Stupid Steroids Gave Me Thrush

I have thrush. It’s kinda icky.

What is thrush you might be thinking?

“Thrush is a yeast infection that causes white patches in the mouth and on the tongue. Thrush is most common in babies and older adults, but it can occur at any age (www.webmd.com).”

Thrush in Adults can be caused by certain medications, like steroids. I have been taking Prednisone for my Crohn’s inflammation recently. This is one of the many unpleasant results of taking Prednisone. Bleh.

What does thrush look like in my mouth? Well, I’m not going to show any photos. That’s just too much. You can Google photos if you want. Basically, it looks like white patches all over the inside of my mouth and tongue. It looks like cottage cheese. If you try to wipe them away or gnaw them off, it hurts and can bleed.

I went to the dentist yesterday, and he confirmed that I have it. It’s pretty easy to diagnose. I knew I had it when I read in a Crohn’s book that since people with Crohn’s have a low immune system and when you take steroids, it can easily cause thrush.

It’s really not that big of a deal. It’s just gross looking and bothersome. The dentist prescribed me an antifungal medicine called Nystatin. It is a minty liquid that I swish around in my mouth like Listerine for a couple minutes then spit it out. I do this 5 times a day. The doctor said that it might take a while to get rid of it since I am still on the steroids for a few more weeks. He said this fungus is a pesky thing to get rid of.

I have now tapered down to 10 mg of Prednisone. I will go down to 5 mg once I take my second round of Cimzia shots. Then from there my GI doctor will tell me what’s next. I guess it depend son how I am doing.

On the up side, I feel like the Prednisone is finally kicking in this week and my Crohn’s symptoms have been for the most part under control. It has been nice to have some relief from all the diahhrea, bleeding, nausea and pain. J

However, the Prednisone gives me some annoying symptoms to deal with. This week, it has been dull achy headaches, extreme fatigue, puffiness in the face and abdomen, thrush, achy joints-especially in my back, and shakiness in my hands.

My husband says I’ll feel better if I do some kind of light exercise. I know I need to try; it’ll be good for me. But I just don’t feel like it. I feel tired and lazy. Ha. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get out and take Izzy for a walk.

At least I was able to make it to work every day this week and get through the 8-hour days! That is a plus. J I feel like things are going to get better soon. I just gotta be patient. Things could always be worse!

I’m so glad it is a Friday, and it is rainy and cool here in Oklahoma. It’s a perfect evening to relax on the couch with the cutest pooch ever!