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Has anyone had "Thrush" or "Yeast Infection&


Guest cbysea1

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Guest cbysea1

Hi,

I have a very painful side effect from chemo.Its thrush and it goes all the way down my throat to my esophagus and into .

I want to know if there are any here who have had it and how do they cope or a special tips on how to get through this particular phase of my illness.

I am taking Defulcan" 100 mg,once a day.

I can barely swallow or eat.

I feel weak from lack of food but I just cant swallow very well.

I have lidocain liquid /other stuff to swallow before every meal.It helps a lot but the pain stays.

I also take a tablet of Mycelex every 5 hours.

This is my first side effect and don't want to let it get me down.

I know SCLC is a hard fight and that the goal is to stay up beat and healthy ;ready for the next chemo session.

It's been since the Dec 15 I got it .

Thank you for any advice,

Cheryl_Child of God

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(((((Cheryl))))),

I totally sympathize with the way you are feeling. I lost 50+ pounds on the "Can't swallow" diet! Boost, Ensure or any of those type drinks may help if you can stand them. If you can stand cold stuff a milk shake helps (I could do room temp things better than cold or hot). Soups, yogurt, jello anything that would "slide" down on it's own was what I ate. If you can't keep hydrated be sure to tell your DR so they can get you fluids through an IV. Dehydration causes a lot of problems so please do try and drink as much water as you can.

Like everything else it does get better. I can now eat just about anything I want.

God Bless and I am praying for you,

MO

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My mama got only one mouth sore toward the end, we aren't sure if it was chemo related or not. Her doctor gave her a swish and swallow liquid which you can ask about. I know this must be ever so painful for you.

The mouth and digestive tract are composed of cells (mucosa) that are more sensitive to chemotherapy. During or after chemotherapy or radiation therapy, a cancer patient may have some sort of mouth problem, ranging from dryness to ulcers. These mouth problems may be related to the cancer itself, but more are often due to chemotherapy or other medication. Three to ten days following chemotherapy, patients may experience a burning sensation, followed by ulcers. When ulceration develops, treatment is mostly supportive until the cells regenerate themselves, which takes about 7 to 14 days. This can impact on oral comfort and nutrition, but adequate care can minimize these effects.

Prevention: Basic mouth hygiene is of primary importance, and should be initiated before chemotherapy starts. Patients should brush their teeth 3 to 4 times a day with a soft toothbrush or sponge and use floss. Patients at high risk (those receiving 5-FU or methotrexate) should rinse their mouth frequently with salt water, baking soda or chlorhexidine following chemotherapy.

Treatment: Once mouth sores developed, analgesics and anesthetics can be employed. Xylocaine is a local anesthetic available as a gel or spray used to decrease pain, but has a short duration of action. It should not be used prior to meals, as it can cause choking. Protective agents (sucralfate, kaopectate) are also used to cover ulcers and decrease irritation. It is important not to use irritant substances like peroxide as they way worsen the ulcers. Topical steroids should not be used as they may facilitate infections. In addition, patients should not eat spicy, hot, acidic or coarse foods or juice. Preference should be put on soft moist foods.

Drug name Usual dose Side Effects Saline mouthwash 10-30 mL swish and swallow every 2 to 6 hours Few Baking soda mouthwash 1/2 tsp. salt plus 1/2 tsp. baking soda in a cup of warm water, rinse every 3 or 4 hours Few Chlorhexidine (Peridex) Rinse every 4 hours Taste, color, teeth staining Betadine mouthwash Diluted with water 50-50 10 cc 3 times a day and as needed applied locally or swish Iodine allergy, color, teeth staining Xylocaine GEL: 5 to 15 mL every 4 hours SPRAY: 1 spray every 4 hours Possible systemic effect Choking if taken before meals Sucralfate or kaopectate 10 to 30 mL every 2 to 6 hours, swish and spit Taste

Damage to the mucosa can facilitate some infections, such as candida or herpes simplex virus infections. Appropriate treatment should be started. Thrush can be treated with topical antifungals, such as clotrimazole or nystatin. When infection is more severe, oral ketoconazole, fluconazole, or intravenous amphotericin may be used.

Drug Name Usual dose Side effects Clotrimazole troches (Mycelex) Place troche in mouth 4 to 5 times a day, for 7 to 14 days Well tolerated, taste Nystatin suspension 1 teaspoonful every 4 to 6 hours, swish and swallow Well tolerated, irritation Fluconazole (Diflucan) 100mg every day Nausea, vomiting, itching Amphotericin B Intravenous dose varies Headache, fever, chills. Amphotericin B mouthwash 10mg swish and swallow every day Taste

Dry mouth (xerostomia) can occur in certain patients and can be easily treated with drinking fluids, sodas, sucking ice chips, eating fresh fruits or chewing gum. Preparation containing alcohol or glycerin should not be used because they may irritate or aggravate dryness. Artificial saliva (MoiStir, Artisial) is commercially available and can be useful in some patients. Dryness should not be overlooked, as it may predispose to ulcers and infections. Hugs Lillie

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Your nutritional status is VERY worrisome.

I was in a similar situation and came within a few days of death...not by cancer, but by starvation & dehydration.

The five-minute procedure of having a G-tube inserted into my stomach allowed me to get all my calories & fluids without an appetite, or even having to swallow. I went on to endure the subsequent chemo & rads ONLY due to having the simple 5-minute procedure done.

(Please find the thread "PLEASE DON'T LET ANYONE STARVE")

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yep

I had thrush several times.

I had tablets I took systemically to knock out the fungal infection.

I also took "magic mouthwash" pretty religiously during that time.

I just endured it, and did the best I could with soft moist foods. Even though nothing tasted right. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time.

It hurts, it is NO FUN. But it does go away. Don't wait to get treatment.

The recipe for magic mouthwash is around I think on the general board in the third section (recently closed). That stuff was wonderful!!

I disagree about using it before meals. I had to be careful swallowing because of radiation damage to esophagus, not the numbing agent.

I got it more than once, and once I had sores even though it felt like thrush, so ask your doctor. No reason to suffer needlessly.

Hope this helps.

MaryAnn

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