HbA1c and Embarrassing question.

It might just be that you need a stronger or longer course of antibiotics to fully clear things up. People with diabetes are at greater risk of developing thrush, but it's usually people with higher blood sugars. Nonetheless, some people are just more probe to it and it's not clear why some people get it more often than others.

If I were you I would go bal to the doctors as say that things didn't clear up properly last time. As I said, they might either give you a stronger antibiotic or ask you to take pills for a bit longer.

There are other factors that can contribute - some soaps, stress etc. if you partner has it (even if they aren't showing symptoms) you could simply be passing it back and forth. I'd ask them to take a tablet too, just to be sure.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

Take care!

It is, of course a fungus. Probaly Candida albicans but it could be another Candida species.

Antibiotics for bacterial infections are useless, it needs a proper anti fugal cream and pills to do the job.

Any spores left behind can start back up pretty quickly. It is important to follow the instructions and finish the course of medication even when it semms to have cleared up.

I suffered various yeast infections (for that is what it is, a form of yeast) over a couple of years before I was actually diagnosed.

When I got my Bgs under control it went away, eventually.

It looks like your fungus is being a bit more stubborn to clear up.

So no suggestions I am afraid, it's back to the doc. and maybe a longer course of anti fungals.

H

Hi

Definatley get your partner treated if you have one , or a trip to the local sexual health clinic .

Shaz x

hi there. i agree you need you and your partner to be treared at same time. also make an appt at the gential urology clinic to get test and treated. they are the experts. good luck xx

I was troubled with a fungal/yeast problem for years in the form of atheltes foot and I inevitably get thrush 2 weeks after finishing any course of antibiotics. I could set a calendar by it :roll:

There are things you can do to help yourself with thrush.

Once I started to get my blood sugar in to the normal range - your current HBA1C is good but it is at the high end of the normal range (and is the same as my last result) I was able to knock my athletes foot out with Llamisil when I was at about 5.9 and it has not returned. I suggest you make sure you get the right antifungal. When I have thrush I use Canestan and eat live yoghurt and kefir.

Wear loose fitting clothes. Wear cotton underwear (or socks if you also have athletes foot). Change your clothes every day - your underwear more than once if it is hot and sweaty. Try to avoid sitting in sweaty seats - a colleague of mine got really bad thrush when she sat in a horrid sweaty plastic chair for several days on a course :shock:

Use gentle toiletries. Dry everything thoroughly after bathing and let it all hang out for a while so the the air can get to it. Wear sandals as far as posible if you have athletes foot.

If you go in the bath, add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to the water, it is anti fungal.

Eat probiotics - live yoghurt and kefir. In fact use live yoghurt on your bits - if you were a lady I'd suggest an internal application.

Oh yes, and if you have a partner, bear in mind you could infect him/her with it so make sure they get treated too.

Stay cool. Good luck!

They covered a similar question on the TV program Embarrassing Bodies with regard to re-infection.

Yes the infection is a fungus and is picked up from the ground. Infected people inevitably have athletes foot or a fungi toenail and this must be treated first since putting on underwear spreads the infection up the legs and to the places you don't want it.

The doctor on the program said, "Socks before jocks". She meant that you should put on clean socks first before pulling underpants over the infected feet and spreading it around. This could reduce the incidence of re-infection.

Also follow all the advice in previous posts as well so that you cover all possibilities.

Hi and congratulations on your new HBA1c , 5.7 is really good.

It has surprised me that one of the answers to your post suggests you need to get your HBA1c number down lower because of the problem you are experiencing?

Some good suggestions have been put forward and I hope you get some relief soon.

Don't feel embarrassed about it. For a start, you're not the first person to be affected by it and you definitely won't be the last. Secondly, nobody on this forum knows who you are. I could pass you on the street every day and be none the wiser! So, why be embarrassed? The whole point of the is to share our experiences and offer support to other. Nothing to be embarrassed about whatsoever!

I hope the doctors goes well this afternoon.

Take care,
Em

Totally agree that thrush is nothing to be embarrassed about. (Although I used to get my wife to buy the canestan)

I had recurrent thrush prior to diagnosis in March. However, once I got my levels under control and started losing weight it has gone away and not come back.

May not be of help to you, but I wonder if you are stopping treatment before you have got rid of all of it, even though it looks better. Might be worth continuing for a week after symptoms stop to make sure that it has fully gone?

My friend (non-diabetic) used to get thrush a lot, it seemed her husband although he never got it was a carrier. She used yogurt both externally and internally, took her years to find out why. But they both took antibiotics and it cleared up. Much to her relief.

Spiral said:

Wear loose fitting clothes. Wear cotton underwear (or socks if you also have athletes foot). Change your clothes every day - your underwear more than once if it is hot and sweaty. Try to avoid sitting in sweaty seats - a colleague of mine got really bad thrush when she sat in a horrid sweaty plastic chair for several days on a course :shock:

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This is probably a bit harder for a bloke to do, but I always carry a spare pair of knickers in my handbag and if I feel like I've sweated a lot I change. I've been doing this for ages and well before my diabetic diagnosis because I feel icky and dirty in damp pants. Obviously, you wouldn't have a handbag, but maybe you could leave a change of pants in your car or if you take a bag to work that way you always have one available.

Sometimes I even put extra socks (or tights) in my bag...but I'm a bit OCD. I think if I could fit an entire change of clothing into my handbag, I'd carry around a full set! As it is, my husband calls the boot of the car my extended wardrobe!

Hi. I can't offer any new solutions that others haven't already offered but thrush is caused by one of the Candida variants which is a fungal and not affected by antibiotics. My understanding is that most of us have this on the skin all the time but it flourishes when the skin is warm and damp and the skin's chemical state isn't quite normal. Something like Canestan is probably worth continuing with. My nurse also said soap needed to be well rinsed as it affected the skin's alkalinity. It is surprising that with your good sugar levels you are being troubled with thrush but we're all different...

Hope it all gets better soon Simply,oh,and well done on the great HbA1c result!! If mine's as good as that when they test it at the end of August-I'll be well chuffed!

simply_h said:

Hello All,

Well I have been to the doctors this afternoon. I had a chat with him and he did a swab test to check for infections and gave me a 7 day course of fluconazole 50mg.

He also said that my sugar levels are very good, so I should not be having these types of issues so this is why did a swab test and he is sending it off to see what is going on ect.

So I will have to wait and see.

Cheers
Simply.

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Hi Simply,
As your GP commented, your HbA1c results would suggest that you've got pretty good control. Fluconazole is MUCH better at getting rid of thrush than topical creams. For guys that suffer with phimosis (tight foreskin) it's really the ONLY way to deal with thrush!
Repeated infections, as others have commented, may be because your partner is passing the infection back to you.
Once you've done all the usual things (you and your partner both treated, avoiding tight clothing etc) you may end up being referred for circumcision - it's frowned on by many people now (seen as being mutilation of the genitals for some strange reason) but can be a way to eliminate repeated infections. I suffered with this for a long time before I was circumcised (as did a mate of mine who isn't diabetic) and I haven't suffered at all since.

Good luck!

Daibell said:

Hi. I can't offer any new solutions that others haven't already offered but thrush is caused by one of the Candida variants which is a fungal and not affected by antibiotics

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You can get thrush after taking antibotics

The way antibiotics work is that they kill off the good & bad bacteria (yeast) under the foreskin which causes thrush in men

I am suprised you are not getting oral thrush at the same time it may make you feel like you have a sore throat

If you have a partner never mix up canestan cream tubes you will re-infect it yourselves time after time.

stay away from sex for at lease month including oral sex and french kissing

Try changing to looser fitting boxer type underpants and change them twice a day. Make sure they go on a hotter wash program in the washing machine.

Dont were jeans/tight fitting trousers.

Plus Change the bed linen as well again wash them a hotter program in the washing machine

If you still keep getting thrush consider getting circumised i

puddy

Hi,

interesting reading, i was having similar problems that went on for about a year, my GP tried the week of fluconazole, followed by one a week for a few months, niether seemed to work but what did work was cutting out yeast based food stuffs. The main culprit in my case was marmite, which i loved and ate on a daily basis. Once i stopped eating it the thrush cleared up and hasn't returned for a couple of months fluconazole free !

good luck.

steve

Try using a medicated talcum powder on the vital areas, (such as cutcura). after showering or bathing. It stops the humidity in the affected areas and helps a lot.