what fresh hell... Intertrigo and fungus spreading..🤬

[Catgotyourbrain]

Am nearly 50 and been on HRT 2 years. gone up to 4 sprays of levonelle and a tab of utrogestan and vagifem pessaries. Doesn't seem to do much and i've got an NHS gynae luckily who has allowed me to up the dose.

Intertrigo - fungal infection (basically athletes foot) is now seeping pus under my breasts, and in my caesarian scar and groin! I have 36G bra and I've never had any probs but sweating from hot flushes has got horrific since last summer.

The GP has put me on antifungal tablets for a month and I'm a week in and no change. I've got broken skin so I'm not sure about what I can actually apply topically? I've just ordered Daktarin cream, but honestly I've tried this already, plus sudocrem, Bepanthen (nappy rash ointment), talc, medicated powder, antiseptic cream...

I'm now resorting to panty liners under the wire of my bra! Not wearing a bra isn't an option because they need uplift to air them 🙄. I've now got itching vulva too. Fuck's sake...

Any ideas - just need to vent

I get this often under my breasts too OP and the thing that has worked best for me is Hydrocortisone 1% cream. It's available over the counter, might be worth a try.

Even hydrocortisone didn’t work for mine - I put Vicks on it in the end and 3 weeks later it’s nearly gone. It’s resolved from a large broad curve underneath my breasts to a few patches between and I’m going to keep it up till they’re gone! Bet you’ve got some in the cupboard, give it a go.

I think it’s the camphor because I sorted out my fungal toenails with it. Took a good few months but fixed it in the end.

Jesus Christ Vicks! Really? I think that would be agony- as I said the skin is broken, it’s not just red.

Yeah it did tingle in the cracks a bit but I was desperate and put up with it for the few minutes it lasted

the other very good thing is Skin Stuff, I was using this but progress was very slow and when I ran out I turned to the Vicks.. Skin Stuff doesn’t hurt on broken skin. Vicks has worked quickly.

That sounds miserable.
Chum of mine was eventually diagnosed with a form of systemic thrush that was causing/contributing to fungal outbreaks.
As well as treating her, she needed to root out the spores in her home - mostly bedding and towels, hot washes and added tea tree oil to the wash.
I'd try again with sudocrem overnight and cover with a dressing or something like a close fitting vest to try and keep the cream in place. Keep the skin clean and dry and air dry when possible.
If you're getting fungal infections I bet your immune system is hammered too. Cut down on sugar and alcohol, take a multivitamin.

Update on this - the antifungals didn't work, and via message the GP put me on antibiotics as she thought it was bacterial. It then got much worse and I started getting crusty red patches all over me - on my arms and face too.

It then occurred to me that I had psoriasis in my early twenties. nearly thirty years ago..

Bingo, this is what it is. After a week of steroid creams and ointments it is all on the mend. I'm pretty pissed off that I've had to take two different strong meds that were actually aggravating the problem, and that this wasn't picked up - it's not exactly unusual.

I've now seen that Psoriasis is yet another thing linked to meno - as its an auto immune disease I suppose not surprising hormones and general body changes are going to affect it.

Anyway, FYI