The worst thrush I've ever had

[GeekyGirl42]

I think I had mild thrush a couple of weeks ago, and was meaning to treat it but lots going on. Lockdown life for me is wearing leggings and power walking 10,000 steps a day - it has been causing problems with thrush!!

My GP put me on penicillin for something else and OMG I now have the worst thrush I've ever had. I do get it quite easily and antibiotics are always a problem. But this is something else!!

I've taken 2 oral tablets a week apart (got slightly better and then worse with both), and GP has me trying a pessary. My vulva got so unbelievably itchy, I had to cut my nails because I was scratching at night. I'm now really sore there and have 3 patches - two on outside of vagina and one on clitoral hood - that are very painful when touched but look no different. I panic that this is not thrush but I am pretty sure it is.

I've now banned leggings and power walking until this is cleared up. Given how long it has been (2 weeks), how long should I wait before I bang on GP door?

I think that's what the GP means when she says "this might need a stronger steroid but let's check next week"

Just came on to say exactly what @Pinchoftums said. I’ve suffered on and off for years and had it 3 times whilst pregnant last year. I saw something on here about scented toilet paper and decided to ditch the Andrex Shea - haven’t had a problem since! I’m sure I will when I restart periods again, but now think the toilet paper was massively exacerbating the problem.

Good luck, it’s hell

Hi all, sorry to jump on this post but I have also been suffering from chronic / recurrent thrush after several courses of antibiotics and I can’t seem to quite shift it. The last way symptom however has been worse than the vagina soreness and that’s a stabbing pain in my clitoris!! 😣 I’ve had it for 2 days straight and it won’t let up. I think I’ve had some thrush under the clitoral hood and have been trying to gently apply the canesten cream there. Please tell me I’m not alone in experiencing this awful pain and that it will go?! Maybe I need canesten hydrocortisone cream to take down the inflammation?! GP is next to useless so feel like I’m fending for myself. Any advice / tips / hope welcome! 🤞🏻

I have Lichen Sclerosis which was mistaken for thrush at first-mostly because the skin which was coming off looked like discharge/thrush. Very painful (felt like razor blades were cutting my skin), itchy and red?swollen vulva. Also some bleeding when i wiped. Awful, i thought i would go mad! Dermal to wash and applying a prescription steroid cream helped. Hope you get it sorted out 💐
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen_sclerosus

Sorry to hear about the LS diagnosis and really hope you’re doing well with it. I have come across it whilst googling my symptoms obsessively. Do you mind me asking how you were ultimately diagnosed? Did they do a biopsy? I have no itching or bleeding and not so much a razor blade feeling as a constant dull stabbing pain in the area as if it’s all inflamed / swollen.

Another ‘vote’ for LS.
OP for years I thought I had severe thrush, totally debilitating - GP dismissive-my sex life suffered severely.
Then a locum GP took s look at it, diagnosed LS, prescribed a cream and it cleared up in s couple of days . Never returned.
I am do angry at the ‘wasted years’ when I couldn’t wear knickers under my dress snd could not wear jeans.
Please see GP and insist on proper check.

@LoopyLoo200

Sorry to hear about the LS diagnosis and really hope you’re doing well with it. I have come across it whilst googling my symptoms obsessively. Do you mind me asking how you were ultimately diagnosed? Did they do a biopsy? I have no itching or bleeding and not so much a razor blade feeling as a constant dull stabbing pain in the area as if it’s all inflamed / swollen.

They did a biopsy (not sure if it was able to diagnose it, or just rule out anything else) but it was mostly the white patches around the clitoris and vaginal opening which they were definitely able to say is LS. It is so much better-i usually use the steroid cream once a week-i can feel it start to get sore and then one application is generally enough to help. Hope you manage to get sorted out.

no sugar no alcohol, if you can manage it no bread. Lots of live plain yoghourt. Pro biotics eg acidophilus bifidus - take orally, also use one as a pessary. Wash in cold water, no soap. Add anti fungal oil to your coconut oil, eg 2-3 drops of rosemary, lavender, cedarwood oils, use to soothe external area and perineum. Use a clove of new garlic as a pessary overnight (peeled, and with a thread through it if you are worried about retrieving it). Eat loads of garlic.

Might be worth having a test for diabetes. It was a horrific bought if thrush which finally led to my diagnosis.

There is an alternative to fluconazole called itraconazole but it's only available on prescription. It's brilliant if OTC stuff isn't touching it. I'm under gynae at the moment to investigate recurrent thrush, what I will say is that the paper cuts are bloody awful and you have my utmost sympathy. This will make your eyes water reading it but dip a cotton bud in TCP and quickly dab the paper cut, it'll sting briefly - couple of seconds - but honestly the relief lasts for hours and it also seems to help speed up the healing (I suspect any gynae or medically trained person would reel in horror at this but honestly, I was so desperate once when I was covered in the paper cuts and it was the only thing which helped, when I'm bad with it I do it and the relief is immense! Plus round here kids were literally bathed with a big slosh of TCP in the water when I was younger so I figured it wasn't going to kill me!)

Thank you for your reply. I’m so glad to hear you have it under control. I am being referred to a Gynae so hopefully will get it all sorted soon.

My LS was diagnosed after going back repeatedly to the Dr, saw a different Dr who suspected it. Specialist confirmed it as textbook presentation which begs the question why it took so long to get a diagnosis. Coconut oil can help, as can manuka honey (after the steroid cream had calmed it down)

Hydrosol ointment is a great for washing and soothing the area until treatment kicks in. Recommended by gynecologist