Thrush

SuzJ · April 2017

omg, this is as bad as having my tonsils removed when I was 23.

I had tonsillitis every other week, finally saw a specialist (this was in the UK) and I was in a "good" week, and he said they looked great, I explained, that they wouldn't next week. So instead of a huge wait, he gave me a pass to come back the next week, if I had tonsillitis, and of course, I did. He said, they have to come out asap, the only issue was removing while not infected. We thought we had it, and I was ok (except no one should ever have tonsils removed as an adult) - 3 days later I was in agony.. and we had misjudged the timing, and I had an infection in the tonsillar bed...

So I ate food last night, I so wanted it.. soft yummy baked potato, with SC and butter, and salmon... I wanted it soo bad, so very bad. And I ate it, I was determined to finish it all, and I did.

And when I was done, my throat was on fire, I couldn't even cry it hurt that bad. Today - Rads at 9 am, straight in "I need to see the Dr"

Why don't they warn you? So much I have learned from all of you, it's like one huge learning curve.

So yes, Thrush is evil, holy my throat is killing me... and it's the time when radiation is getting harder to take...

I also gave in on pain meds too, altho I decided tramadol and Tylenol, we'll see how that works out.

3 weeks down, 4 to go.

MMDowns · April 2017

Are you on meds for thrush?

Are you on meds for thrush? They gave my husband Flucanazole the first two times he had thrush. It's from the. chemo more than the rads. His cleared up pretty quickly The first time. The second we had to get another prescription which are tablets that dissolve. Well they only dissolve if you have enough saliva which he really doesn't at the time. Plus when he went to see his rads dr he told my husband that he wasn't sure if it even was thrush. He thinks it was just thick saliva. Can you do a rinse as well? I know it sucks. It alters even the way water tastes but as soon as it clears you'll feel so much better. 3 weeks is awesome!! You're doing it. Hang in there?

SuzJ · April 2017

Yep, he gave me the liquid

Yep, he gave me the liquid version which is supposed to be orange, but no orange in my memory tasted that bad!

And yep, had to look it up - fluconazole 10 mg/mL oral liquid

So so very tired today, got 3 ish hours last night, it's bedtime somewhere, right?

Chilinily · April 2017

thrush

Yes, I also had thrust. See first post above. The nystatin doesn't work as well, that is a liquid for the mouth, hold in the mouth and then swallow. Tip, you can keep a slight case of thrush on your tooth brush. Wash or change it. I was taking heavy meds when I thought the first thrush was radiation damage. The last two times (because I knew what it was, like razor blades in the throat) I got right on fluconazole, pills for ten days, each time. One 'drink' that never hurt my throat during thrush was Orgain. It is a plant based powder which makes into a very nice tasting, thick chocolate drink. (Much tastier then Boost or Ensure) You can add cream if you need the calories. I keep a quart mixed up at all times. My 'go to' food on the road. Hope you feel better, Cheers and good luck!

phrannie51 · April 2017

SuzJ said:
Yep, he gave me the liquid
Yep, he gave me the liquid version which is supposed to be orange, but no orange in my memory tasted that bad!

And yep, had to look it up - fluconazole 10 mg/mL oral liquid

So so very tired today, got 3 ish hours last night, it's bedtime somewhere, right?

Take your fluconazone as

prescribed....THEN go to the health food store and pick up some Primadophilus Bifidus capsules....it is a probiotic. Open capsules, dump on tongue, and add a little water....swish, hold, swish, hold and swallow....this will help keep thrush at bay during rads. Thrush is an over growth of yeast in your mouth from lack of saliva. Probiotics add to the good bugs to help combat it. This works!!

p

AnotherSurvivor · April 2017

Yet another timely topic.

Yet another timely topic. Mine eats liquid Nystatin and laughs. I thought I was making headway, but today I learned I was wrong. Chewing xylitol based gum seems to help, at least keeps it moist.

AnotherSurvivor · April 2017

Okay, spoke with EM Resident

Okay, spoke with EM Resident son about Thrush. He says Nystatin is what he would prescribe, and I need to make a serious effort at it. He said buy a bunch of disposable tooth brushes and brush the surface each time before applying liquid Nystatin. Then dispose of the toothbrush, don't try to clean it as the only effective cleaners are not good for your mouth. Also, stop using waterbottles, and only use glasses, which then go in the dishwasher. Anything that can harbor the crud needs to be eliminated to avoid reintroduction. Ditto for actually brushing my teeth, brush and dispose.

He was indifferent to probiotics because of the uncertain composition and quality. He said if my chemo oncol had one he liked it might contribute, but cleanliness and Nystatin will work eventually. Hit it hard and keep hitting it, expect it to take about.a week of doing that before it's gone. As mouth health improves it become harder for the fungus to take hold. I am finding chewing gum all day long is keeping my mouth moist and reducing the coverage area, but one section is hanging on.

AnotherSurvivor · April 2017

When we went in to get my

When we went in to get my Nystatin refill, the tech offered us some specialty syringes that are used with liquid medicines. I had never seen them before, but they make applying the med much better. The ones I am using hold 1 ml, and can propel the liquid all the way to the back of your tongue. You may need to ask for them, but the critical part of making Nystatin work is actually getting it on the target. I walked out with a dozen, and they can be washed in a dishwasher, so you can always have a clean one.

Thrush

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