Thrush (vaginal candidiasis) is a common infection caused by yeast-like
fungi. Main symptoms of the condition include itching, burning and
discharge.
-- Bayer Australia Limited.
When one has a thrush infection the whole of one's world seems to be centred on one's
vulva. The itching can and does become intolerable. The burning is not as bad as the terrible itch, but most unpleasant on its own.
When you have thrush....
You smell.
You can't share sex.
You can't even masturbate without setting the itches off again.
Thrush is a Very Bad Thing.
There are many things that make you more vulnerable to a thrush infection.
Some of these are:
Some hints for dealing with thrush
- Wear light, cotton knickers.
Candida likes a warm, damp, dark home, so keep it light and dry and
breezy.
- Change your knickers more often than normal.
Take two extra pairs to work with you in one of those snap-lock sandwich
bags. Every time your underwear becomes even slightly damp, change it. If practicable, wear none
at all.
- Don't scratch.
Every time you give in to the urge to scratch, you make the time to
total recovery that little bit longer. Resistance is not futile in
this case.
- Don't masturbate.
See: Don't scratch, above
- Don't, please don't, share sex.
Sharing sex will not only be painful, make the itching worse, make
healing time longer and be a generally bad idea, it will also give your
partner a good chance of being infected. Many men who become infected with
Candida don't even have any symptoms (although some do, and a thrush-
affected glans is not a pretty sight), so once you are all better and
jump gleefully back into bed with your partner you can merrily reinfect yourself
and have to begin all over again.
Home Remedies
Since the organism which causes thrush (Candida Albicans) loves an alkaline environment, there are several
home remedies which can be effective.
Covering the vulva with plain yoghurt
Messy, but soothing. Don't use flavoured yoghurts, including vanilla, as the added
sugar feeds the infection even as the acidity in the
yoghurt fights it. (Eating yoghurt is also recommended, thanks masukomi, but probably not after application......)
Drinking huge amounts of orange, grapefruit (but not if you are taking an oral contraceptive, thanks Demeter), cranberry (thanks masukomi) or pineapple juice
This simply raises the body's general acidity level. And juice is yummy.
Swabbing the vulva with a diluted solution of vinegar.
As I keep saying, Candida doesn't like acidity, so pouring a one in ten solution
of vinegar on it's home makes it want to leave. Of course, the site of infection is usually deep inside the
vagina, rather than only in the tissues of the vulva (even though it is rare to experience itching right inside the vagina), so this method, while effective, tends to take a long time to effect a solution
Splashing the vulva with straight vinegar.
This last treatment, although extremely effective, is also quite painful, especially if you have scratched at the affected area severely enough to cause even
very minor tissue damage. Vinegar is not pleasant in even the tiniest of open wounds.
Expect to yell SHIT or some equivalent vulgarity at a high volume on
application.
However, I have found that if you are overcome by intolerable itching and choose this method the discomfort overwhelms the itch.
Commercial Remedies
If you have tried the home remedies and failed to recover, or if you simply
would prefer to go straight to a more regular treatment, you need not go to a doctor to receive a
commercial remedy for thrush.
Chemists stock several different treatments on the shelf, and are able to dispense them without
prescription.
The three treatments of which I am aware are all manufactured by the same company,
Bayer Australia, and are different strengths and applications of a product
called Canesten.
Canesten is available in a cream, dispensed with 5 disposable applicators
which deliver the cream deeply into the vagina where the infection is strongest,
in pessary form, again for a five day treatment, or in a one dose, high
strength pessary with a
small amount of cream to soothe vulval symptoms.