advice on thrush comming back

[2tcells]

so i found out about my aids in july and it started with thrush then diarrea then no appitite and nausa and weight loss then ended up in the hospital...they got me on meds all was good in a couple weeks after starting meds. now i see thrush alot in my mouth today? is this normal or am i about to get really sick again? havnt been able to get ahold of the doctors office yet just there awnsering service.. so if anyone who knows why i have thrush again and if its normal or a sign of something worse please let me know. thanks everyone

[Jeff G]

Hi Cells ... its not uncommon for anyone to get a thrush infection but since you are new to treatment and have a recovering immune system you may well need to stay on a low dose of thrush medicine for awhile . Having thrush does not mean your meds are not working or that anything is is wrong other than the thrush infection . Your doctors will be able to treat this easily .   

Also , thrush is painful , if your mouth is getting white inside and its not painful it may not be thrush .   

[2tcells]

this is not painful at all but it wasnt when they said i had it the first time in the hospital either...its a thick white film covering my tongue and white spots in my throat and gums

[Jeff G]

I would trust your doctor ... here is a similar condition to consider .

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/OHL_6819.shtml

[2tcells]

thanks for the info...i got ahold of the dr im going in later today to see what they say

[BT65]

When my immune system was not in good shape I would get thrush constantly.  I had to take a constant dose of Diflucan, and when the thrush came back I would also use Nystatin rinse.  Also avoid things like citrus, anything acidic, as it can exacerbate the uncomfortable feeling.  Yogurt can actually help with this. 

I hope your doctor was able to get it sorted out for you. 

[witch]

Thrush is common when your CD4 is in the aids zone, below 200. Take your meds and when your CD4 rises within a few months, you will have less thrush issues. Make sure you eat a lot of good nutritional food to help your body produce more CD4.

[2tcells]

update: for anyone else in this situation, like witch and my dr. said thrush is very common in people with low cd4 counts like me but not a big deal. back on fluconazole (yuck) for a week straight, then once a week... i stoped it 3 weeks ago but i was on it for something in my lungs now for the thrush... but no big deal wont be in the hospital for this i was alittle worried because thrush is how it all started last time. they say i can come off it again when im up to 100 cd4 count

[J.R.E.]

update: for anyone else in this situation, like witch and my dr. said thrush is very common in people with low cd4 counts like me but not a big deal. back on fluconazole (yuck) for a week straight, then once a week...

What dose of fluconazole are you on ?  Did the doctor by any chance do a throat culture, to see if any of this has gotten into your throat? I disagree with your doctor, because it can become  a really "big deal", in  those of us which have very LOW tcell counts.

Remember to take your medication as directed, and don't miss or skip any doses. If you smoke, you should quit smoking, and if you drink alcohol, you should quit drinking for the time being. You should avoid sugary drinks. Good oral care is important at this time., Non- alcohol mouthwashes should be used when possible.

Sometimes thrush can be very persistent, and you may need to be on it longer. So you need to be checked, at each visit with your doctor for this. Your doctor should be looking in your mouth, every time you see him.

Back in July of 2003, I had esophageal candidiasis. This was discovered through an endoscopy. I have written about this numerous times, and it happened, when my tcells were at there lowest. ( 16)


The  esophageal candidiasis, was so bad, the doctor stated it was the worst case, that he had seen, when he placed the camera down my throat. His exact words to me ( after I woke up) were " I have seen cases this bad in third world countries".  ( I had it bad )

Diflucan, cleared it up, but not before I got pneumonia from it. It had gotten into the lungs.

I am not mentioning this to scare you, only to inform you, that you need to treat this aggressively, and as I stated earlier, take the dose as prescribe. You need to take every precaution to help avoid continually getting it, especially with you numbers being low.

Believe me, you don't want this stuff in your esophagus, or in you lungs.

At its worst, the symptoms I was having back then ( prior to having the endoscopy), Were feelings of severe heartburn.  It hurt to swallow, and anything eaten, felt like I was chewing on glass. It was very painful, and at one point even felt as though I was having some sort of heart attack. !!


After it was cleared, and after I was started on HAART treatment in October of 2003, there were at least two more episodes of thrush in the mouth. ( very visible, white specs, on the tongue, the roof of the mouth, and that thingy that dangles        in the back of the mouth) My TCELLS were still below 100, and I was started on the Diflucan once again.

If you don't see signs of this going away, don't hesitate to talk to the doctor, about getting a refill on the prescription, or a change of prescription. As I mentioned earlier, this can be somewhat of a bugger to get rid of, and can reoccur, until you TCELLS start building up.

My advice once again:

Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, avoid sugary drinks, and take the medication as directed, without skipping or missing doses.

By the way, I haven't had it again since early 2004 !
 

Take care of yourself/ It will get better.---Ray