Should I Be Worried about Oral Thrush?

[justworriedthanks]

After a bad HIV freak out (I've tested negative three times at 4 weeks, 10.5 weeks, and at over 2 years), I got to noticing that I may have oral thrush. At times, my tongue looks overly white or discolored, and what I drink (especially Coke or other soft drinks) tastes like acid. Could this be oral thrush? About a year ago, I noticed patches around my neck that looked like ringworm. I put on antifungal cream, and it eventually went away, though sometimes it comes back on my chest or nearby. This might be because I don't actually use the cream as long as directed because I just stop when I can't see the rash anymore. Today, I discovered what looks like jock itch, which really set off my anxiety. Could this all stem from the same yeast infection? If so, how likely is it that an otherwise healthy 25-year-old male would have such a severe and long term spread of symptoms? Should I doubt my HIV Test results? The whole thing has me freaking out pretty bad, and I'm not really sure what to do. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Edit: It might be worth sharing that I have a few cavities, significant plaque buildup on my teeth that I plan on treating when the lockdown is over, and used to go on and off antibiotics that the doctor gave me for an abscessed tooth. I also consume inordinately high amounts of sugar, though I don't believe I'm diabetic.

[Paxiled]

If you continue not following through on proper use of antibiotics and antifungals you may not have thrush now, and even if you do it's not a big deal, but you are heading for chronic problems down the road.  If you do have jock itch you will know, I've had it several times and it's very unpleasant.  Prescription antifungals do work, not so sure about the OTC creams, but they often guarantee you will get a recurrence.  The same is true for antibiotics.  If you do use them they have to be used for the required period of time or you will get chronic problems that can become resistant to treatment.  Ringworm usually comes back once you start getting it, because the treatment doesn't kill the eggs and they can stay dormant for a long time.  Eating a lot of sugar makes yeast infections much more likely once you start getting them, as yeast loves sugar.  So do follow the entire treatment protocol.  For me, I got rid of my chronic problems by stopping going on the prescription antifungals, as both they and antibiotics also kill off the beneficial organisms that protect us from getting these problems and instead whenever I noticed the first sign of a recurrence I applied garlic oil.  That would not have worked for the original infection most likely, as it's not nearly as strong as the prescription, but it got rid of the recurrence problem drugs can cause.  Yogurt, by the way, is not a probiotic.  The cultures in grocery store yogurt are killed off during pasteurization.  The expensive ones found in health food stores do add them back in again after that process but there are too few to colonize your system.  Dairy is also a cause of yeast infections, not a treatment for it.  What yogurt is actually is a prebiotic, meaning it provides quality food for probiotics, assuming you have a colony existing to eat it.  Other valuable prebiotics include fermented foods such as kim chi and sauerkraut etc.  These are actually better for you than using food for probiotics; if you need to consume probiotics, the best way is to take a supplement that has been refrigerated all the way along the supply line, including at your health food store, because it contains so many organisms in it some are likely to adhere.  You don't have HIV, but if you do have a yeast problem, oral thrush is the least problematic and is easy to get rid of but if you're repeatedly getting fungal infections it's a sign you need to make some changes in your life, and the first is, follow the program to the end to begin with and then look to your diet and lifestyle so you can put this past you.  All the best.

[CurfewX]

Again, you do NOT have HIV.  If you do, in fact, have thrush, it is not uncommon with antibiotic use.  You may see some relief by ingesting probiotic yogurt, thought a doctor/dentist visit is always best.

Jock itch can also happen to anyone.  Most fungal infections that occur on the body thrive in warm, moist areas.  Some people are just more prone to them than others.  I would just get some over-the-counter cream to treat it.