Fungal, Candida & Yeast Infections

[izzie]

People with COPD are at high risk for contracting fungal infections due to the corticosteroids and sometimes high doses of antibiotics we have to take. Please read on as there is something in this post for everyone.

Doctors are great.......as long as you don't need one. It only took me 8 years and 9 doctors to finally be treated for a fungal infection in my ear. It causes extreme itchiness on the outside as well as the inside of the ear, and increased ear wax production which can plug up the ear canal and affect one's ability to hear. The first doctor didn't think it was an ear infection but offered a cream to help with the eczema like rash on the outside of the ear and the second doctor asked his nurse to do an ear wash to remove the waxy buildup. We are talking 8 years of this....so I will try to make it short. I finally went on line and diagnosed myself and went to yet another doctor about my diagnosis of which he promptly gave me antifungal ear drops and problem was resolved after the 9th doctor.

Moving on, I was on a lot of antibiotics due to pneumonia in late October/2015 and then got a girl thingyl yeast infection which I promptly treated with Canes Oral which can be purchased without a prescription. I still felt crappy and went to the doctor again and asked to be tested for a fungal infection in the throat, which causes an over production of mucous, coughing, headache and lethargy. The results came back positive for yeast infection as well and Nystatin was prescribed. Nystatin is an antifungal drug taken orally to cure fungal infections in the mouth, throat and intestinal tract. It however, will not cure fungal infections in the lung, a much more difficult thing to treat and they usually use a drug called Diflucan for that. Diflucan can cause breathlessness due to the Fungas Die-Off and doctors are hesitant to prescribe it to people with COPD, especially if you are taking theophylline drugs..as they can interact with each other. But, fungal lung infections can also cause breathlessness and scaring of the lungs. Smokers are much more susceptible to lung fungus, due to the fungus content in tobacco leaves. As well fungal infections increases your risk for pneumonia, sinus and throat infections.

I don't want to scare everyone and would prefer anyone interested to do there own internet research....but I will leave you with a link to one article I found.

www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=2d1446bb-3807-4b55-8aed-abcaea2b6ca4"]http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=2d1446bb-3807-4b55-88aed-abcaea2b6ca4
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Sorry guys, I am having a really tough time giving you the link to this story, but I think I have it now.

[izzie]

Here's my chuckle for the day......in the third paragraph of my post, I was reporting a V-A-G-I-N-A-L infection after having taken a lot of antibiotics and our forum program changed it to girly thing, . , in this day and age, it should not be an embarrassing, bad or offensive word........it's a body part for heaven's sake. I wonder if our forum program will change the word OVARY to girly thing.

OVARY
V-A-G-I-N-A-L
OVARY
girl thingyL
girl thingyL




After all, heart, lungs, and maybe some other body parts...could they be offensive as well.
Just remember not to say V-A-G-I-N-A-L, girl thingyL, V-A-G-I-N-A-L, girl thingyL because this forum program will change it to girl thingyl.

Anyway, I wanted to add that fungal infections can cause food sensitivities and allergies......fungi typically feed on carbohydrates, sugar especially. Other food sensitivities might be grains, nuts, breads containing yeast, etc.
Their is a special diet for candida sufferers which I'm checking into.

[ken]

Thank you for sharing this information with us Izzie. I can understand why you might be reluctant to providing the link. I am glad you did as the article was very informative.



Ken

[Deborah]

Thanks for this Izzie. Over the years I have developed a great and not fun familiarity with yeast infections following bronchitis, due to the impact of the antibiotics. And no, taking acidopholus tablets or eating more yogurt does not help! I now get regular thrush infections in my mouth and on my skin. Nystatin has become a constant companion (although I have taken Canes tablets to clear up the oral infection. It was for an emergency when I was travelling but dang, it worked really well and quickly). Rinsing with vinegar after the meds seems to help, too, but not absolutely (and it wreaks havoc on tooth enamel).

I am trying to avoid thinking about the link to diet but now that you have drawn it to my attention I guess I will have to explore it further. My reluctance stems from wanting to learn to make pastry, a dream I really should give up.

I am so sorry it took so long to get diagnosed properly. That is so much one of the strengths of this forum in sharing our experiences, good and otherwise. I hope that the pesky yeast and fungal infections you have been suffering become a thing of the past with proper treatment. Please keep us posted!

Deborah

[Gail]

I'm so sorry this all has happened to you izzie. ..How awful for you to have to go through all of this. We all have to basically be our own dr. After all we are the ones who know our own bodys. Good luck honey.

[izzie]

Deborah.....I hear you about the yogurt and acidopholus tablets, because I've tried eating piles of plain yogurt and it doesn't really help either, and recently I've learned they actually don't contain much of the actual bacteria that is needed for our gut. I even tried plain kefir which seems to help a bit more, but still not terribly effective.

Your right, the candida ablicans or yeast really hate vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar mixed with our own stomach acids changes the stomach environment to a more alkaline environment and the candida prefers acidic...that's why they feed off of sugar so much, it helps them multiply. It is so bad for me that eating a piece of bread causes me to sneeze my face off, just due to all the yeast and sugar in bread and the candida love carbohydrates. Candida is attracted to grains and some nuts....which I can understand because most grains have some degree of fungus in them, as well as tree nuts during processing.

Lemon juice works just about as well as vinegar...but I use the apple cider vinegar and it is hard on the tooth enamel. It's been recommended to me to use a straw so that very little of the acid comes into contact with teeth. Rinsing the mouth with a bit of organic coconut oil and water helps to reduce the impact on teeth and coconut oil is also anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory.

I've had to take Nystatin twice now and wow.....I experience really good breathing after the yeast infection is gone...but it always returns again. I'm almost obsessive about rinsing my mouth after taking the corticosteroids, but it doesn't seem long before I have the fungal infection back in my throat and it causes me to go into an exacerbation....it's almost like I'm being strangled. I keep a cup of ginger tea on my night table when I sleep because it's the only thing that can bring me out of an attack during the night. The candida ablicans seem to more active when we sleep.

Gail....your right, I find that I have to sometimes be my own doctor and research as much as I can to better communicate with my family doctor. I have walk a fine line with that though sometimes. I mean, because we are the patient.....we have a vested interest in our health issues.

[izzie]

Deborah......funny you should mention about taking a Canes Oral to help the oral infection because I took it for the v-a-g-I-n-a-l yeast infection and it seemed to provide some relief for the infection in my throat as well. You had a good idea, and I would love to exchange more info with you to help us.

Apparently eating fermented foods help...if you can find them without sugar or make your own. I buy them at our local health food store. My daughter recently told me about kimchi...which is a combination fermented food and I'm going to give it a try.

[Deborah]

Izzie: Sorry for taking so long to respond. It sure sounds like you have been through the wringer. A couple of things:

*I took the canes oral when I was travelling and couldn't get a prescription. My pharmacist here in Whitehorse called the doc and this is what she recommended. It really cleared up the thrush - quickly, too. I guess they don't recommend its use often because it also kills helpful things, and it can lead to the overproduction of yeast, somehow. That's all I know. I still stick with the Nystatin.

*If you have dentures, you should take them out before using your steroid inhaler. Rinse with the vinegar (diluted in water - about one tablespoon per 8 ounces) before reinserting. I've personally discovered a new-to-me Fixodent paste that mimics nature, and it is just great. It doesn't taste gummy, AND it doesn't grip so tightly that I can't remove my dnetures. I can now take them out easily any time, while still retaining the hold that I need.

*If you do use the vinegar solution to rinse, you can get a super toothpaste from your dentist, with tons of flouride and enamel strengthening features. It is very expensive but a little goes a long way. The dental hygienist recommended it after she got over the horror of me rinsing with vinegar.

*It is hard to find yogurt with the necessary ingredients. I found Astro and used it as a basis for making my own yogurt. Unfortunately, even though it's milder I still really don't like it, not even when mixed with a little bit of jam and lots of berries. I do use it for savory sauces and even made a cake with it. The culture can be used again to a maximum of three times. That's all I know about that stuff.

*Saeurkraut is also fermented and may be easier to find. Our local deli stocks bagged saeurkraut from Germany, which is much milder than the supermarket variety. If I have to use the latter, I rinse it and cook it with onions and dried fruit snipped up in lieu of plain apples (I'm allergic, unfortunately).

Whew! What else have you found out, Izzie?

[Gail]

Speaking of Thrush in our mouth and throat, I now have one. I dont get girl thingylly yeast infection, I usually get Thrush. I have nystatin and have been using that. I just dont think it went away from when I was in the hospital?

I'm on antibiotics and have been for 3 months now. So it's bound to happen. I pray it will go away ghis time. Take care all.

[barb7330]

I also have trouble with thrush. Last Dr. visit she gave me 10 repeats of nystatin...I always rinse after using inhalers but lung Dr. put me on azythromycin in Feb. for 3 months so I think that's why the thrush. I started to take the anti at bedtime and it seems to have stopped the thrush.

Hope you all th_haveagr8daybutterflylady