Post
by socknitster » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:56 pm
James,
I know you have got to be sick to death of this stuff, whatever it is. I have no idea if hydrogen peroxide is an antifungal, but surely it will inhibit the growth. I wouldn't hesitate to put some in your nasal rinse as long as you don't see the problem getting worse or a new symptom starting.
From my experience with candida (thrush associated with breastfeeding) you cannot do treatment half way and it has to be fairly long term to have any effect. My baby Charlie's diaper rash, caused by the same organism, took 3-4 weeks of persistent treatment. We are talking every diaper change I put the lotrimen on and covered it with a very good barrier cream to keep the area clear of any fecal material. My nipples took 2 weeks to heal--that is putting the nystatin on after every single feeding for 2 weeks. That is 8-12 times a day! I still put it on occasionally if the area feels itchy or irritated. I'll not take any chances that that infection could come back as it was UTTERLY miserable.
Nystatin is supposed to be so benign. They give it to newborn babies for thrush, after all. With the warm, moist environs of the mouth (by the way adults get thrush too--the nystatin pamphlet gave instructions for adult use along with the infant instructions) and nasal passages, I would imagine it would be just as hard to get rid of in these areas. My bil is a pediatrician and he told me to expect the diaper yeast infection to take that long to cure--because yeast is hard to get rid of. I typical diaper rash can be gotten rid of in a day or two--but yeast is different.
Another option you have is a product called gentian violet. It kills yeast on contact and is extremely effective. I would google it. You will come up with tons of breastfeeding sites telling you how to apply it to your nipples or the baby's mouth--but there is absolutely no reason to think it won't work for an adults mouth or your sinuses in a nasal rinse.
It is so effective at killing yeast, that it only takes 3 applications from what I have heard. It is an old remedy and modern pharmaceuticals have replaced it under physicians care. But many, many people still recommend and use it. You can ask for it at a pharmacy--probably a small family pharmacy that compounds things. It is available without prescription. The only caveat? It will temporarily stain purple any skin it touches. They recommend putting vasaline around the babies mouth to prevent it from staining their lips. You could certainly do the same to protect your skin from the dye.
The night I realized that we had thrush, after having been in excrutiating pain for about 24 hours, I almost went out and looked for gentian violet. I read on the internet that the relief for the mom on her breast is immediate. But it was very late and I had been struggling with the baby all day and was completely exhausted. I ended up calling the pediatrician on call and they told me to get some lotrimin af and put that on my nipples until I could get help from my regular doc in the morning. I kinda forgot all about the gentian violet at that point.
It would be a good test, to see if you saw results--then you would know for sure what you were dealing with and hopefully would cure you and you don't need a stupid doctor to help you get it.
I've said this before in the past and I'll say it again. The docs you have seen are idiots. Why no one ever did a culture I will never know. It boggles the mind. And how they could see your nose or pictures of it with that foamy white stuff in it and not find a way to help you? It is simply insane to me.
Google gentian violet and I hope you will give it a try. I don't know if I have ever suggested it to you before. I might have forgotten about its existence until now since I was faced with this infection again. I had thrush with my first child too, but that was 5 years ago.
BTW, Gentian violet has been used for probably more than 100 years for treating this common infant problem. The only negative I have ever heard about it was on the Dr. Sears website which said that some Australian researcher may have associated its use with mouth cancer, but that the possiblity is remote. If I were you, I would risk it.
In fact, I have a persistent cracking and peeling problem on the heels of my feet that I suspect is fungal. I think I may go see if I can find some gv and see if that will get rid of it.
Jen
