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Suggest Treatment For Oral Thrush And Hoarse Voice
Question: My almost 3 year old has thrush--and has had a relatively minor case of it for about a week unil now. I feel its not going away though and it a little on the back of his throat and lips. He has had a hoarse voice for 3-4 days now and is just starting medication gentian violet and nystatin. I was under the impression that thrush is very serious when it gets in your vocal chords but for some reason our doctor isnt the type to panic and just said to keep giving him the medicine.....My question is how long this may take to go away, and what could be wrong with his immune system that someone his age would get thrush? And have it stay this long? Our doctor said its very rare for someone his age. He has not been on antibiotics at all for at least a year and doesnt have asthma or diabites. Im extremely concerned that he has a serious disease like cancer now. What kinds of tests should I be doing with him? Should I ask the doctor for a blood test? He does drink milk bottles still and chews on everything. Including his lips and fingers all the time. He has some sensory issues and chews and mouths everything.
Brief Answer:
Thrush is overgrowth of candida
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query.
I will explain a little about thrush so that you are better able to understand it. Thrush is overgrowth of candida. Candida is part of normal flora. It happens when other germs that make the normal flora get suppressed for some reason. The reason may be past antibiotic use or any other medicine that alters normal flora (like omega 3, 6, 9 in baby formulas), some stress, low immunity, diabetes or even sugary food, etc. This may be termed as low immunity by some, but I would say that it is "altered" immunity. You can go for routine yearly tests to find the cause.
It is not worrisome and keeps recurring. In fact it is very common (contrary to what your doctor said). In my clinic almost every kid is infected with it nowadays. Till date I have seen just one kid who did not have it and later he was found to be taking some drugs that were suppressing the candida. It may get superinfected with bacteria or viruses etc. Not to be worried about that either. They are mostly self-limiting and rarely require antibiotics. In fact antibiotic use may worsen it. It does not induce cancer or in any other way related to it. Some viruses are known to cause cancer.
Since it is part of normal flora, we cannot eradicate it, but we can reduce it.
So relax.
My recommendations are as follows:
- Avoid unnecessary medicines, even the herbal medicines are to be avoided. It may make things worse.
- Avoid foods that contain omega 3, 6, 9 as these alter the immunity of the gut and worsen this infection.
- Nystatin is an antifungal and it may not be effective in all cases. Moreover antifungals only temporarily suppress the fungi. Topical antifungals are ok but do not give your son oral antifungals and they may harm him.
- To increase immunity, he needs to be active physically, do some exercise daily, stay happy, eat fruits and vegetables but omit juices and complex proteins.
- Lat but not the least, give him clean drinking water from reverse osmosis technique. It will go a long way in keeping him healthy and candida free.
Hope it helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee
Thrush is overgrowth of candida
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query.
I will explain a little about thrush so that you are better able to understand it. Thrush is overgrowth of candida. Candida is part of normal flora. It happens when other germs that make the normal flora get suppressed for some reason. The reason may be past antibiotic use or any other medicine that alters normal flora (like omega 3, 6, 9 in baby formulas), some stress, low immunity, diabetes or even sugary food, etc. This may be termed as low immunity by some, but I would say that it is "altered" immunity. You can go for routine yearly tests to find the cause.
It is not worrisome and keeps recurring. In fact it is very common (contrary to what your doctor said). In my clinic almost every kid is infected with it nowadays. Till date I have seen just one kid who did not have it and later he was found to be taking some drugs that were suppressing the candida. It may get superinfected with bacteria or viruses etc. Not to be worried about that either. They are mostly self-limiting and rarely require antibiotics. In fact antibiotic use may worsen it. It does not induce cancer or in any other way related to it. Some viruses are known to cause cancer.
Since it is part of normal flora, we cannot eradicate it, but we can reduce it.
So relax.
My recommendations are as follows:
- Avoid unnecessary medicines, even the herbal medicines are to be avoided. It may make things worse.
- Avoid foods that contain omega 3, 6, 9 as these alter the immunity of the gut and worsen this infection.
- Nystatin is an antifungal and it may not be effective in all cases. Moreover antifungals only temporarily suppress the fungi. Topical antifungals are ok but do not give your son oral antifungals and they may harm him.
- To increase immunity, he needs to be active physically, do some exercise daily, stay happy, eat fruits and vegetables but omit juices and complex proteins.
- Lat but not the least, give him clean drinking water from reverse osmosis technique. It will go a long way in keeping him healthy and candida free.
Hope it helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Thank you very much!!! That was extremely helpful!
Brief Answer:
Thanks
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for consulting me.
Take care
Dr Vaishalee
Thanks
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for consulting me.
Take care
Dr Vaishalee
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Hello, Today I noticed that the thrush inside his mouth looks a lot better, but then when he started crying about something I realized his tonsils are extremely swollen. They were not swollen yesterday at all. Now they are almost touching and he doesnt seem to want to eat food. Can thrush cause this or might ir be something else? He has taken the nystatin and gentian violet for a day now......
Brief Answer:
Tonsillitis
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Tonsillitis can happen in infection of throat. Usually thrush gets superinfected with viruses or bacteria. Whenever the infection comes down, tonsils also come down. You can give him cetirizine syrup in the dose for his age once to reduce the mucous. You may also see your doctor if he has difficulty breathing.
Dr Vaishalee
Tonsillitis
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Tonsillitis can happen in infection of throat. Usually thrush gets superinfected with viruses or bacteria. Whenever the infection comes down, tonsils also come down. You can give him cetirizine syrup in the dose for his age once to reduce the mucous. You may also see your doctor if he has difficulty breathing.
Dr Vaishalee
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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