I would love to hear any thoughts on this for a friend of mine.  I have her permission to post:
Second time mom, vaginal birth to term, healthy baby girl with tongue tie seven weeks ago.  Diagnosed by midwife with thrush, and have been treating both mom, then baby for ~4 weeks.  Here are the high points from an email:
+++++
Baby:
-tried Nystation for a short time, then went on Diflucan for about 2.5
weeks (1 mg/day).  Medicine is about gone now.

Mom:
-on Diflucan for about four weeks now (initially 100 mg day, then 200/day).
-taking Natren Healthy Trinity 3 times a day (two pills each time)
-taking 250g grapefruit seed extract three times a day
-applying liquid grapefruit seed extract to nipples
-wearing bras and shirts and using towels only once.
-rinsing clothing in vinegar during wash
-applying Dr. Jack Newman’s all purpose nipple ointment after each
feeding. This contains Mupirocin 2% ointment (15 grams), Betamethasone
0.1% ointment (15 grams) and miconazole powder so that the final
concentration is 2% miconazole
-taking one capsule of coconut oil per day and using coconut oil for
any cooking (which isn’t much)
-each yogurt and grapefruit daily
-just recently, started avoiding white carbs and sweets.
-have been attending a weekly breastfeeding support group to get
assistance. Many of the things I’m doing already were recommended
there.

Some additional factors are:
-Breastfeeding started out very rough and we had to cut Linden’s
frenulum.  I had cracks and bleeding.  The largest crack is still not
healed.
-my diet is pretty high in sugar. I was hoping to be able to get rid
of it without restricting my diet, but it seems that may not be
possible.
-as was the case with Soren, the symptoms are clear in me (red and
sore nipples, shooting pain through breast) but not very visible in
the baby.+++++
In a later email she let me know she also has symptoms of Raynaud's, and had it also in concert with thrush with her last baby.  
Things I've suggested:-trip to derm to rule out other skin conditions-white vinegar/water rinse-warm air dry nipples (hairdryer on warm setting?)-coconut oil topically to nipples-warm packs after nursing (rice sock?)-B6/ calcium/ magnesium-nifedipine
My thinking is that since the standard thrush treatments don't seem to be working, that the Raynaud's would be the first priority to manage, the rationale being that with good bloodflow, healing will happen.
What am I missing? Other thoughts?  Thank you for reading this long!
Many thanks!Jessica Sattler, mother/baby RN IBCLC hopeful in 2011! 


      

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