Battling Thrush Support Thread - Page 3

[NotTheOnlyOne]

Originally Posted by CathMac

Momtosimon,
Mimie's post on 12/13/06 kind of answers your question. I think if you don't treat it the yeast winds up in the baby's system, specifically the digestive tract --which can cause uncomfortable gassiness-- and then on the "other end" resulting in a very bad rash, which must be very painful.

On the other hand if your DD doesn't seem too uncomfortable you might just be able to ride it out.
~Cath

ok.... that makes sense. Today I am feeling like we may be getting a handle on things. I have been wiping his mouth out after most feedings during the day and then promptly giving him a finger full of probiotics. This morning when we woke up (I dont wipe his mouth or treat with anything over night) his mouth had no white patches! I know... it sounds too good to be true. Could the probiotics really work that quickly? 3 days? hmm... I am definately going to conitue everything over the weekend, then maybe I'll let it go on Monday and see what happens.... if any sign of the nasty yeasties show up I'll dive right back into mouth wiping and probiotics.

[CathMac]

Momtosimon,
I think it's generally recommended that you continue treatment for 2 weeks even after it seems to clear up. It sounds like whatever you are doing is working but I would keep it up for 2 weeks or so to be sure.
~Cath

[qjraven8]

geez, i've been meaning to post forever and just havent had the time ... well, i take that back i have some time but hate to type one handed, way to frustrating for me! :
anyway, how's everyone doing? any progress? any setbacks? any advice for anyone else?

i've actually had a few days of painfree nursing!!!! i'm still not gonna slack though!!! (too much) last night was the last of the diflucan - two weeks worth - but i'm still gonna take gse every day, have toned down just a little on how many times i clean my nips with my tea tree oil/gse/water solution to just maybe twice a day instead of after every feeding or every time some milk leaks out. and i've let myself slack a little on eating sugars as i cant help but eat some of the cookies i've been baking for gifts to people .. someone has to make sure they taste good still being ultra clean with the clothing and bottles and pacis and pump parts ... and will prob never stop with the probiotics, maybe just cut down how much we take after another month or so of no symptoms, but the probiotics i think are key in maintaining a healthy balance so this evil yeasty demon will stay at bay in its own little place

hope all is well for all you mamas, and hope the holiday season goes wonderfully in whatever way you choose to celebrate it

[doula mary]

GOOD TO HEAR!

Mary

[mimie]

We're doing well here as well - my doctor presribed All Purpose Nipple Ointment which I've been using after every daytime BF session. I've been using Nystatin in DD's mouth after nursing four times a day, and I've been taking Diflucan. I think we're going to keep doing this routine for another two weeks and then stop one treatment at a time - first the Diflucan, then the Nystatin.

I feel lucky that both my OB and DD's ped have been proactive about helping me treat this.

[dvons]

I'm so excited that I get to join y'all. : We've had a case of thrush for a month now and it almost totally went away when I was just drinking probiotics in the form of Kefir daily but now it's back. I'm thinking I'll go to the store to get the GV and Nystatin or some such ointment tomorrow. If I was to do the TTO in Olive Oil, How much should I use of each?

[appifanie]

ds has had thrush for at least a month and has had a month's worth of nystatin (poor girl!). i'm so relieved to see that there are others who have had it for long periods of time, so i'm not just doing something horribly wrong.

i just bought some GSE so we'll see how that goes.

thanks and good luck all!

[qjraven8]

sorry its such an unfortunate situation/group, but welcome mamas!
and hello fellow sept ddc mama dvons!

i myself have had a good week or so, but just saw a smidge of white on the back of ds's tongue tonight ... : so, my plan is to do the gentian violet again for a few days, and hope that its enough because dammit this crap just makes me wanna scream!!!

[anamama]

I'm pretty sure I belong here! Dd is 18 months old, and she has been super cracky lately. I have a cracked nipple, and shooting pains with letdown. I have been feeling like dd is latching on too hard or something but I think it's just that my nipples are so sensitive. It's so painful, even wearing a loose nightgown hurts! And dd has a rash that looks like sunburn on her little fanny. Owww...this stinks.

So, I have some GSE, and I'm cool with cutting out simple carbs, washing stuff in super hot water, washing my nipples and dd's mouth, I just wish this hadn't popped up now, at the holidays. I'm having a hard enough time keeping stuff clean for us to wear, and now I feel like laundry is going to become an even bigger part of my life! Aaah!!

I'm so glad this thread is here.

[oregongirlie]

Hi Ladies,

Mine isn't going away. I've been on a month of Diflucan and I started to get better but after trying to nurse without the nipple shield, my nipples cracked again and the pain is all the way in my back once more. I'm going to step up the hygene, try to get ds off the paci, cut down carbs, and eliminate sugar. Hopefully that will help.

[LucyJaynesmom]

I had my last dr's appt today about the thrush...and no resolve. Maybe what I am experencing isn't thrush. My nips are itchy and my armpits (either milk ducts or lymph nodes) are itchy. Doctor did a vaginal culture and it came back completely negative for everything, which is good but doesn't explain what is going on with my breasts. He did another physical examine and told me that if I come for a check-up that he wouldn't have suspected anything was wrong. I mean I am happy that maybe I don't have yeast but I am SO frustrated to think that either it's been in my head : all along or I am being misdiagnosed. He did suggest that maybe I need to see a dermatologist about it possibly being an allergy.

So for now, I am completely abandoning all the prevention protocol. So no GSE, GV, lots of sugar, (conveniently timed for the holidays ), etc. I am still supposed to be takeing Diflucan once a week now that my 30days of it is over, but I am wondering if it is worth it now.

Any advice? TIA

[cchrissyy]

count me in! we've been at this for about 3 weeks, but I didn't catch that it was thrush until a week ago when I reached an unbearable level of pain and thought I'd had my last nursing luckily, baby then slept a long stretch and I got a nipple sheild, which bought us 2 more feedings and a moment to heal. Since then, it's been rather bearable hills and painful valleys and I just want this to end!

baby has nystantin orally, and I'm rubbing it on my nipples too.
we've got Motherlove nipple cream (love it!)
and I take some acidopholous

I'm heading our right now for the GSE and GV homeopathic stuff.

I've nursed 4 years but this is my first thrush experience. we had 2 IV bags antibiotics in labor. grrrrr.

[Swirly]

I am an EP'er , and my baby has thrush now, at ten months old! I had no idea that could even happen at this age. I don't feel like I have it myself, but she seems to have it on both ends, and I don't know what to do for her. I have been giving her GSE, but now read that that may be too harsh (and it isn't working anyway..). I have a scrip for nystatin, but didn't get it filled due to Dr.Newman's assessment of its inefficacy due to the sugar used to make it palatable.

Do I need to treat myself? How should I treat her? Is it systemic with her due to her rash on her bottom too? Should I be giving the probiotic and the GSE or nystatin? Should I treat myself even though I am asymptomatic? How in the world can I be sure all her toys and teething things and botles are yeat-free? (how do you manage this with an older, mobile child who puts everything in her mouth?)

[CathMac]

Swirly,
How are you doing with your EP'ing supply? Did any of the Supply and Pumping tips you got help?

Regarding the Thrush, Nystatin has a reputation for being effective less than 50% of the time. On my second to last go-around with Thrush I found myself humoring the doctor and using Nystatin. After the second course we should have gone back for the Diflucan but I am tandem nursing and they won't treat DD1 --who is asymptomatic-- so I am doing the GSE and that seems to have it under control. I think I'll continue it for another 2 weeks or longer just to be sure.

I think the Nystatin might have worked but since DD2 was spitting most of it out I cut the dose on the theory that she would still get as much in her mouth and then I could give it a little more often and I could continue it a little longer. During the second course of Nystatin I gave it pretty much as prescribed and it seemed like the Thrush was all gone but it came raging back when the Nystatin was finished, after a couple of symptom free days.

I did specifically ask the doctor's office about whether sugar is used in Nystatin to make it easier for baby to take. The nurse told me she didn't know. The doctor said no, but she didn't seem confident in her answer. I would suggest you do what I would do if I were starting from scratch. Give the Nystatin but also do the GSE mouth swabbing first to get as much of the thrush out as possible. If that is what you decide to do make sure you get the Citricidal GSE which Newman recommends (not the Citrus Paradis which I got). I'm not quite sure why that is better but he does seem to stress that.

Also, bleach your whites (esp bras and pads), change your bras and pads often, perhaps swab with GSE after pumping, use vinegar with your dark laundry, run plastic toys through the dishwasher regularly, run cloth toys in the wash (hot water, with Vinegar or GSE). Wash bottles and pump parts in hot water and Vinegar or GSE, better yet run them through the dishwasher.

I know it's overwhelming and feels hopeless since it is so easy to get re-infected but all you can do is the best you can. I think I'm close to finally breaking the cycle even though I am tandem nursing a 27 1/2 month and a 6 month old and we are probably all re-infecting each other.

I hope your situation improves.
~Cath

[BlueIrises]

Hi Ladies,

I'm new to this thread. I gave birth 3w ago and my son and I have thrush. I was having a lot of pain during BF and finally broke down and called a LC on Sat. She stated we have thrush and I called my doc and got a Rx for APNO and my son is taking Nystatin. My doctor is ready to Rx the diflucan b/c she feels it is too soon to tell if we need it. After reading this thread and other stuff about thrush I am freaking out that I will never get rid of it. I'm having a hard time following some of the things necessary to get rid of it:

Our hot water heater is not at its full working potential and won't be fixed until next week some time, so it means our laundry isn't exactly getting very hot water. Additionally, my nips are very sensitive to begin with so I just can't give up wearing a bra and nursing pads...loose clothing touching my nips hurts too much...however, I am changing my pads after every feeding. I air dry my nips after feeding when I am home. I don't know what to eat if I can't eat carbs...being a new mom, I have little time to cook anything but pasta...also I hate yogurt so eating it is out of the question.

So I am looking for things I can do...

I bought two huge jugs of vinegar to do my laundry with and put some in tonight's loads but how much do I use...I just poured in a ton...

I boiled the pacifiers in hot water and vinegar...I tried to take Jack of the paci but it is hard...he has an intense need to suck all day...I'm debating buying a sterilizer since we don't have a dishwasher...will that work...I'm tired of the constant boiling of water...

So what is the scoop on all these homeopathic remedies. I haven't a clue what any of this stuff is, how to prepare it and use, what brands to buy, how much to use, where to put it, and what it is supposed to do/cure.

Can someone give me the lowdown on each of the remedies and how to use each one, where to put it, how often and dosage...I'd really appreciate it...

Grape Seed Extract or is it Grapefruit Seed Extract?

Gentian Violet

Probiotics

Acidophilus

Did I miss anything?

Thanks in advance!

[cchrissyy]

http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_abo...ut_thrush.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...resources.html many good links listed!
http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html/candida.shtml

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T083100.asp
(info here on nystatin, acidopholis (a probiotic), and gentian violet)
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/yeast.shtml
specific instructions for each treatment

[corhorvath]

This thread is why I love MDC!

I've just realized yesterday that we have a yeast problem. Things have been weird for a while now, but the pain that's presented itself in addition to my daughter's poor red bottom hit me over the head. YEAST!

Thank you to everyone's who's posted. Your information is so helpful to me!

We're just beginning our battle so I have no information to share.

Can we get an icon for yeast?

[oregongirlie]

:Puke

these are mine

[treehugginhippie]

Hmmmm let's see...Dd and I have been battling thrush since her birth...she's 35 mo now. I feel like the old geezer on here, lol! The symptoms come and go...nipples itchy or hurt, dd's tongue is white or she gets a yeast rash. I've done EVERYTHING for yeast. I've done in order...nystatin, vinegar, GSE, the sun, acidolpholis, gentian violet (I wouldn't recommend trying this with a child over 1 yr...dd almost weaned at the sight of my nipples ), bodytalk (this helped temporarily), eliminated grains & dairy from diet to try to heal my gut, eliminated all fruits, accupuncture (helped temporarily) and now Florastor. Phew...that's a list.

What I've learned along the way. Some people are more prone to yeast than others. You don't always get thrush/yeast from being on an antibiotic (I have a couple friends who got thrush shortly after delivery but didn't have any antibiotics). When yeast starts dying off...you pass gas. Yeast for me I've found is diet related...if I eat more than one thing with sugar (ie-smoothie with a few fruits, etc) two days in a row...dd and I get thrush the following day. My body is extremely sensitive to ANY sugar...even fruits. I think yeast might run in my family if that's possible...my mom battles yeast off & on. I used to be plagued by UTI's about 10 yrs ago which is realated to yeast although I didn't have any problems with yeast infections pre-baby. I think it lies dormant and because of all the hormone changes brought on by pregnancy & birth it has gotten out of control.

I'm almost afraid to say because I don't want to jinx myself but I think I have found my yeast cure!!!!!!!!!!! It's Florastor. I got it from my accupuncturist. It's a probiotic. I had never heard of it before now. I've been taking it for over 2 weeks now. I had some sugar over the holiday (2x's in a row) and no yeast flare-ups at all. Oh and when I don't have any yeast flare ups in me I don't crave sugar AT ALL. I had no idea what not craving sugar was like until I didn't have yeast. I thought that was a normal part of life I feel great! Dd is doing well too.

Also I got the book The Yeast Connection Handbook by William G Crook MD. This book looks very interesting in addressing the underlying causes of yeast. I think so many people have yeast problems and don't even realize it because they don't show the classic symptoms. I have to admit I haven't read it yet though

HTH's!

p.s. - I seem to be one of those whos yeast is extremely tough to beat so I hope I don't scare anyone...just wanted to share my experience in case it might help someone

[NotTheOnlyOne]

I think we finally got rid of it!!!!!! I bought some gentian violet to treat MYSELF with, since I couldnt get any doc to put it on my boobs, only in his mouth. DOesnt it make sense to treat both mom and baby withthe same drug? It has been gone for 5 days now... so I really belive it. HOwever.... I am on aa super antibiotic (clindamycin) for a stubborn MRSA infestion (asbcess in my abdomen) and and am terrified we are gong to get it back. I am going to go buy some Keifer this afternoon to see if that wil help stave it off.