BFers: Anyone had thrush? Was it awful?

wellfleet04

I'm 99% sure Ben and I have thrush.  He's got the white patches on his inner cheeks etc.  From reading online it seems like a PITA to get rid of.  Anyone have it?  Was it awful/did it last forever?  Thanks!

bebemama

It's not awful because it really didn't seem to cause him any discomfort at all. ?I had to repeat treatments for many times over many months. ?It sort of kept it in control but never made it go away completely for any length of time. ?There is a stronger medicine then Nystatin that they can end up giving which we eventually did. ?Though they are reluctant since the thrush doesn't really cause any real issues and this med can end up having more serious side effects. Just treat it and yourself but don't sweat it if he has it for a while.?

AnnapolisLari

Yep. I had it for months with both kids. It is a cast iron b*tch to get rid of.

You can go to kellymom.com and follow the thrush protocol. Nystatin only works about half the time, because 50% of yeast is resistant.

You need to boil everything the milk touches-- pump parts, bottles, pacifiers, nursing bras, etc. Wash your hands often, but do NOT use antibacterial soap and dry with paper towels.

I only got rid of it with diflucan last time, and am actually calling this morning for a prescription this time. You need much more than the vaginal yeast infection dose. Day 1 is 200-400 mg loading dose, followed by 100-200 mg every day for 2 weeks.

MichelleWP

I've had it twice, once each with my youngest two. Neither used a bottle or pacifier, but I bought new bras. It was mych more horrible for me than them. I used gentian violet, I just painted in on my nipples before they nursed (warning though - it stains everything purple for awhile). It was gone both times within days.

Some people warn against gentian violet because it can cause mouth ulcers, but it is extremely rare.

j_hope

Yep, DD and I had it once.  It was a pain to get rid of (for us anyway).  We tried the Nystatin..and that didn't work.  We tried Diflucan too.  The only thing that got rid of it was gentian violet, but it's a pain to use.  It stains everything a dark purple...so she had to wear white onsies for a week until it went away.

lsufan

I had it with #2, and it kept coming back, but we finally got rid of it when he was around 3-4 months. ?It was weird, because he never actually showed the symptoms. ?What I thought were white patches were really just milk, because they wiped off easily with a cotton ball. ?We treated him anyway, because I definitely had thrush on my nipples. ?I had to take Diflucan multiple times to get rid of it. ?I also boiled everything-- including my bras.

kevschickee2

Halee and I had it and it was very hard to get rid of.  Plus I was in pain with every nursing session.  We tried the nyastatin cream and liquid and it didn't work.  What finally worked was 15 days of 100mg of diflucan for me while the baby was on nyastatin.  You have to sterilize everything

GrowingFamily

DD #1 had thrush when she was about 7 mos & I was still bfing.  I never caught it from her.  Once she was diagnosed with it, I put Lotramin on after feedings to prevent myself from getting it.  Once on meds (Nystantin), her thrush was gone within 3 weeks.  Not bad at all.  Since that happened, 5 years ago, we always sterilize all baby bottles before each use!  Better safe than sorry!