Question about oral thrush.

[Sofia]

For the past 8 days I have been taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection. The infection seems to be gone, though the doctor wants me to finish the 10 day course of meds, but I've developed a lovely case of oral thrush from the sad death of all of my good bacteria. My doctor called in a prescription for Nystatin to swish around in my mouth every six hours. That seems to be helping, though there's still a lot of irritation and my throat feels scratchy. I'm also eating tons of plain yogurt. Is there anything else I should be doing to rid myself of the scourge? On average, how long does it take for the medicine to work?

It's just one darn thing after another, isn't it?

 

[scared2bthere]

Give it a few days. I get thrush often from antibiotics and it's miserable stuff. I'm not sure if it will clear up while you are still on anti's beacause I've only used the swish after but it may work ok while you are on it still. Hope it clears up FAST!!

 

[Gordon]

I'm afraid it can take over a week at times, Nystatin is horrible stuff isn't it? You could boost your Vitamin B12 and folic acid levels, eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, especially stuff like broccoli soup or cauliflower soup.

 

[Sofia]

Thanks for the information! Broccoli soup sounds lovely. I have some broccoli in the freezer from an organic farm from which I buy veggies every week. I know I haven't been eating well (except for all of that yogurt) because antibiotics work better than a diet pill for me. I have no appetite at all when I take them.

I appreciate your quick replies and all of the good wishes.

 

[Zzzdentist]

After you are done swishing, do you swallow? Yeah, sorry I just need to check that you're following the Nystatin directions correctly. In this case, it's best to um, swallow rather than spit. That is, um, in my professional opinion.

Nystatin (Oral Route) Description and Brand Names - Mayo Clinic

www.mayoclinic.org

 

[Sofia]

Yes, I am swallowing. Actually, the medicine I have doesn't taste too bad. I have one more day of these darn antibiotics, and then maybe harmony can begin to return to my body.

Thanks for the concern.

 

[Spektyr]

I had to do two full courses of antibiotics before my dentist would start pulling my teeth, I know exactly what you mean about the appetite suppression.

I ate a lot of yogurt as well and seemed to avoid any hugely unpleasant problems. Coincidentally I was (and usually am) eating large amounts of broccoli.

I've got a great recipe for broccoli cheese soup in my journal - here's a link:

But You're Too Young for Dentures!

Oh, and to the people who've commented: Thanks for everything you've said, I've read it all, and I apologize for not being more responsive. At my best I'm not much of a people-person and I'm definitely not at my best right now. I do appreciate it though, and welcome anything you've got to...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

If you use a food processor you can get it smooth enough you don't even need to chew (which is great for when you're not hungry, your teeth or sore, or you don't have any teeth and don't want to wear your prosthetics). This recipe is also packed with a lot of really hearty "stick to your ribs" kind of food, which is nice when you're having trouble eating enough to stay healthy.

I've been known on occasion to challenge people to eat more than one bowl. So far, no winners.

 

[Sofia]

Spektyr,

Thanks for the recipe. It sounds delicious, and I'll give it a try this weekend. The antibiotics also seem to be giving me insomina. I wonder if that's a typical side effect, too? It's been years since I've taken any meds like this so I have no history from which to pull.

It's a shame we have to poison the good stuff to get rid of the evil.

 

[Spektyr]

Let me know how the recipe works out for you - it's my favorite of my own "creations" so I like to know how other people's palates respond to it. I'm a garlic-a-holic so I always tone that down when cooking for others. But garlic is supposed to be a natural immune-booster or antibiotic or something like that. (I remember reading something along those lines, I just don't remember exactly what it's supposed to do.)

I couldn't say for sure about the insomnia, I don't tend to notice it much myself. I sleep or don't and I don't really get wound up about it anymore. I've had trouble sleeping from time to time and use enough caffeine each day that I can pretty easily amp it up to stay functional for an extra day without sleep. (Which, to be honest, is probably part of the problem in the first place.)


Antibiotics are kind of a weapon of mass destruction. Sometimes the only way to be absolutely sure to wipe out the enemy is to nuke the area. It's not subtle or elegant, but it gets the job done. And we bounce back faster than the bad guys. The war sucks, though.

 

[Zzzdentist]

I wonder then if swishing, gargling, and then swallowing might help your throat irritation. Once the antibiotics are finished, hopefully the normal oral flora will return to it's usual state.

 

[Sofia]

Great minds must think alike! That's exactly the technique I've been following--not pretty, but effective. The thursh is much better today, but I'll continue to use the medicine until the bottle is empty just be be sure. I'm also eating extra yogurt to bring in more good bacteria.

This whole experience has made me want to do more to ramp up my immune system with a better diet and regular exercise. If anyone knows of any reliable books on this, I'd really appreciate knowing their titles.

Thanks!

 

[Spektyr]

This whole experience has made me want to do more to ramp up my immune system with a better diet and regular exercise. If anyone knows of any reliable books on this, I'd really appreciate knowing their titles.

Thanks!

It's funny, I've been thinking the same thing though not because of thrush. I was once in fantastic physical condition and all this stuff has beaten me a lot more than it would've at the time.

I don't know of any books specifically, but there's a lot of really simple things you can do fitness-wise that don't need books or trainers or fancy equipment.

Running is a big one, though not everyone can really do that (cycling is good substitute). The trick there is to make it into a habit rather than a chore, and by the end of the second week doing it force yourself to push through that "wall" you hit where your body is trying to tell you to stop running, to slow down. Once you've been through that point you can go much farther without trouble, and it makes gaining ground in terms of fitness possible. (Until then you're just shocking your system a little and building yourself psychologically to attack the wall.)

Sit-ups, push-ups, aerobics, and so on are all fine. Unless you're training for a serious sport or trying for a radical body form change - exercising to make yourself look different rather than feel different - you don't really need to get fancy with it.

You simply need to crank up your metabolism and heart rate for a little while on a regular basis and your body will make the necessary improvements.


As far as diet goes, I don't really bother with it too much. In my experience the more you exercise the better you'll eat simply because your body will start demanding better fuel to keep up. If you're running a couple miles a day you'll find yourself looking at a plate of pasta or a slice of cake and craving that pasta much more often than the cake.

(By the way 2 miles a day is very doable and reasonable. In decent shape it's not hard to cover that distance in 15-18 minutes, which isn't a big slice out of your day.)

EDIT: obviously I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist or anything, but I very strongly believe that cutting out any type of nourishment - carbs, fats, whatever - is a really bad idea. Exercise will do it all. Diets are to lose weight without concern for health and fitness (in general, not always). Changing one thing at a time is a lot easier to stick with, and exercising will do more for you than any diet ever could. If, once you're reaping the benefits of regular exercise, you think your diet should be improved it will be easier to make that change. Feeling healthy is addictive.

 

[Sofia]

Spektyr (and anyone else who's reading this),

Just wanted you to know that I tried your broccoli soup recipe yesterday, and it's wonderful! I made enough to eat now and a carton to freeze. I also added some steamed baby carrots to the mix and blended everything to a fine puree. I think it gets better after a day in the refrigerator. I'm going to try the basic recipe with smoked turkey and cauliflower and also with smoked salmon and asparagus.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Spektyr]

Great to hear! I agree, it actually gets better after it's chilled and reheated.