Breakthru on the Thrusian front

AnotherSurvivor

My infestation of tongue Thrush/Candida is finally in retreat.  This offensive began with a 3 week application of Nystatin only, and then 10 days ago Diflucan (fluconazole) was deployed to reenforce the Nystatin.  

The Nystatin-only approach did not produce the desired results (no Thrush), but did seem to limit its advance.  There is some web documentation to suggest that limiting spread  is the sole purpose of Nystatin, that it is in fact not a fungicide.

The initial deployment of Diflucan did not produce particularly noticable results.  It took reenforcements in the form of an additional 10 days of prescription, application of which commenced yesterday.

In addition to the success of Diflucan, intelligence analysis produced documentation that Biotene Dry Mouth rinse has properties which overlap those of Nystatin, plus include some fungicide capability.  Biotene is available without prescription, in large quantities, at reasonable price, and is commonly used to address typically accompanying problems with drymouth.

I believe it is a joint operation between Diflucan and Biotene which is allowing this advance.  I take one Diflucan pill daily, but have significantly increased application of Biotene (8 to 10 time daily) over the daily deployment of Nystatin (4 times daily).  In addition, the Biotene is applied to a two pronged attack.  An initial quantity is applied to the whole tongue area, specifically delivered to target areas with a 10ml liquid medicine syringe.  An interval of a minimum of 2 minutes of inactivity follows, then the HANDLE (not the bristles) of a disposable toothbrush is used to firmly scrape forward from the back of the tongue towards its tip.  This process is repeated as long as it continues to produce a whiteish thin mucus off the tongue.  A warm water rinse then preceeds a reapplication of Biotene, which is then allowed to remain in place for an indeterminate interval, but generally no less than an hour.

Yes, I am really going to use all of my 144 disposable toothbrushes before this over, in fact, anticipate requiring resupply.

CivilMatt

back to base

AS,

You have truly gone that extra mile and kicked some Thrushian butt.

When this is over I expect you to take some R&R and brush up on your new normal.

Matt

AnotherSurvivor

I hate this stuff.  It

I hate this stuff.  It aggrevates drymouth, and it prevents taste.   Plus Candida is now classed as one of the potentially antibiotic resistant bugs, so eventually it might kill me.

Chicklette

AnotherSurvivor said:

I hate this stuff.  It

I hate this stuff.  It aggrevates drymouth, and it prevents taste.   Plus Candida is now classed as one of the potentially antibiotic resistant bugs, so eventually it might kill me.

I didn't think candida was a bacteria

I thought it was fungal in nature.  Antibiotics often cause thrush and "other" yeast issues... or at least that has been my experience. :-/

I hope you are finally getting some relief from your thrush.

AnotherSurvivor

candida is an interesting

candida is an interesting life form.  In your intestine it lives as a yeast, mostly making your life better.  When your system get disrupted, say with 7 rounds of carbol/taxol, it leaves home and takes up residence in your mouth as a fungus/mold.   So it is always with you, just usually better behaved.  The problem is in how it gets treated.  Nystatin and diflucan are anti-fungals, not strictly speaking anti-biotics.  But there are signs that strains of anti-fungal resistant Candida are developing.  What that means is undetermined right now, but perceived as not good.

 I did 11 days in the hospital, including 4 in a germ infested ER/ICU.  So maybe this is my candida, maybe it just hitched a ride.  My immune system is still not up to snuff.  It's rebuilding, but I still don't have the diet I should have, which means my immune system is subpar.  Little illnesses have big impacts.  I had a day of indigestion, had to force myself to eat, actually went back to nutrition shakes for a couple of days, and still lost 3 pounds that I haven't gained back.  I have zero reserves.  Introduce a bug that doesn't respond, bad things will eventually happen.

rsp

You can probably write an article on thrush!

Your battle with thrush is amazing!  My husband's PCP gave him two difulcan pills and instructed him to take them two days apart. Just wondering how many you are taking?  Also, the nurse at Hopkins said because the PCP prescribed difulcan, that my husband did not need a refill of Nystatin.  So, right now he took the two difulcan pills and is also using the Biotene Dry Mouth.  I think the difulcan has really helped, but we are afraid that the thrush will make its return once the difulcan is out of his system...

Your perserverence is admirable, and I hope you experience long lasting results soon.  

AnotherSurvivor

This my second go at this.

This my second go at this.  My first was during my hospital phase, was diflucan only and consisted of ten doses.  My blood chem and other signs from that period say I was pretty much dead, so maybe I incubated something.

This round was Nystatin for 3 weeks alone, 4x daily, no effect.  I then did 10x diflucan with Nystatin x4 daily, marginal effect. Towards the end I discovered the Biotene study.  I am now doing 10x diflucan, with the heavy biotene drill.  There will eventually be 20 continuous days of diflucan, and Biotene for the foreseeable future.  I had one day of diarrhea at the start of this phase of diflucan use, but there were a bunch of things going on, so maybe any number of causes.  Since then my gut is fine, and I am hungry and eating again.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25418079