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Systemic Fungal Infection Prostatitis
Hi, does anyone have information on systemic fungal infections? I don't believe I have candida, I think it is more along the lines of some type of tinea. It is in my prostate and has spread throughout my body. I have tried multiple antibiotics and have been on the candida diet for years, it all helps a little but nothing gets rid of it and it keeps spreading out. The symptoms are numerous and very severe. It is causing me to have mental and physical problems and destroying my life. I have had this for 5 years and no doctors have been able to help me. I am not sure how much longer I can battle this beast. My next move is going to be trying to have my prostate removed which is expensive and my insurance won't cover it, but I don't know what else to do. I am in the Boston area which has some of the best doctors in the world but this illness doesn't seem to exist in the textbooks so no one knows what to do. Has anyone dealt with something similar or know anything about this type of thing?
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and sorry you are having this problem. We are not doctors on here but I can give you advice. Dermatophytes are fungi that are cause superficial infections of the hair skin and nails. So, if have a fungus it would have to be of another type.
Have they done a culture on your prostate? Of course antibiotics don't work on yeast or other fungi. You need anti fungal medication for fungi. There are fungi that can be invasive. You need to be able to get a culture of it and see if it is the source of the problem.
What tests or have they seen fungi in the prostate?
mkh9
Have they done a culture on your prostate? Of course antibiotics don't work on yeast or other fungi. You need anti fungal medication for fungi. There are fungi that can be invasive. You need to be able to get a culture of it and see if it is the source of the problem.
What tests or have they seen fungi in the prostate?
mkh9
Hi, thanks for the reply. Yeah I read that dermatophytes are superficial but it is definitely in my bloodstream or tissue and the rashes look like tinea, so I don't know what to think. I have taken antifungal antibiotics ; Diflucan, Itraconzole, Ketaconazol and Terbinafine, none of them have gotten rid of it. I haven't had any tests, no doctors would do any. I am starting to think this is permanent.
2 Comments
I don't think it is systemic. You would be extremely ill, with a high fever and bedridden. So, it may be something other than a fungus. You should see a dermatologist. Hopefully they can tell you what it is. Or an infectious disease doctor. I would try the dermatologist first. Dermatophytes live on hair skin an nails. They require the keratin in those areas.
mkh9
mkh9
I don't think it is systemic. You would be extremely ill, with a high fever and bedridden. So, it may be something other than a fungus. You should see a dermatologist. Hopefully they can tell you what it is. Or an infectious disease doctor. I would try the dermatologist first. Dermatophytes live on hair skin an nails. They require the keratin in those areas.
mkh9
mkh9
COMMUNITY LEADER
How do you know it is in your blood if you haven't had any tests? Generally a fungus in the blood has a high mortality rate and by now you would be severely ill if that was the case. So I am wondering how you know you have the fungus in these areas without testing? Why do you think it is a dermatophyte versus some other fungi that can look similar? Who gave you the anti fungal medicines?
I hope you are not self medicating. Dermatophytes eat the keratin in the nails, hair and skin and don't live or eat the tissue or are not invasive. So I am thinking if you do have a fungus it may be a type that is similar but not a dermatopyte. That is why I am trying to get to the bottom of this. Also, to make you understand what is going on.
mkh9
I hope you are not self medicating. Dermatophytes eat the keratin in the nails, hair and skin and don't live or eat the tissue or are not invasive. So I am thinking if you do have a fungus it may be a type that is similar but not a dermatopyte. That is why I am trying to get to the bottom of this. Also, to make you understand what is going on.
mkh9
Well I am not self medicating. I don't know that it is in my blood but it is clearly much worse than superficial and is beneath the surface. I suffer from weird zapping and pain amongst many other symptoms that are definitely related to it and I've been told by doctors that the rashes are fungal and look like tinea. The doctors were willing to give me the medications but all in all have not been much help. I apparently have some rare thing because everyone says what you are saying but I have been dealing with this for 5 years and know I am right, I am pretty sure it is not candida but similar. You may be right, it may not be tinea, but the rashes look very similar.
COMMUNITY LEADER
What kind of doctors have you seen? Maybe changing the type of doctor would help you get a culture done. They really shouldn't be giving you all those harsh anti-fungals without culture. It is not helping the problem obviously. They are very hard on the liver. Some fungi can look very similar to others. Does it itch? Does it have a color? What parts of the skin is it on? I wonder if a dermatologist would help rather than infectious disease or vice versa. Can you send a photo on here?
I am not a doctor, I am a microbiologist, but I am trying to direct you get the right help. I do understand what you are saying.
mkh9
I am not a doctor, I am a microbiologist, but I am trying to direct you get the right help. I do understand what you are saying.
mkh9
Ive seen all kinds of doctors. The rashes are all over my body. They range from patchy brown and white discolorations on my temples to round rinqworm looking rashes on my forearms to typical large blotchey purple and red rashes on my thighs. a rash will last a few months fade out and then a new one will appear somewhere else. The large ones on my thighs itch and the others do not. They all look like tinea, do you know of any similar fungus' they might be? I went to a dermatologist, she said fungal but couldn't say which type.
That was an original concern but I think it's too severe to be that. The rashes are definitely fungal and if I eat any sugar I get sick. Also I tested 3 times for HSV to be on the safe side and they were all negative. A possibility I guess but I don't think that's it.
Well that's good to hear have you been with anyone while having this because I don't know what it is and I'm scared to pass it. I've also tested negative for hsv at 16 weeks
I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy so I don't want to risk passing it to anyone, this has destroyed my life. Glad to hear your test was negative. I guess they're fairly accurate after a certain amount of time. To be honest with you, from what I have read HSV sounds easier to deal with than this.
I think we are dealing with the same thing I have anxiety , depression and suicidal thoughts all of which I did. Not have before these rashes and sickness
Yeah, this causes my anxiety to get out of control. I'm pretty sure It is all connected to my prostate. I was part of another post http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Urology/Penile-pain--burning-and-itching-genitals/show/458119#post_9527544 . Most of these people had similar problems
Almost 5 years, you? I just read some of your posts. The pressure in my head is also the most severe thing and is what is causing me the most problems. I'm pretty sure this is fungal but I could wrong.
6 months roughly I swear It's killing me. I'm convinced this is some kind of hsv in the blood stream or something it's just so systematic. If you don't mind me asking how long after your last sexual exposure was your negative hsv test. I'm negative at 4 months but I'm thinking about getting another at 6 months
I don't remember exactly, I think I had my last IGG 9 months post exposure and I had a doctor swab a bump on my thigh at 15 months, something like that. Have you looked into fungal infections or lyme disease at all? It might not be HSV. I was pretty sure it was HSV at first but now I really don't think it is.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Are you getting help for your depression? I know this kind of problem is difficult to deal with...See my note to Jsull. Have you thought about it being something other than a fungus such as autoimmune or maybe eczema or something like that?
mkh9
mkh9
Hey mkh9, I'm pretty sure it is not eczema. I am also surprised that none of the medications have gotten rid of it. I am pretty sure it's fungal though. thanks for your help.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Regarding HSV. They look like tiny vesicles. They hurt and don't itch and since you were negative I don't think you have it. You would come up positive by about 3 months. Also, hsv is in the nerves not the blood. What kind of pressure are you feeling in your head? Is it headaches or ear pressure or just pressure like a migraine? Or overall head pressure? Have you seen an ENT?
mkh9
mkh9
i want to think its a fungal infection but from what i have read these things dont just come and go. my symptoms are on and off re occurring. from what i understand of fungal is that its constant until you resolve the issue, and i asked the doctor about lyme disease and they just blew me off like its not a real thing which ***** because i have read the symptoms and i seem to have a lot of them. The only reason im stuck on hsv is because all the experts say it dosnt cause such symptoms and then you read peoples post that test negative for so long and then of course they test again at one year or whatever and end up being positive. I dont know what to think to tell you the truth. So you really havnt been with anyone in over 5 years because of this? i dont know if I could do that I have a GF and I can only stall for so long im scared im going to lose her over this ...
Lol, yeah 4 1/2 years to be exact. I feel so sick most of the time I don't want to be around anyone else anyway. The severe symptoms are what are keeping me from having a relationship right now though, not having to explain it to someone. If you lose your girlfriend because of it don't get too down about it, it will give you time to figure out what's wrong and then you can find another one. Plenty of fish in the sea.
Hey mkh9, the pressure in my head is behind my nose and eyes, maybe connected to my sinus'. It is like a tightness that switches up in severity, sometimes going away but generally there. I haven't been to a ENT.
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So if you are healthy otherwise but itch terribly that sounds like eczema. I have it and I controlled over time. Take a look at photos of eczema on line. Try Mayo clinic and some others sites. See if any of those such as atopic eczema or any type looks like yours. Send me the link if find anything that looks similar. I'll be glad to take a look. For eczema You have to change your detergent to fragrance free and soap the same thing. You have to track down or keep a diary of what triggers it. It takes a while. I have mine under control after years of suffering. I use non scented soap and for my hands Cetaphil cleanser or for the whole body or dove soap for the body and Cetaphil Restoraderm for my legs as a moisturizer after a shower. For my hands I use Eucerin Intensive Repair Hand Cream. If I get a break out now I use a prescription steroid ointment but only a tiny bit because the cells get used to it and you need more and more.
So, it is worth a try. But I would see if you can make a diary and see what you are doing and using and if there is anything that is irritating or making your problem worse. If you stop using certain soaps on your body does it get better. You doctor may let you try a steroid ointment. If it is a fungus it will get worse if not it will get better. The OTC ones won't work. They are not strong enough.
You really should get one of the doctors perhaps the one that agreed that it looked like a fungus to do a skin scraping and do a fungal smear or culture. It would help a lot to see if there were any fungal spores or anything like that. I suspect it is something else or the fungal remedies would have done something. I do understand that a lot of fungi are becoming resistant but I do thing if it was a dermatophyte (tinea) or ringworm as you say they would have responded to the drugs you mentioned.
mkh9