Hello all,
I am looking for information on a fairly unique situation.  A nursing
mother has been diagnosed with a yeast overgrowth in her cheekbone
(fungal osteomyelitis).  Yes, it is yeast -- two biopsies have
cultured candida and little else, to the doctor's very great
surprise.  An abscess has been drained but the bone is already
partially necrotized.  This woman is nursing a 37-month-old and is
concerned about possible effects of medications on her child via
breastmilk.  The child has been nursing 8-11 times in 24 hours; the
mother has just started reducing that to 4 times, in case weaning is
called for soon.  The mother has been told she will need a treatment
regimen informally called "antifungal chemo" but does not know
specific medication names and dosages yet.  The necrotized bone will
be debrided so at the very least there is surgery in the picture.

The situation is puzzling as this woman does not have any other
indications of being immunocompromised, though she has battled thrush
(both nipple and vaginal) off and on through 7 years of nursing.
Diflucan and gentian violet were effective. She eats healthfully,
maintains a healthy weight, exercises, manages stress, etc.  She did
have extensive dental surgery 18 years ago.  She has experienced
tender sinuses with sinus infections, worsening each year for the
past 6-7 years.  The thing that finally precipitated biopsy was a
tender lump in her cheek that didn't go away.

Any thoughts on what this mom can do for herself at this point?   She
will wean her 3 yr old if necessary, but does not want to.  Has
anyone dealt with fungal osteomyelitis before?

Any and all leads and/or anecdotes are appreciated.  The mom is an
information junkie and would like some input to help make sense of
what she has learned by googling.

Margaret
Longmont, CO

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