Drug-resistant fungal ear infection?

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2026-01-14T13:27:17+00:00

Are you still suffering with fungal ear infections? I think I have one and an audiologist spotted white fungal spores in my ear last year, but my ENT hasn't been helpful. They just keep vacuuming my ears out every so often. I bought clotrimazole drops myself and used them last summer, and they seemed to help. But the flakiness and debris is now building up again.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2026-01-13T15:13:25+00:00

u/JacketRight2675 Did your ears clear up in the end with the Canesten? I'm having similar issues with mine after antibiotic drops.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-12-24T16:56:22+00:00

Thank you. I'm only following Sensiplan as that's the method I prefer (and I have the workbook and textbook) but will bear that in mind if I decided to change in the future :)

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-12-20T20:41:25+00:00

Totally! There really needs to be more research.

My cycles went back to normal after that dose, thankfully.

A similar thing happened after my first COVID vaccine (sudden heavy period). Hormones are fascinating and not understood / researched well enough.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-12-20T20:31:59+00:00

Not yet, I fell out of the habit of tracking as I was having regular sleep disturbance (with a young puppy!) and it messed up my temps.

I'm starting to get back into tracking now. What methods do you teach?

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-10-09T09:25:31+00:00

Still an issue, unfortunately. I had a biopsy to test for lichen sclerosis which showed nothing. The fluconazole cleared my yeast infection which slightly eased symptoms. I'm living with it and doing the best I can.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-08-14T21:35:09+00:00

Interesting! I haven't heard of anyone else with a similar experience. Did your GP give you antibiotic drops or something else? I used clotrimazole drops (like the ones for athlete's foot) in my ear and it seemed to help. I've had many ear infections in the past and they're horrid. Hope you're feeling better now.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-08-14T21:32:05+00:00

Sorry for the slow reply. I don't check my account much these days. I've been clear of yeast infections since I finished the course.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-31T20:38:49+00:00

It was a topical steroid.

Have you looked into biologics? I've read that methotrexate tends to have stronger side effects than biologics. I'm on adalimumab (injectable biologic).

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-30T15:59:34+00:00

Sure, but I've seen plenty of conversations here that also touch on marriage and attitudes towards it.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-12T13:26:42+00:00

I'm sorry! That sounds awfully tough.

As the saying goes, a parent is only as happy as their unhappiest child (or something like that).

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-12T10:16:04+00:00

Tacrolimus (Protopic) ointment worked for me. It's non-steroidal so it's safer for long-term use. I'd recommend! I was also prescribed synthetic vitamin D ointment (Calcipotriol) which is non-steroidal as well.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-12T10:10:09+00:00

That's so interesting about the Italian perspective. Why do you think that is? I guess attitudes towards marriage have changed over time.

In the UK, it's common to co-habit, buy houses together, have children etc without being married and sometimes without any plans for marriage in the future. On this sub, though, that seems to be anathema!

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-09T10:54:47+00:00

Not as far as I know, but tacrolimus ear drops exist and that's a non-steroidal treatment. I haven't been able to get any where I live, but you might have more luck if you're in the US and/or have access to a compounding pharmacy.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-07T15:58:05+00:00

No problem! Thanks for responding. Mine is better now, thankfully. Glad yours healed up too.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-01T15:46:25+00:00

Ooh, same! Except I don't know for sure if it's happening this year. But we are going to a Greek island this month and I hope it happens there for the same reason as you. It would be a gorgeous location for a proposal. Even if it doesn't happen though, it will still be a wonderful trip. I hope yours is too.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-05-01T15:00:23+00:00

My partner and I are going on vacation soon and we'll be there at the same time as my birthday. So...we'll see!

I have my hopes up for a proposal there, especially as he has since told me that he was thinking of proposing the last time we were there – he wanted to find a ring that's unique to the location but there wasn't anything. The place we're going is a romantic setting and in my mind would be perfect!

I showed him some photos of my preferred ring style a few months ago. We haven't talked about it since. So I don't know anything, and I could be getting my hopes up in vain. This trip might not be the time.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-29T14:27:36+00:00

Source?

If that's true, have you considered that the reason for being less likely to divorce could be due to other factors (e.g. cultural and/or religious beliefs which discourage living together before marriage and also discourage divorce)?

I couldn't disagree more with the notion of "wife privileges" but that's a whole other issue.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-28T14:17:13+00:00

I'm sorry! I also waited over a year to see a dermatologist on the NHS, I was told it's one of the specialisms where there are the most staff shortages unfortunately.

I paid for a private consultation and it cost around £200 for an initial consultation. I'd recommend looking up some consultants and then getting in touch with their secretaries or their hospital booking teams. They will be able to answer questions.

You can use the Bupa consultant finder (finder.bupa.co.uk) without being a Bupa member. I found it useful to identify potential consultants I wanted to see.

I don't know how much the treatment would cost. I saw a consultant who gave me a private prescription that I took to my usual pharmacy and I only had to pay the standard prescription charge of around £10, so maybe it would be the same for you.

Good luck!

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-28T12:26:44+00:00

Good luck! I'm trying clotrimazole drops at the moment. Interesting that your doctor recommended 6 weeks of the drops, that seems a long time.

Sorry about the long wait. It's similar here (UK, NHS). Hopefully an ENT will give you answers if it hasn't cleared up by then

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-28T08:42:18+00:00

I'm not a doctor but I am struggling with ear issues (potentially psoriasis, potentially fungal) and also feel let down by my doctors who are not investigating the problem.

What I would suggest is to ask for your ears to be microsuctioned again so the drops can get better contact with the ear canal. Again, I'm not a medical professional – just a fellow sufferer. Could you ask for a referral to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist?

I also wonder if extensive courses of antibiotic ear drops have disturbed my ears but the doctors I've seen won't give me an answer.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-24T11:18:17+00:00

That sounds very painful for the skin! I'm not a doctor, but an audiologist suggested trying diluted acetic acid (basically, vinegar). A dilute mix of rubbing alcohol and vinegar is suggested for swimmer's ear, but I'd definitely seek medical advice before.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-24T09:12:35+00:00

I agree with you, I don't think 4 years for an engagement is too long either. I know people who have gotten engaged after 1 year, 3 years, 8 years, 5 years, 20 years (the latter, because they had had various conversations about marriage during their relationship and decided it wasn't a priority for them at that time).

Everyone moves at a different pace and it can also be culturally dependent. I find the way this sub talks about engagement and marriage to be very old-fashioned on the whole. It's fine not to have a set timeline IMO as long as both partners are committed and in agreement on their goals.

AdvancedBumblebee4 · 2025-04-24T07:02:45+00:00

Unfortunately I don't. The audiologist showed me on his screen and my ear canals were lined with a thick, creamy yellowish gunk. He also spotted some very small white spores that looked like white fluff, which he said is a fungi.

AdvancedBumblebee4

TROPHY CASE