Do you suffer from bouts of thrush (Candida Albicans), kidney infections and or cystitis and or general painful sexual intercourse? Are you struggling to find answers to solve the conditions and the internet doesn’t have the answers? You are not alone. I have suffered from all of these, at different stages over the past twenty years and have read a lot about these conditions and spent many hours googling them in search of answers! I want to impart some of my experience and what I have found out and what I found help to alleviate the problem.
I am 51 and had never experienced any of the above conditions until I had children twenty years ago. My overriding feeling, after all these years delving into different diet remedies, alternative medicine and hospital treatment is that they are all hormone related in some way. Keep a diary, note the dates of your periods, note down your symptoms. You might also find that you are susceptible to the conditions when you are feeling run down, stressed or emotionally upset – for instance through bereavement, a relationship breakdown or even moving house. I also, over the years found that going on holiday can bring on symptoms – hot weather, change in routine and lots of sex on holiday!
I lost my first baby and a week later suffered my first kidney infection. (The story of the loss of my first baby has been woven into one of my novels ‘Every Family Has One.’ Here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Family-Has-Warrington-Joanna-ebook/dp/B015RUZL7Y/) Kidney infections are extremely debilitating. You feel crap. There is a nasty dragging feeling when you go to the loo. Drink gallons of water, take paracetomol, high strength cranberry tablets (don’t bother with cranberry juice because it’s watered down and loaded with sugar, unless it’s cranberry presse) rest and begin a course of antibiotics. Bugs hate the acidity of cranberries. At Christmas buy fresh cranberries to freeze and make your own juice as and when you get a kidney infection or cystitis. You can even use the juice as a douche.
After a bout of several nasty kidney infections I then went on to suffer from thrush over the course of some ten years. I had three more babies. I think thrush is hormonally driven but all the time I was suffering alternative therapists told me that it’s related to diet, in particular too much sugar and yeast in the diet. I had intolerance tests in the health store Holland and Barrett which showed that I’m intolerant to sugar, yeast, wheat, diary foods, eggs. I went on a special diet and the thrush disappeared. Basically I was starving the thrush of its food source. I couldn’t maintain the diet for long. It was a harsh diet and I like my sweet foods! The thrush came back. For several years I dipped in and out of the diet and also took probiotics which I strongly recommend you take for all of these conditions. Probiotics replenish the gut with good bacteria. Also try eating Activia yogurt every day. I found that was excellent and it is also good for constipation. (another condition I suffer from!) If you suffer from thrush you must cut back on your sugar intake as a first step. Thrush is extremely itchy and with it comes painful sexual intercourse. My marriage fell apart, partly because of thrush. I weave this into my first novel ‘The Catholic Woman’s Dying Wish’. (Be warned there’s lots of sex in that novel and it’s not particularly pleasant sex – I wanted to show how sex really is! Here’s a link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catholic-Womans-Dying-Wish-Things-ebook/dp/B014DP7HQW/)
My middle forties were a better time, down below but now that I am approaching the menopause and my periods are all over the place I am once again experiencing kidney infections, cystitis and sometimes thrush. I can only conclude therefore that all of them are hormonally related. I get a kidney infection or a pain on going to the loo every time I have a period. It begins on day one of my cycle. I then drink gallons of water and take cranberry and it goes after a few days. Sometimes I think deep penetration brings on a kidney infection. I often feel bruised a couple of days after sex. I don’t have an answer to this other than to avoid sex! Which I’m certainly not going to do! Washing after intercourse is a good practice. Use a feminine wash like Femwash. They contain cranberry extract and probiotics. If you wash maybe three times a day, down below that will certainly help. Washing yourself after a bowel movement will also help.
There are several treatments available for thrush. The main one is Canestan. (Red tube and blue tube. The blue one has hydrocortisone and it’s very strong. It did work at first but now it makes me burn. Be very careful using it.) Personally I think Canestan doesn’t do much. Doctors don’t seem to appreciate the impact of diet and they never once mentioned the impact of hormones to me, bizarrely! When your thrush is really bad and it’s burning and you just want to reach down and itch and itch wash yourself, pat dry and douche overnight with plain yogurt. It really helps! I go to bed with a pot of yogurt by my bed and a wet flannel and I apply it all through the night as soon as it gets itchy and painful. Do that in conjunction with taking probiotics and easing off the sugar for a few days.
I’m not a doctor, I’m a long suffering patient! I hope my experience helps you!
