how youd mime vaginal thrush ......sorry OP .

I'm told Canesten is still called Canesten in Europe, but the French also have Monazol.

yes but he did not have canestan or monazol unfortunately

or indeed anything containing clotrimazole which is what is in canestan.
I will try putting on french site also - I think this week is going to be a wipe out unfortunately. Should be home next weekend

Thank you for the tips re baths etc.

nickschick - luckily the chemist sort of knew the problem as soon as I asked him for canestan though apparently they don't stock it here. Still had to have the conversation in front of a queue of locals - very embarassing.

mycoApaisyl (econazole 1 %) will be fine for use, its listed in the BNF (pharmacists bible) for treatment of thrush at 1% and should be used twice daily. Econazole is the same class of antifungal agent as clotrimaole and miconazole are in.

Thrush is often caused by a course of antibiotics and some antibiotics can cause anal thrush as well.

Other alternative are ketoconazole 2% cream (nizoral), Nystatin cream (nystan) but may be prescription only in France

Ouch.i really hope this gets sorted and doest ruin our holiday.and i am really sorry but you have made me chuckle, it sounds like a scene from Bridget Jones..........