I just had the best experience! That's twice this week... I'm on a roll! It was my first ever appointment with a Nurse Practitioner at my local surgery and she was warm welcoming, empathetic and thorough! (More thorough than many of her doctor colleagues!)
She confirmed I do indeed have the dreaded "thrush." And it's everywhere! In my mouth, nose around my fingertips and under my cuticles! God only knows where else as she, sensibly stopped looking!
Two prescriptions: Nystatin, as many of you are intimately familiar with and Naseptin Nasal Cream.
Ohhhhh Goody a nasal cream! Haven't had to use that before either!
“But fate, as Merlin always taught us, is inexorable. Life is a jest of the Gods, Merlin liked to claim, and there is no justice. You must learn to laugh, he once told me, or else you'll just weep yourself to death.” ~ Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King
Naseptin is very efficient and non-messy, just put a bead of it onto little finger or cotton bud and, well you get the picture. Maybe cut your nails first
I'm really pleased to hear at least you found a competent and empathetic practitioner - you bloody well deserve - at the very least - one or two of those !!!
OK it may not be 'cancer' as you say but it sure seems a bit 'unreasonable' (I am being more restrained here) that you have had to tolerate so many side effects and some co-ailments - when many of us (so far at least) have been more fortunate with the length of our lists. But I guess all stuff health related - like much else in life/living is all a rolling of the dice - with often no apparent rhyme or reason.
On the 'bright' side at least as you slowly taper your dose some of this stuff MUST start to abate and I am just whipping up some more 'spells' for you which might be worth (metaphorically) 'snorting' with your nasal cream to ensure super-effectiveness !!
I hope not in your intestines as a friend of mine has, and it causes her endless problems, totally sugar free diet needed, (must not feed the fungi!!) and lots of stomach pain!!!
I have had all the symptoms... thought it was PRED! Of course I blame everything on the PRED!!!!
Ohhhh goody.... "lots of stomach pain!!!"
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Hate to tell you that the pred is probably part of the issue...blood glucose spiking can allow it to grow. If it's in your intestines it won't help. If you have had any tummy issues then could also be connected. You need to check your stools. If it looks like it has bits of tissue in it that'll be the candida. My first sign of being over run are my nails and cuticles playing up. Nail breaking and splitting and the skin splitting. I end up rubbing canestsn or equivalent into the nail cuticles. Tackle from all ends as it will contribute to fatigue. Hopefully you will get on top of it. If it is persistent then the pills might be the answer. At least you can stop nasal sinus spray and know that you might have been channeling fungus the bogeyman. 😁
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Ahem... There have been no stools!!!! That's another issue! It's all happening here... or actually, there is NOTHING IS HAPPENING HERE! : )
Thanks for honest advice.
Will be tacking from "all ends!"
Going to Waitrose to get sauerkraut!!!!
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That suggests it is full body candida. Good luck!!
If you want to grow the fungi with fermented yumminess then enjoy. 😁😂
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I know it's often seen as a cure for candida but I have found anything fermented..tofu etc as well just makes it worse. Once you have got on top of it and it's no longer there then add it to your diet and it may help then. Yeast is a living creature that likes fermented things and sugar and other fungi to grow. You only have to make bread with fresh yeast to see how it loves sugar and warmth. I read a disgusting article about making bread but I can't bring myself to even write it so you will have to guess. 🤑😲😜😂
oh thank you. Hope you feel better. My doctor would never suggest anything like that and I have constant lower abdominal pain - really bad. And total bloating!!
It is my friend who has it, and she is constantly complaining of stomach pain and nausea, also runny tummy, very frequent visits to the loo! If she eats anything with any sugar in it the pain is bad! she lives on fish and veg and sweet potatoes ( sounds funny but it seems they are high in protein) If you suffer from it you really need to consult a nutritionist for advice on what to eat, but absolutely no sugar!!
thank you. Is there a test or something they do? I would have constant abdominal pain and major bloating but as I said my doctor would nevr even sugest candida.
There is a test, but it probably involves looking into the intestine with their gadget, (can't remember what it is called!!!) Unless they know what they are looking for they tend to ignore it (the candida) I'm told!
You can have a blood test which will show if Candida is present. This is probably the most common way of testing. Most labs do it and it is pretty cheap.
Well it was the nutritionist who told her to eat them and not the real thing!
"Whip away," my clever sorceress! I will snort, swallow, shoot, whatever you can conjure up!
And I agree it does seem a bit unreasonable... I'm just desperately trying not to be a big cry baby, but I do love when you say it! Thank you!!!!
It does seem to me that I'm being "tested," maybe a bit more than most... but than again, I don't REALLY now what others have had to deal with. And as I said I think I'm more in-tuned to every little niggle I get...
I still believe, in my heart of hearts, there is a lesson here... I just wish I knew what the hell is was, so I can learn it and move on!!!!
"I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time." ~ Charles M. Schulz
(loved this! )
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The first 12months was more niggly for me. You already have my worst niggly fear... GCA. Everytime I had a headache etc I thought here we go. So I am not surprised. Apart from injuries illness and aging most of us ignore our bodies. Since 1999 I have been in a slow train of deterioration. I accepted that (in the main) in 2006. It's a long hard process with bumps in the road. I can see how far you have come in the past few months and it's brilliant so don't forget to pat yourself on the back(lol) and treat each new niggle as a just a part of the process. You do seem to be getting there.
Ps last week I had thush under my chin. I don't have lots of chins or folds to explain it. Just the usual white bits. Canestanned it 3 times a day and it's not visible. Hopefully yours will clear. Quickly.
Pleased you found another sympathetic and efficient medical practitioner. They do seem to be a very rare commodity. I hope you get instant relief from the nasty infection. As for having to reduce sugar....... I’m not a sweet eater, cakes and biscuits I can do without but what about wine! It’s the only thing that’s keeping me sane at the moment. I’m grabbing half an hour flat out on the sofa. Midday means pills and himself’s lunch, then exercises. Then if I’m lucky I’ll get an hour off before the next round of ‘fun’. Some point I must go into town for more pills.......yippee! Must keep smiling. I do agree a sense of humour in most situations can be a life or sanity saver.
Poopadoop said yesterday, "No more wine, mushrooms, sugar or anything that grows yeast." Oh woe is me! Take away my tiny glass of red wine before dinner, you might as well take away my oxygen!
I wouldn’t worry about anti Candida diet initially. The nystatin will kill the Candida off. If your candidiasis keeps coming back you MAY need to do the diet. I would suggest though that you take a good probiotic, as the Candida will have shoved all the ‘good’ bugs out of your gut, and they will need to repopulate in order to keep Candida at bay. If you need further advice please send me a PM
Just a little bit of cheer, although I had it early days and it took a bit of getting rid off, once it had gone and the Pred were reduced (reducing) it didn’t come back!
Good thing I love yogurt and yogurt drinks! ...and I like sauerkraut, oddly!
Thanks Mary63, The thing is, I have (for 5 months now) taken a really high quality pro-biotic every day; and I eat Yeo Valley Organic Greek Style Natural yogurt, each day for breakfast... and I take supplements; high quality Omega 3, Code Raw B-Complex, Vit C, Vit D... And I'm already on a no wheat, low salt, low sugar, low carb, 1-3 small glasses of red wine a week. I eat lots of Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Onions, Lemon, Chicken, Eggs, Sardines (<<< EVERY day for lunch, for 5 months!) Butter, Yogurt (probiotic), Sunflower seeds, Cinnamon, etc, etc, etc... I don't know what else I can do. I am on ridiculously high doses of Pred though and have been for 5 months now. Hopefully the Nystatin will get it!!!! ; )
Love your sense of humor 😃 but sorry another hurdle has been placed in front of you 😐. This too shall pass and you will prevail. Hopefully, you'll have a speedy recovery. Good luck.
Somewhere in the dim dark recesses of my mind I seem to remember reading that overgrowth of Candida can be a CAUSE of some autoimmune diseases- it turns off the 'surpressors' which would stop the immune system turning on itself (or something like that!). I know I have had outbreaks of thrush in various places for quite a few years, long before I succumbed to PMR and shingles. I don't know the answer to getting rid of it though- I have tried hard to treat and prevent with diet in addition to various creams/tablets from pharmacy.
But maybe it's not the illness or the steroids causing it- in which case if you are really lucky you might find clearing out the Candida could help rid your body of the cause of the inflammation?
Found it. drhoffman.com/candida What he says makes a lot of sense, trying harder to find and treat the causes of illnesses, tho of course this is not always easy. And as for Candida it looks like you have been doing more than enough to avoid it, to no avail....so who knows?!!😩
Nystatin is great for your mouth - I get oral thrish often while flying - probably from asthma inhalers (also steroid) and maybe not enough fluids while flying.
Enjoy a wine as it can be good for the soul occasionally.
I am now on 60mgs Pred as the Professor of Rheumatology who saw me (as CRP back up to 52) thinks not RA but possibly GCA and or vasculitis - now I really need to be watching carbohydrates and mouth care etc. was feeling very unwell but a bit better today. I am glad he listened carefully to my symptoms also.
Hope your troubles clear up soon. 🤗
Probiotic yoghurt or tabs might help gut. Cheers from a retired nurse specialist in General Practice - there are some good ones out there still. So pleased you had a good experience 😀👍
Result ! (Well, on the way anyway.) Omitted to say that i haven't had a return of candida in years and only brief localised thrush reaction to asthma spray so once it's cleared up there's hope - but I do think diet is a factor. I try to eat healthily but don't make a thing of it at all (so 80-90%) & this seems to work. Good luck! (somebody said, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" so....)
Now not laughing this time Friend of mine who works with nutrition suggested I very likely have candida and to get tested for it. How did they test you. I'm at the stage I can't face my GP.
I've been displaying all of those things and my GP has never cracked a light. It was nutritionist who worked that one out. We did a questionnaire and it came accross as 80% likely.
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is it GCA ?
Unexplained “rash”
Now Able to Take My Advice!!!
Is no news, good news? 
