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Original poster

Thrush is ruining my life!!!!! NO EXAGGERATION!!!!!!

102 replies

Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 21:32

I suffer from recurrent thrush. It drives me insane. Five times a month is not unusual. I live on clotrimazole, fluconazole, miconazole, nystatin, white wine vinegar, soya milk. I'm so fed up!!!!! I saw a mega lovely consultant 3 months ago who prescribed nystan tablets (1,000,000 units a day for 28 days for anyone who knows what I'm on sbout!) and fluconazole 150mg once a month and the first month was great, second month not so good and now I'm back to square one. What next?????!!!!!!!!! Anybody else got any answers???????!!!!!!!! xxx

OP posts:
Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:15

you lucky cow! i love that stuff! the relief! there should be a black market!

OP posts:
nearlythree · 14/12/2006 22:18

Sew the garlic into some muslin and leave a tail of very thick cotton - a bit like a tampon - but do be careful and remove it if it burns.

You can also use acidophilus capsules as pessaries - a bit messy but v. effective - but if you do this don't use the ones with co-enzymes as they will eat your fanjo. I have it on good authority from a friend (mercifully not me) that this is agonising!

Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:20

i love that word. fanjo. i will try both of those. thank you!!! xxxx

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elliot3 · 14/12/2006 22:24

I saw three specialists for this and then a nurse I met socilally said cut all wheat dairy and alcohol out of your diet for at leats three months. I did and bingo. I went to a nutritionist and was prescribed all sorts of vitamins and supplements and it really did work. I had thrush but not ordinary thrush- it was more a kind of stinging in the fanjo(!) area, I couldn't even wear pants. i still take a strong probiotic every day- about ten times the strength of probiotic drinks and if I forget it comes back.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:26

Wow! thanks elliott!! What probiotic is it? Ive cut dairy but i do eat some bread and the odd glass of wine. perhaps they need to bugger off too.

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aliceband · 14/12/2006 22:27

and no bubble bath, we all know that, no tight jeans,no anti biotics, no tights. i remember some mention of violet something!
and just cram up the plain yoghurt, not necessarily with a tampon.

PS let us know how it goes.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:27

I get stinging in the fanjo too! like sharp pain along with itching and discharge like a river. nice.

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Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:29

bubble bath is a nightmare. cant bath at all now. the jeans are loose and pants drive me mad unless they are naff, big and baggy! im gonna get some yoghurt tomorrow- reckon its the way to go!

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Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:30

i will post again tomorrow and let you know how my follow up tomorrow goes.

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elliot3 · 14/12/2006 22:32

they are called ultra probioplex capsules and are made by metagenics _ get them from nutri on the internet but I think you really should see a nutritionist . I had soemthihng wrong with my adrenal glands which was due to stress etc - not stress in an obvious way i thinkjust being permanently busy etc. and my diet is poor. Change bread to granary bread if you have to eat bread but seriously a good month on the candida diet will work wonders .

elliot3 · 14/12/2006 22:32

whatever you do, stop taking all tghe canestens etc i really don't think it's about that, it's your diet

Original poster
Ammy12 · 14/12/2006 22:35

ok- thank you! xxxx

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HarkTheAEROdAngelsSing · 14/12/2006 22:42

Is wholemeal bread any good? we've switched to that in general, but lunch bread always seems to be white. I agree, it's most likely to be diet which is causing the problem mostly. Have to say it's also worse after passionate evenings with dh , but he has been treated too.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 15/12/2006 18:53

Just to let you know, have been to see gynae consultant and have come away with yet more fluconazole! He did say he thought I wiuld be best to have my coil out. What do you all think about that? He said he just felt it wasnt the best contraceptive option for someone with long term vaginal fungal issues- oo-er!!!

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moondog · 15/12/2006 18:54

Has it being bad coincided with the coil?
If so,whip it out,yes.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 15/12/2006 18:58

its always been bad but I dont remember ever having it as often as i do with the coil in i suppose. Ive just answered my own question. I didnt think the coil would have much effect!!

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poppynic · 15/12/2006 19:34

You poor thing. I've had it really bad since being pregnant. Does it mean you don't have sex? Does it get worse if you do?

I've only ever had it once before and my kinesiologist fixed it in one treatment - had been to the GP twice before that and homeopath once - came back pretty quickly after both. The kinesiologist fix was 7 years ago! Sadly he is in NZ - a long way from me now. But I'm about to start a search for another one here.

SaintGeorge · 15/12/2006 19:38

Apologies if I repeat anything other people have said, but not got time to read whole thread.

After years of chronic thrush I came up with a hit list. Not sure which single thing worked, but in combination they sure do:

Use live yoghurt on a tampon whilst you having an attack. This should be the ONLY time you use tampons, switch to sanitary towels (not sure if a mooncup would be ok)

Sit in a bath of shallow warm water with some salt and tea tree oil added for relief if you need it.

Use a baby wipe or moist toilet tissue whenever you go to the loo during an attack.

For prevention:
Cotton only underwear.
No tights or tight trousers.
Tea tree oil in the bath. NO scented products in the bath - so no bath bombs, oils, foam etc ONLY tea tree oil and unscented soaps allowed.
A regular does of a probiotic supplement or diary drink.
Cut down on bread and other yeast containing products.
Cut down on sugar.
Don't use hormonal contraceptives.

I also discovered I had endometriosis (sp?) and apparently there is often a link so it might be worth considering getting checked.

HelloMama · 15/12/2006 19:57

Oh you poor thing. Are you by any chance diabetic? Has any one checked you for diabetes (just a urine dipstick test is enough?) Recurrent thrush can be one of the signs of diabetes.

I would also advise that you have your coil removed, even if just for 3 months, as it may be the strings are colonised with yeast and that is why it is being stubborn to get rid of. After coil is removed, use a canesten pessary for 5 nights in a row. Once you know for sure that the thrush has gone, you could always have coil put back in. Also get your partner treated, even if he does not have any signs or symptoms - you may just be going through a cycle of reinfecting each other.

All the dietary advice is also very sensible too. Good luck.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 15/12/2006 19:58

thanks for that saint george! What do you think of using a coil though? I am dead reluctant to have it out as it the first real freedom from contraceptive i have known! But will try anything. And in answer to your question, we have sex for 1 week of each month, any other time of the month results in an instant attack. DH uses canestan cream constantly to try and stop me getting it.

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Original poster
Ammy12 · 15/12/2006 19:59

Thank you to everyone for all your mega good advice.....any sympathy is always nice! I have been tested for diabetes.

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okeydokeygirl · 15/12/2006 19:59

Ammy12. My absolute sympathies - it is such a horrible thing to have. I had chronic thrush and cystitis for about 15 years. I tried pretty much everything listed above but nothing really helped. The cystitis got so bad that I was sometimes spending the entire night on the loo with a duvet and a book as I couldn't cope with getting up every 10 mins for a 'non-wee.' At this point i went to see an acupunctuist. I had 1 session a week for 4 weeks and some Chinese herbal medicine.This got rid of the cystitis. I then went once a month for about 3 years - this was mainly for a load of other complaints. However, I have had ONE attack of cystitis since the first month of treatment - and that was about 6 or 7 years ago. I have had a fmy few minor attacks of thrush but that was mainly due to naughty things on my part (overdrinking, dry sex - you don't really want the grusome details). I now drink, eat wheat/yeast/dairy but in moderation. I know your main problem is thrush, not cystitis, but I really think the acupuncture helped get my body back in balance and able to deal with the occassional attack - especially after all the creams and other remedies I had inflicted on myself. It might not work for you, but to be honest,if you get a good acupuncturist, it is unlikley to make you any worse - whereas creams and pills might. Whatever you do - i really hope you get it sorted out as it is so distressing and horrible. Load of luck.

okeydokeygirl · 15/12/2006 20:01

Another thing - have you been tested for herpes as the two can get mixed up and the treatment is very different.

okeydokeygirl · 15/12/2006 20:04

Sorry - antoher thing as I skipped loads of the previous threads. I once went to enquire about a coil and basically the nurse said that with my history of cystitis and thrush then a coil was really inadvisable as it can be a real irritant.

Original poster
Ammy12 · 15/12/2006 20:08

Thanks okeydokey. Have not got herpes- have been examined and had swabs, acupuncture sounds fab. especially as cystitis and thrush seem to go hand in hand for a lot of people so it may work really well for thrush. What are the symptoms of herpes? just so i can eliminate!

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