Some very encouraging updates
Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:58 am
Hello all,
I've been reading/posting on this forum for over three years now (under different usernames cuz I keep forgetting my passwords lol)
Anyways, just to give you guys a brief summary/description of my situation.
- 25 years old, BB started when I hit puberty around 11 or 12
- My BB always has a fecal scent to it. I have excellent oral hygiene. No matter how much I floss and brush, I always have that distinctive smell on my tongue, especially near the back. After flossing and brushing, the regular odor of a dirty mouth disappears but that distinctive fecal smell never goes away.
- Went to ENT and she prescribed me several meds last year to eliminate potential causes. She gave me Omeprazole to see if it was ingestion/GERD. Took it for a month - NO change.
- ENT prescribed me Chlorhexidine mouthwash, initially successful but after a week, the mouthwash was no longer effective.
- Lastly, ENT prescribed me a 21-day course of Metronidazole. Those 21 days were the happiest days of my life to memory. Unfortunately, the odor came back 2-3 days after I took my last pill.
- ENT also did two nasal endoscopies throughout a 6 month period and one upper tract endoscopy to look at my throat and stomach.
- At this point, ENT was running out of answers, so she suggested I remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth AND she referred me to Oral Medicine @ UCSF Medical Center.
- Went to Oral Medicine and the doctor wanted to first prescribe me an anti-anxiety pill... I was like listen Doctor, this isn't in my mind. I have taken Metronidazole before and I know that while I was on it, my mouth tasted neutral and my breath didn't have any offensive odor.
- Then the Oral Med. doctor prescribed me more Metronidazole - only this time it was 250MG three times a day for a month as opposed to 500MG once a day for 21 days.
- Just before getting off the dental chair, I asked him what he thought about me possibly having candida. He said he didn't see any signs in my mouth and asked if I have any rashes or what not.
- THIS is where things got interesting. I told him no, I don't have any rashes, but I have read that people can have internal candida infections that cannot be seen externally. He then prescribed me a one week course of FLUCONAZOLE, and told me to try to Fluconazole first before I start on my Metronidazole.
Well, I started my one week course of Fluconazole 3 weeks ago. I took my first pill on a Saturday evening, and by bed time that night, my mouth tasted SO neutral and my BB was non-existent. I was ecstatic, but I knew better than to celebrate early, like I did with Metronidazole. So I finished my Fluconazole two weeks ago, and I was so scared that my BB would come back. Two weeks since I took my last pill, and my BB still hasn't gone back to how bad it used to be.
Now keep in mind that out of a 100, my BB has improved probably 85-90 percent! The 10-15 percent that needs improving, I think, can be attributed to a few other things.
1. My last nasal endoscopy, my ENT said that my adenoids were slightly enlarged/inflamed. If you look up side effects of enlarged/inflamed adenoids, BB is always mentioned.
2. Although I have excellent oral hygiene, two separate dentists told me that I should take out my wisdom teeth because they are hard to keep clean (even though they are coming out perfectly straight, and all 4 have erupted).
3. During my last dental check up, about 6 months ago, my dentist told me that I have a hole in one of my teeth. I'm assuming if there's a hole in one of my teeth, that it's very easily possible for bacteria/food to get in there and cause odor.
Last week, I called my doctor at the Oral Medicine clinic and updated him on my condition. He said to start my Metronidazole course soon and that he thinks that I need to be put on a longer course of Fluconazole to completely eliminate the internal candida/fungal infection.
I haven't started my one-month Metronidazole because my little sister just graduated from college and I want to be able to drink some alcohol tonight!
Please, if you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer. I really think that people brush off candida/fungal infections just because they don't physically see external evidence for it.
I'm not doctor, but if you're as desperate as I was about my BB, I definitely think it's worth a try. Talk to you doctor and ask her/him to give you a one week prescription and see how it changes your condition.
I've been reading/posting on this forum for over three years now (under different usernames cuz I keep forgetting my passwords lol)
Anyways, just to give you guys a brief summary/description of my situation.
- 25 years old, BB started when I hit puberty around 11 or 12
- My BB always has a fecal scent to it. I have excellent oral hygiene. No matter how much I floss and brush, I always have that distinctive smell on my tongue, especially near the back. After flossing and brushing, the regular odor of a dirty mouth disappears but that distinctive fecal smell never goes away.
- Went to ENT and she prescribed me several meds last year to eliminate potential causes. She gave me Omeprazole to see if it was ingestion/GERD. Took it for a month - NO change.
- ENT prescribed me Chlorhexidine mouthwash, initially successful but after a week, the mouthwash was no longer effective.
- Lastly, ENT prescribed me a 21-day course of Metronidazole. Those 21 days were the happiest days of my life to memory. Unfortunately, the odor came back 2-3 days after I took my last pill.
- ENT also did two nasal endoscopies throughout a 6 month period and one upper tract endoscopy to look at my throat and stomach.
- At this point, ENT was running out of answers, so she suggested I remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth AND she referred me to Oral Medicine @ UCSF Medical Center.
- Went to Oral Medicine and the doctor wanted to first prescribe me an anti-anxiety pill... I was like listen Doctor, this isn't in my mind. I have taken Metronidazole before and I know that while I was on it, my mouth tasted neutral and my breath didn't have any offensive odor.
- Then the Oral Med. doctor prescribed me more Metronidazole - only this time it was 250MG three times a day for a month as opposed to 500MG once a day for 21 days.
- Just before getting off the dental chair, I asked him what he thought about me possibly having candida. He said he didn't see any signs in my mouth and asked if I have any rashes or what not.
- THIS is where things got interesting. I told him no, I don't have any rashes, but I have read that people can have internal candida infections that cannot be seen externally. He then prescribed me a one week course of FLUCONAZOLE, and told me to try to Fluconazole first before I start on my Metronidazole.
Well, I started my one week course of Fluconazole 3 weeks ago. I took my first pill on a Saturday evening, and by bed time that night, my mouth tasted SO neutral and my BB was non-existent. I was ecstatic, but I knew better than to celebrate early, like I did with Metronidazole. So I finished my Fluconazole two weeks ago, and I was so scared that my BB would come back. Two weeks since I took my last pill, and my BB still hasn't gone back to how bad it used to be.
Now keep in mind that out of a 100, my BB has improved probably 85-90 percent! The 10-15 percent that needs improving, I think, can be attributed to a few other things.
1. My last nasal endoscopy, my ENT said that my adenoids were slightly enlarged/inflamed. If you look up side effects of enlarged/inflamed adenoids, BB is always mentioned.
2. Although I have excellent oral hygiene, two separate dentists told me that I should take out my wisdom teeth because they are hard to keep clean (even though they are coming out perfectly straight, and all 4 have erupted).
3. During my last dental check up, about 6 months ago, my dentist told me that I have a hole in one of my teeth. I'm assuming if there's a hole in one of my teeth, that it's very easily possible for bacteria/food to get in there and cause odor.
Last week, I called my doctor at the Oral Medicine clinic and updated him on my condition. He said to start my Metronidazole course soon and that he thinks that I need to be put on a longer course of Fluconazole to completely eliminate the internal candida/fungal infection.
I haven't started my one-month Metronidazole because my little sister just graduated from college and I want to be able to drink some alcohol tonight!
Please, if you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer. I really think that people brush off candida/fungal infections just because they don't physically see external evidence for it.
I'm not doctor, but if you're as desperate as I was about my BB, I definitely think it's worth a try. Talk to you doctor and ask her/him to give you a one week prescription and see how it changes your condition.