I,ve just had a horrible chest and ear infection and been feeling quite poorly on top of everything else. I was prescribed antibiotics. I now have very sore oral thrush and am finding it hard to eat. Anybody know of any remedies or something to ease it?
I dont know if people with Scleroderma are prone to candida as when i had an endoscopy once i had it very badly in my oesophagus, and i also get it occasionally 'down below'! Thanks
Hi Inkedup.....I have raynaud's (going for first appt to rhematology next week for official diagnosis & tests etc) I have had a fungal problem 'down there' for about six months. GP has given me cream/fungal tabs/antibotics on and off...as soon as I stop taking/using these the problem starts again. Any known connection with our illnesses...B
Hi Bee,
Do you have Scleroderma as well? I also have terrible problems around the vulva area, the cause, not thrush but Lichen Sclerosus. (men can get it as well) I suffered for years thinking I had a fungal infection and treating it with Canestan etc. Apparently, I was told a lot of the time it is treated as thrush but will never be kept under control unless treated with topical ointments. I am not saying you have the LS but I hope they will check you out at your appointment. Unfortunately, it is an auto-immune condition which I believe you can get with Scleroderma. I also have Lichen Planus in the mouth (which is similar to LS) It can cause a number of problems. I also have a number of other auto immune conditions associated with the Scleroderma.
Good luck with your appointment and dont be afraid to tell them everything
Live yoghurt is good for Thrush. Some anti-biotics cause reactions, I used to be prescribed one type that gave me ulcers all over my mouth and right down my throat etc. I definitely avoid those now and as far as possible avoid pharmaceutical anti-biotics altogether. Ribwort plantain works for me, growing in abundance at the moment, and all through the Summer. I even managed to cure cystitis with a couple of days worth last week, (4or5 leaves a day is usually enough). 
Hi Linkedup: A few remedies that helps me is to monitor or avoid carbonated sodas, drink plenty of water, monitor or void acidic foods; and i noticed fiber foods help me. I try to concentrate on natural intakes w/o a lot of preservatives and flushing my system. It's like our bodies easily collect toxins and hold on to bad things even more - sometimes I think the meds help to bind the foods that we intake and we suffer allergic reactions. Water is the purest property of all, so you may find an increase of water intake quite soothing and helpful; spring water and filtered waters preferably. And another thing, from the taste of some of these meds, especially antibiotics - they are strong as heck and seem to have such a distinct acidic taste. I'm praying for you Linkedup, and I hope you start conquering some of these difficulties ASAP. We're not alone, we're here for one another. Take good care.
Hi inkedup
I also have just had a really bad cold affecting my throat ears and sinus - I almost passed out last Saturday - I went outside the front door turned round and almost fell over.... God, I felt drunk and very disorientated - went to doctors tuesday to be told I had an inbalance of my inner ear caused by the head cold. I also am on 5 days of biotics and hopefully are doing the trick. I had been feeling unwell for at least week and a half, knew it would not clear itself but it gets on my nerves having to keep going to the doctors for one thing and another.
However, if you go back to your GP or local pharmacists they will be able to give you something to suck to get ride of the oral thrush which is most probably caused by the biotics..
I have been getting oral thrush and mouth ulcers almost constantly since about may/ june time absolutly no idea why. I like others have had it where it makes it hard to eat because it goes down my throat its really sore so i do feel for you.
The doctor has prescribed me nystatin for the oral thrush which does get rid of it for a few weeks. also try asking your pharmasist for something simular.
Thanks all. I have been to the pharmacist and got some Daktarin, so will give it a go. Also eating probiotic vegan yoghurt, so hope that will help. I really hate using antibiotics but was so unwell and its difficult to manage on top of everything else. I,ve just eaten mashed pots and carrots for tea as need soft food. Feel like a baby!!
I had really bad oral thrush last year and it's very important to keep it under control if you have scleroderma. My rheumatologist didn't bother explaining this to me, I read all the articles in medical journals instead (the bad thing about being an academic). My esophagus was in a pretty bad way, I felt like I was (almost) being choked.
Three things which worked for me:
A very good tongue scraper and brushing your teeth more than twice a day.
Cutting as much sugar as possible out of your diet (candida likes sugar).
Eat as much starch as possible. I boiled lots of potatoes!
Hope it works for you!
Thanks Layla. My rheumatologist is useless and my health is getting worse. She just missed that i was suffering from hypothyroidism. Gonna ask for a referral elsewhere, i,m sick of being sick!! I do wonder whether being on ezomeprazole (nexium) for reflux also makes us more prone to oesophagal candida as it changes the PH of everything?
Hello, I agree with kaz321 as I have the same problem and also use Nystatin. The oral thrush problem was discovered by a trip to the dental hospital, not the rheumatologist. Apparently it is very common with anyone with a dry mouth. I am prescribed a bottle of Nystatin every month, start using it at the beginning of the month, lasts about a week, but admit that by the end of the month my mouth is sore again and I am unable to eat certain foods. If you are not happy with your present treatment, perhaps you need to be referred to one of the specialst centres. I go to Chapel Allerton in Leeds and I cannot fault them, but you may have to be prepared to travel.
Hi Yorky, i live in West Yorkshire so Leeds wouldnt be a problem. Seen in Halifax presently and i,m not happy at all. Need to make a dental appt so hopefully they might help. Horrible isnt it, i enjoy my food/drink and this with the reflux is horrid. Just hoping it hasnt spread to my oesophagus as i,m getting pain again as i did the last time they found it. Are they really helpful in Leeds?
hi your post was two years ago are you still on healthunlocked.
As you can probably tell from my name I'm not in Leeds either, however my dentist referred me to the Leeds Dental hospital and I find them really helpful with the dry mouth problems, no they cannot cure it, but can help you deal with it. I also have an annual scan of my salivary glands as they are apparently very prone to infections. I am seen at Chapel Allerton by Dr Goodfield, Dermatologist and Dr Del Galdo, Rheumatologist (definitely worth a trip just to meet him- a typical totally charming Italian). They really seem to know what they are doing there and see Scleroderma patients from all over Yorkshire. You shouldn't have to suffer with reflux as there are plenty of drugs out there to help its just a matter of finding the right ones for you. Acid into the oesophagus and possibly into the lungs is very bad and needs to be controlled. Get your GP to refer you, Scleroderma is one of their main interests at Chapel Allerton, they are really well informed and I'm sure will be helpful. If you have trouble with your feet the podiatrists at Chapel All are brilliant, and I believe they are setting up an ulcer clinic, fingers and toes, to try and standardise treatments. They are trying hard to set themselves up as centre of excellance for Scleroderma. Go for it.
A course of antibiotics will often leave people (independent of illness) with a fungal infection such as candida, or a bacterial infection which causes diarrhoea, especially a broad spectrum antibody. This happens due to the antibiotic killing the "good" bacterial flora that normally reside within the GI tract and vagina. Candida can then exploit the environment where these "good" bacteria used to live and over grow. Obviously anyone with a reduced immune function will encounter even more problems with these opportunistic infections.
As mentioned by others it's always advisable to "top" up or encourage your "good" bacterial flora with probiotics (and prebiotic fibre), especially after a course of antibiotics. I recommend good quality plain probiotic yoghurt or kefir. You can also make your own yoghurt, which should have more "good" bacteria in it than commercial yoghurt, which has had a long wait from producer to consumer.
I'm quite lazy, so I make my own yoghurt using the Easiyo system but you can make it using boiled and cooled milk (or UHT milk) and a starter of a small pot of commercial yoghurt. You then use about 200ml of the yoghurt you have made as a starter for the next one. There are plenty of instructions available on the web for intrepid kitchen biologists!
Good luck and I hope the antifungal drugs you've been taking start working soon. All the best.
Hi Chocky - I am aware of antibiotics causing candida, however i have had it badly in my oesophagus as well which was unrelated to antibiotic used. I am convinced that the nexium i have for GERD is changing the PH of my upper digestive tract, and perhaps this is why i am prone to it? Cant make milk yoghurt as i,m a vegan, but i did eat soya probiotic yoghurt and that seemed to help! I,m finally eating now (yay) so all on the mend phew!
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