Stubborn case of thrush

[BT65]

I'm asking this here so as to not "freak out" the newbs, though it may still if they read this section.

I've had thrush for the past month.  It did change to vaginal yeast a couple times, but always back to thrush.  I have used both Diflucan and Nystatin and now my doctor wants me to come in Monday so he can look at it, he said it should have cleared up. 

Has anyone ever dealt with this, and did anything help?  I'm brushing it out of my mouth (sorry so graphic), which of course makes my mouth pretty raw and everything burns. 

There is a lot of stress right now, I'll be moving at the end of the month.  Trying not to get too stressed, I know that is not helpful for the thrush.  Oh, by the way, I have also tried eating yogurt, and that doesn't help either.  Any other suggestions, I will seriously consider.  Thanks ahead of time!

Betty

[Jeff G]

I am suspecting its not thrush if you have not responded at all to the go to drugs for thrush ... they are pretty powerful and its seems like something else is going on if they didn't impact it .

Please keep us updated when you see the doc ... sorry you are unwell sweety .

[J.R.E.]

Betty,

Sorry to hear about the thrush.  I wonder if it's possible to become resistant to anti fungals. Perhaps a higher dose.   HHmmm..    Are there other anti-fungals available?

Anytime I've ever had thrush, and it's only been two or three times,  The Diflucan alone, always knocked it out, from the mouth.

Let us know what the doctor says Monday.




Take care---Ray

[leatherman]

have you tried Clotrimazole (mycelex)?

I've had a lot of thrush (and the damaged esophagus to prove it) and those mycelex lozenges always did the trick for me. Between what thrush did to me, and how bad it was to control with my first partner, I've always hated thrush as the worst side effects of my AIDS.

I sure hope the doc can help and you can get better soon!

[BT65]

Ray, what you said is interesting, about becoming resistant to antifungals.  I've always had luck with the Diflucan and Nystatin.  I used to take Diflucan every day to prevent thrush, when my immune system was more damaged.

Mike, I have taken Mycelex. I remember a doctor I used to see prescribing it; Mycelex Troches.  I wonder if my doctor is familiar with that, he's kind of a "newer" HIV specialist.  But I will mention it to him, thanks.

Trying not to eat or drink anything to aggravate it, but of course the smoking doesn't help.  I've tried to keep myself busy packing, so I'm not smoking as much.  That's very difficult, for me.  Oh well.  I'm sure it will pass.

[aztecan]

Hey Betty,

I have had people have trouble with thrush, and they have had luck with the trouches.

I hope you are able to clear this up. It can be miseable.

The last time I had it was when we were at AMG in Mexico City.

HUGS,

Mark

[Theyer]

Dearest one, Your moving! at the end off the month!! you have had employment therefore money problems!!! You are still in treatment for a broken Hip !!!! You are job hunting !!!!!  That,s five !!!!! and I am not really trying and yes Thrush is very much linked to stress and being run down.

And it can Hang on like a leech , though theres been two endorsements for the mycelax so thats good. The way my doctor described it was "it theres a tiny bit left after a treatment it will come back Quick and Hard, its yeast that's all yeast has to do multiply .

Sounds like a trip to the Doc and scripts to hit it long and hard , good luck you are certainly not alone to have experienced this , if I do an autobiography a chapter will be " The Thrush Years "

Remember if there,s ever a time to call in all past favours and extortion notes its when one is moving add the last 6 months to the project if they do not get hints , finally say that if help is not forthcoming they could  be added to MHTV list off they who will be Punished . Just the threat off being on it works in 3 continents.

And we all want details about the move when you can plus who is helping to do what.

much love Betty
Michael

[mitch777]

Geez Betty, do you ever get a chance to rest? I DO hope you are getting some help with the move.

Wishing you a speedy recovery with the thrush. I've never had it so no worthwhile advice from me.

 

[wolfter]

I too have been fortunate to never have thrush so I can't really address it or offer any suggestions, but rather just sending my best wishes.

I can't believe you're moving while still recovering.  super woman status.  I'm currently in the process of moving and I know how freaking stressful it is.  I've been purging like crazy. 

[BT65]

Well, my doctor appointment was cancelled because my doctor got called to the hospital.  So, I have an appointment with the nurse practitioner tomorrow.  Thanks everyone for the well wishes.

Saturday I was at my friend's and we varnished her gate around her backyard and the deck.  Started around noon, and finished after 8 pm.  We did take a lunch break for 1/2 an hour.  Surprisingly I'm not incredibly sore lol.  Maybe I'm more in shape than what I think.

I'm talking to my sister in Phoenix, then I'll get back to packing. I'm going to try to have a yard sale this weekend.  If I get everything priced by then.  That's more shit, but we gotta do what we gotta do.

Thanks again everyone.  I'll keep you all posted.

[BT65]

So the nurse practitioner prescribed 14 days of Diflucan, and another bottle of Nystatin.  She was not familiar with Mycelex Troches but said she was going to talk to the ID doctor there about it. She said if it does not go away to call and she will phone me in more meds.

So when I got home, I looked up Mycelex and sent my doctor a couple links, and asked him to forward it to the NP.  So, that's it for now.  Hopefully it will clear up.   

[Miss Philicia]

I'm a little late here. When I had thrush I took Diflucan alone but my case wasn't as severe as others. You'll get rid of this eventually.

[Theyer]

So the nurse practitioner prescribed 14 days of Diflucan, and another bottle of Nystatin.  She was not familiar with Mycelex Troches but said she was going to talk to the ID doctor there about it. She said if it does not go away to call and she will phone me in more meds.

So when I got home, I looked up Mycelex and sent my doctor a couple links, and asked him to forward it to the NP.  So, that's it for now.  Hopefully it will clear up.

Betty if it has not cleared completly by day 12 don,t wait for Day14 to order more supplies, avoid at all costs having a break in the treatment untill its Gone gone gone.

 

[AlanBama]

Hey sweetie, I am a little concerned that it hasn't cleared up.   I was going to also suggest the Mycelex, it worked well for me; that and the "swish and swallow", that's Nystatin isn't it?   Also, my old home remedy, gargling with salt water, and in between times of doing that, just plain warm water....

I found some of those Troches in my old meds recently, they were dated 1995 or something (yes I have a TON of old medicine!  I'm bad about that....)

Keep us posted.

LOVE YOU!

[J.R.E.]

So the nurse practitioner prescribed 14 days of Diflucan, and another bottle of Nystatin. 

Betty,  Hopefully this will finally get rid of the thrush !!


God luck---Ray

[guitargal]

how is it going? better? have you looked into natural cures?
some diet / food thing?
and less stress would be good for any ailment!

some people use apple cider vinegar for health things, not sure about thrush..
yogurt? acidolphilus? listerine? idk

i had thrush 2 x in the 1990's difulcan did it..one time i guess it was in my throat as some times it was hard to swallow certain foods. i do remember i thought that salad with balsamic vinegar  helped. i stayed away from beer and bread and ate fruit and veggies..

[BT65]

The thrush is clearing, yay!  It is such miserable stuff.  It was in my throat also and I was having a really hard time swallowing anything, especially larger pills (we all know how that feels).  I've got one more diflucan left and a little Nystatin, and hopefully it will be totally gone by the time I finish the  Nystatin.                                                                                                                                                                                         

[mitch777]

That's great to hear Betty. Thanks for the update.

[leatherman]

The thrush is clearing, yay!  It is such miserable stuff.  It was in my throat also and I was having a really hard time swallowing anything,                                                                                                                                                                               

FYI Thrush can leave scarring in your throat and esophagus. In the future, because the scarring can constrict your throat/esophagus, you may find that you have a hard time swallowing. And by that I mean that you may find that instead of swallowing, you will choke and gag until you can get the bite of food to either finish going down, or you get it to come back up and out. A simple endoscopy, where they use a balloon to dilate your throat, can correct this problem - although you might need this procedure redone every 1 - 4 yrs.

(it's been 4.5 yrs since my last procedure and I may need it soon as I have started having some problems again. I just took a friend for his second procedure in 2 yrs, and I know someone who has to have this done every 9-11 months)

oh! and I'm very glad to hear your thrush is clearing! It is miserable stuff and the issue I have most dreaded having all these aidsy years. If it doesn't all clear up, make sure to get back to the doc and get some more treatment asap.

[BT65]

FYI Thrush can leave scarring in your throat and esophagus. In the future, because the scarring can constrict your throat/esophagus, you may find that you have a hard time swallowing. And by that I mean that you may find that instead of swallowing, you will choke and gag until you can get the bite of food to either finish going down, or you get it to come back up and out. A simple endoscopy, where they use a balloon to dilate your throat, can correct this problem - although you might need this procedure redone every 1 - 4 yrs.

Yes, this has been happening!  I thought it was my imagination.  Especially when I eat or try to swallow the larger pills (Stribild, and because I have a UTI, Bactrim). 

I have to call my doctor's office anyway to make an appointment because I'm getting a hole in one of my toes, so I will mention this to him.  Thanks, Mike.  Never thought about that.

[wolfter]

Glad it's finally clearing up Betty.  I've witnessed others dealing with this agonizing condition and can only imagine. 

take care and best wishes on your new place

[leatherman]

Yes, this has been happening!  I thought it was my imagination.  Especially when I eat or try to swallow the larger pills (Stribild, and because I have a UTI, Bactrim). 

I went for a few yrs with this problem because it didn't happen every time I swallowed. But as time went by, it began to happen more and more and more. Tracking these things to prove it to the doctor, I began to realize that bread, larger bites of some food, spicy things (mustard mainly) would sometimes/many times trigger an "incident". (getting "stuck" in my throat, gagging, choking, pain, etc)

My ASO referred me to a gastro doc for an endoscopy to determine the problem; but this doc knew exactly what the problem was as I began to describe it. It was kinda funny how quickly he cut me off and began to tell me my symptoms. LOL He said he could fix me up quickly - and he did. The procedure is very easy and really fixes the problems - and it takes a whopping 10 mins. You're hardly "knocked out" by the anesthesia before they are waking you up. (Prep, the procedure, and recovery took a friend just less than an hour when I took him last week.)

Since just before I had my first procedure, I've met many people who have needed this dilation procedure. One person had a small esophageal hernia (he's had it done twice) and the other dozen people (some who had it done many multiple times) were all pozzies who had had serious issues/bouts with thrush.

right now, you could be just have swallowing issues because of the damage the thrush has done to your esophagus. Perhaps when all this has cleared up and healed, you'll feel much better and swallowing will not be a problem. (I hope that is what happens with you!). They might not be able to do any procedure right now if the tissue is just too damaged/sore/irritated right now. (that damage might be the cause of the problem right now). However, that's not to say that sometime in the future, this thrush damage (scar tissue) might end up being the cause of this swallowing problem in a few more years. So even if they can't do anything now to help, keep this in mind if swallowing becomes a problem again.

[guitargal]

here is a funny one…

my friend once made me laugh while i was eating rice crispies and one came up and i could feel it going into my sinus!! I thought it was going to come out my nose! Eventually it went back down.

[Buckmark]

I'm resurrecting this somewhat old thread, because I too have had a stubborn case of thrush.  Some of you may remember that both of my oncologists (local and MD Anderson) noticed it back in August/September.  I didn't know, because my mouth always feels funky due to salivary glands getting nuked with radiation. 

First I had treatment with Nystatin, and then Diflucan, and thought it was cleared up.  But then I felt like my throat kept irritating me so I visited my ENT who did a quick endoscopy -- and found thrush in my esophagus.  He too said that stubborn thrust is often better treated with the mycelex / clotrimazole troches, rather than the Nystatin or Diflucan that many doctors seem to rely on.

So, three cheers for Mycelex.  I really didn't want to take Diflucan again as it is systemic, and upsets my delicate balance of flora in my digestive tract.   

Cheers,

Henry

P.S.  As a bonus, my ENT reviewed my CT scans from a few weeks ago (I brought them on a DVD he might need them).  He said they couldn't be cleaner (speaking from a lymphoma perspective).  Free second opinion! 

Also, my ENT doctor is hot.

[BT65]

Henry I'm glad the doctor got it cleared up, I know how miserable it can be.  Also, great news regarding the lymphoma!  I hope it stays clear!

Betty

[leatherman]

stubborn thrust is often better treated with the mycelex / clotrimazole troches, rather than the Nystatin or Diflucan that many doctors seem to rely on.

you're full of interesting issues today. LOL or at least interesting to me. Does anyone know if there any reason why doctors are less likely to prescribe mycelex troches and instead opt for the other meds?

personally I always like the troches because they put the med right there on the thrush, and there seemed to be fewer side effects than with the other meds.

i am certainly glad everyone is over their thrush!

[Buckmark]

you're full of interesting issues today.

I'm just full of it, generally speaking.   

Does anyone know if there any reason why doctors are less likely to prescribe mycelex troches and instead opt for the other meds?

personally I always like the troches because they put the med right there on the thrush, and there seemed to be fewer side effects than with the other meds.

Not sure.  But, at least anecdotally, Nystatin always seems to be the first med chosen by doctors.  And our very own AidsMeds web site lists Diflucan / fluconazole as the first choice.  *shrug*

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Candidiasis_6842.shtml

[aztecan]

Betty, I didn't mention it before, so I will now. I'm glad the thrush has cleared up.
I remember when I had it in Mexico City, I went to a couple of different pharmacies trying to find something to assist.

Henry, I am very glad to hear of your clear scan (lymphoma wise).

Boy, I go away for a bit and people are having all kinds of things going on.

HUGS,

Mark

[Buckmark]

And my thrush has returned.      Same symptoms:  irritated throat, and now coated tongue.  The Mycelex worked so well -- until now.  Phooey.

So I called my ENT doc well who prescribed the Mycelex troches for me, and he wants to try something systemic -- diflucan (again).  I tried to explain to his nurse (over the phone) that I've been there / done that back in September / October.  They insist on me trying it.  Bullshit.  I made an appointment to see my PCP / HIV doc, because I'm tired of this treadmill.  I think I need a different medication -- maybe laminal or itraconazole.  My ENT is in the same practice as my PCP, so they should be able to discuss if they need to (or want to    ).

This thrush is so damn frustrating.  I'm going to get my HIV labs drawn tomorrow, 'cause that's the first thing my PCP will want me to do anyway (and I'm due in about a month).

[aztecan]

Henry,

I get occasional outbreaks of thrush because of the inhaler I use for my COPD.

So far, Nystatin has worked for me. (fingers crossed)

Hope you find some relief.

HUGS,

Mark

[BT65]

Henry, that sucks.  You've really had more than your share of issues.  I hope your doctor can get it cleared quickly. 

Betty

[mitch777]

Henry, I know well of the treadmill. Boo. I've never had thrush so I can't speak to that. Hope you find relief. Ugh.

[Miss Philicia]

Come on Henry, you know the drill! Life isn't fun unless you get hit with concurrent medical issues. One issue at a time is strictly for the underlings.