It's back... the thrush that is. Technically thrush (or what causes it) is always there but we are having yet another surge of it. I wasn't even done my course of treatment when it started flaring. I have tried everything. Nystatin, Diflucan, Gentian Violet, Vinegar rinses, sanitizing, supplements, and on and on.
This weekend I decided to take some advice that I read on several websites of microwaving your bra to kill the yeast. I carefully read how long and at what power. I felt like it wasn't the best idea but I read it on like 10 web sites. I put the bra in, fired up the microwave and sat down at the computer for a few minutes. I started to smell and weird smell so I opened the microwave to find my favorite nursing bra in a puddle of melty ooze on the microwave tray. (I seriously wish I had the presence of mind to take a picture!) The smell that crept through our house was nothing short of noxious. We rushed the kids upstairs, opened the house and used every fan to air out the house (not sure why we have like 8 fans but thank God we do!).
All I could do was cry. I was tired, desperate and grasping at straws. We had to throw the damn microwave away because the smell was going to disperse every time we used it. I was so pissed. The girls have told me about a hundred times since then NOT to put things in the microwave other than food. I guess you have to have a sense of humor about it.
So now I have a new microwave
And a new plan of action for getting rid of the beasty thrush
And a new course of oral diflucan for me. I am praying/hoping/begging that this does it. This is the point at which I think the nursing gets easier. We're on a better schedule. Our latch is good. We're hitting our rhythm. Thankfully both doctors offices have been awesome about treating it and never mentioned the "W" word (weaning). I'm very thankful for that!
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Oh dear that Thrush sounds nasty. Have you considered trying acupuncture as a supplement to the meds? It does wonders for me on many fronts. Plus my acupuncturist is very accommodating of my needle phobia.
For entertainment purposes, place a single york peppermint patty on a paper plate in the microwave. Watch it cook for about 30 seconds. The microwave will be fine, but the paper plate will be ready for the trash.
I had agonizing pain when trying to nurse #1 and was told over and over that is was thrush, but it wasn't- it was vasospasms. Have they been ruled out?
I know this is probably not too useful, but I think I got rid of our thrush by walking around topless alot (or braless in airy shirts) to ensure no moisture was accumulating. I also layed out topless in the sun as much as a could and had baby do the same for small stints. I changed shirts every 4 hours, used burp rags only once, changed diapers immediately, and washed everything in hot water with lots of detergent and bleach and made sure it was completely dry before wearing again. I also took a heavy duty pro-biotic and eliminated all sugars (or most of them anyway) and limited carbs and fruit. I've also heard using disposable nursing pads is ok if you can't go braless. Other things I did include washing my nipples with hot hot water and drying thoroughly several times a day.
good luck...struggled with it for 4 weeks but we got past it. be wary that diflucan can stop being effective if taken too much--the yeast becomes immune to it.
I was so shocked at how little my doc and pediatrician at the time could help with thrush. I had one tell me to wean and another keep pushing medication on me that wasn't working, so I dedicated 3 days to the above methods and that worked.
I'd follow newmans protocol and get some of the all purpose nipple ointment as well. Just a thought.
Thanks you guys! I have been washing EVERYTHING in either bleach or vinegar, boiling everything, changing my nursing pads hourly (too much leaking to go braless... I tried and soaked through several shirts :D).
I am trying to limit my carbs and I have completely cut out sugar. Being that carbs are a new moms best friend it has been hard! ;D
For the vasospasms I go to my OB next week (and I really like her) and I wanted to inquire about that. I keep seeing it in the searches I pull up for thrush.
I did talk to the OB nurse about the Newmans protocol and she said that they could prescribe the ointment when they saw me next week but wouldn't until I tried the Nystatin cream and diflucan.
Just so much to try to coordinate. I think if I could get some sleep and my kids would settle down for five minutes I could get rid of it. :D
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