Fungal infection question

[CptKirk]

Has anyone else ever had a pretty bad fungal infection on their scrotum that moved out along their waistband? I thought I had diaper rash, which for me would be RARE as my skin down there is either ultra resilient or not affected by this OR the fact that I'm always ultra thirsty (have been like this forever and a day...(slightly diabetic but without any treatment my blood sugar is always between 100-150 but used t skyrocket with Prednisone but I'm only on bursts of Prednisone these days and rarely at that.) as I don"t drink soda or use sugar...it's coffee w cream & splenda, then iced tea/lemonade(Crystal Light) until I go to bed with sometimes OJ, sometimes Sunny D cause I like it. Regardless, this began a couple of weeks ago and now is honestly a mess. I have been sending messages to my VA PCP every damn day about this and still haven't heard back concerning this specific issue to date. IF they don't cover it on Monday I'm half tempted to walk naked into the VA ER, just for the added emphasis! The itching was so bad at times I literally shredded myself in an area where that's a painful experience. I do have antifungal powder from a fungal infection earleir this year but in my armpits, but I'm out of refills. The skin looks 100x better after a mere 3 days of usage but is still itchy, painful and RED plus powder isn't the greatest solution in an area that is continually dark/wet/damp.
I figure I'm not the first nor the last who has encountered this, so I figured I'd ask. Thanks!

 

[OnePiece]

I've had fungal infections, but not THAT bad.
You could benefit from using an anti fungal cream usually available at any drugstore.
In addition, you can use petroleum jelly to help restore your skin and it helps against itching.
Important to air out the infected area as much as you can.
If it doesn't get better quickly, go see a doc to get prescription for stronger meds.

Note: The system to get meds are certainly a little different where you are living than in my country.

 

[CptKirk]

Well, trying to get either a prescription OR an appointment from my VA (I'm a disabled vet, US) has been PISSING ME OFF all week, I do air out as frequently/long as is feasible, usually a few hours/day the past week. I was afraid to put store bought athlete's foot cream on "down there" as I can't know what's in it/what's not etc. plus I'm concerned as this is obviously a new issue as I went in for skin tag removal 6 weeks ago and the Dr prescribed this to me for my armpits as the left pit was raw (from me scratching) and he told me it was a fungal infection. So, why am I. for the 1st time since I was a teen (I had horrible athlete's foot for years) am I getting fungal infections now?
I'm getting pretty pissed off at the VA I go to, this but one of the issues I'm having with them. The treatment/Dr's have been good to very good but every other aspect of the VA has been a total nightmare for me.

 

[OnePiece]

You can very well use athlete's foot cream in your groin area. It's the same cream with the same ingredients.
There are however several brand with slightly different ingredients, but they are all good to go.

If you recently had a fungal infection elsewhere, it can easily spread to other moist areas of the body.
If you scratch your infected armpit, you will have fungus on your fingers and if not washed well before touching
groin area, it can spread.

Also, if diabetic (or slightly), you are more prone to get fungal infections (and IC).

 

[CptKirk]

Yeah...the IC has been here (to stay it seems) since mid 2004 and has only worsened) but I was unaware on fungal infections.

 

[Edgewater]

To my limited understanding, fungal infections are nightmares to eliminate, especially in the groin (diaper) area.

Since you are working with VA (seems they have returned to their past nightmare-self, once again) you would likely be better served at you local drug store, speaking to the on-duty staff regarding the likelihood that you have a fungal infection in the 'diaper' area (yes, please uses those terms) as it likely effects what they recommend. Also be very clear that you are having serious problem connect with VA. With hope, they will provide you what they can 'over-the-counter,' and what the VA doctor may likely recommended.

Keep working with the VA and provide this more specific information as whatever doctor is assigned will be further ahead.

 

[PaddedRita]

Yes I have . When I first had to start wear full time I would a very back case of diaper rash and end up seeing my doctor ! That cream I was using from her wasn't working all that well ! Her nurse told me to start trying using an athlete foot cream call ( Lamisil ) ! With in few days it was healing up !!

 

[Diprs2]

Has anyone else ever had a pretty bad fungal infection on their scrotum that moved out along their waistband? I thought I had diaper rash, which for me would be RARE as my skin down there is either ultra resilient or not affected by this OR the fact that I'm always ultra thirsty (have been like this forever and a day...(slightly diabetic but without any treatment my blood sugar is always between 100-150 but used t skyrocket with Prednisone but I'm only on bursts of Prednisone these days and rarely at that.) as I don"t drink soda or use sugar...it's coffee w cream & splenda, then iced tea/lemonade(Crystal Light) until I go to bed with sometimes OJ, sometimes Sunny D cause I like it. Regardless, this began a couple of weeks ago and now is honestly a mess. I have been sending messages to my VA PCP every damn day about this and still haven't heard back concerning this specific issue to date. IF they don't cover it on Monday I'm half tempted to walk naked into the VA ER, just for the added emphasis! The itching was so bad at times I literally shredded myself in an area where that's a painful experience. I do have antifungal powder from a fungal infection earleir this year but in my armpits, but I'm out of refills. The skin looks 100x better after a mere 3 days of usage but is still itchy, painful and RED plus powder isn't the greatest solution in an area that is continually dark/wet/damp.
I figure I'm not the first nor the last who has encountered this, so I figured I'd ask. Thanks!

I developed a slightly irritated area just below the scrotum into the buttocks area. I have been dealing with it for several months and nothing my dermatologist was giving me was making it go away. I finally just mentioned it to my PCP and I told her it was likely a fungal infection. She gave me a prescription for Nystatin cream which is a stronger form of Lamisil, essentially.
It has been keeping things in check but has not totally made it go away. She said it takes months. I think it also works pretty well on scrotum itch given that area is always a very moist environment every night. I generally don't have a diaper on during the day, unless I'm leaving the house for an extended period. Maybe Nystatin will help you. Good luck!

 

[Nowididit]

Well, trying to get either a prescription OR an appointment from my VA (I'm a disabled vet, US) has been PISSING ME OFF all week, I do air out as frequently/long as is feasible, usually a few hours/day the past week. I was afraid to put store bought athlete's foot cream on "down there" as I can't know what's in it/what's not etc. plus I'm concerned as this is obviously a new issue as I went in for skin tag removal 6 weeks ago and the Dr prescribed this to me for my armpits as the left pit was raw (from me scratching) and he told me it was a fungal infection. So, why am I. for the 1st time since I was a teen (I had horrible athlete's foot for years) am I getting fungal infections now?
I'm getting pretty pissed off at the VA I go to, this but one of the issues I'm having with them. The treatment/Dr's have been good to very good but every other aspect of the VA has been a total nightmare for me.

Store bought creams or sprays are not going to hurt you. I get jock itch periodically and I use Tinactin liquid spray. I avoid the powder sprays because they really don't adhere to the infected area and rub off in my underwear and socks.
Athletes foot and jock itch are the same fungus so getting athletes foot spray is fine.
Manscaping and airing out is important too. Most of the time I get jock itch is because I sweat and my underwear will be damp from absorbing the sweat. Keeping my public hair short also helps keep the jock itch away. Less hair, dryer crotch.
After showering I put dry underwear on and a pair of loose fitting soft shorts. In the morning I'll apply the spray while getting dressed for work. I'll do this regimen at the first signs of itch and usually within a day or 2 the itch is gone.
Understand that this is coming from a person that elects to use diapers and am able to not use when I get a fungal infection.
Also understand that the longer you let a fungal infection fester the harder it is to get it under control. If you start treatment at the first indication itllbe much easier to stop it it before it spreads.
One other thing. Scratching. These fungal infections spread rather easy and quickly. If you scratch that itch, wash your hands. The fungus can and will get under your nails and can spread to other parts of your body.

 

[TheBlueHeron]

Lotramin AF from the drug store, airing out as much as possible (a hair dryer after a shower or change helped) and about three weeks of keto got rid of mine.
Also, corn starch in powder can feed the yeast. It seems counter intuitive, but try to avoid powders.

And, if you use covers, onesies, or anything that would regularly come in contact with the affected area, you're going to want to wash in hot with vinegar, because that stuff can stay on cloth and reinfect.

 

[CptKirk]

I've been shaving down there for a few years as it drastically reduces any between shower odors, or at least it seems to. I've been using the antifungal powder I have for my armpit and mixing it into the rash preventative cream I use after each change and the bright red coloration has already returned to mostly normal. Just getting pissed off at how slow everything in the VA seemingly moves! I've been asking about this for almost a month, which is why I broke down and posted the question here.

Thanks for all of the answers. I was caught off guard as I almost NEVER have any diaper rash issues and the minor ones I've encountered were cleared up in a day or two, at most. This has been hanging around for awhile now, and stems from my armpit infection as it makes all the sense in the world that it would wind up "down there" as that area receives frequent attention after every change, cleaning, drying, applying rash ointment etc. .....

Hopefully it clears up quickly as I shredded the skin and holy christ did that burn like hell!

 

[Deleted member 69192]

The nystatin cream mentioned above is probably a good solution. It could be yeast which is something I struggled with years ago. Thought I would never get rid of it. I’m very sensitive to yeast, and the best thing ever has been ketoconazole cream or shampoo. I’ve always gotten it by prescription. It maybe available elsewhere for humans; HOWEVER, I did notice recently that the ear cleaning solution for my dogs has ketoconazole in it with the exact same concentration. If you have a dog with bad ears…

 

[Cottontail]

Best of luck! (But I expect you'll conquer it soon.)

I get fungal infections down there ("jock itch") periodically--every one to two years. The first time is guaranteed to be the worst. You don't know what you're up against, so you treat it like an ordinary rash or you try to wait it out. I let my first infection go for about two weeks, by which time I was in agony. That was decades ago, and I've learned to just keep a bit of Lotrimin or Tinactin or similar antifungal cream on hand. Nowadays, if I feel an itch and see red patches or circles, I apply a bit of that and it's over with quickly. Amusingly, for me, it seems unrelated to diaper use, and is more likely to occur in the summer when I'm out working in the yard and getting sweaty.

 

[CptKirk]

Well, I thought it was just a rash at first, but that was over a month ago. I suspected a fungal infection due to the armpit infection I learned of when I had some huge skin tags removed in my armpits and a massive one on my back. That was in the last week of Feb! I contacted my VA PCP countless times and STILL haven't got a response about this particular issue, but there's so many damn prescriptions that got screwed up that I have to give them the benefit of the doubt as I know my case is anything other than simplistic. I figured it wasn't a rash when it literally refused to go away or change, then spread to my left upper waistband area. Like I said, in all the years I've had to wear, I almost never experience any rash issues.

I would also like to know the WHY to this...I have never experienced this before in my armpits, groin etc. I had horrific athlete's foot as a teen, but I was continually running, wrestling, lifting etc and my shoes REEKED! It was actually something I was very proud of! I couldn't afford to have different pairs of sneakers or to throw all of my socks/sneakers away so I learned to exploit, damn near making people blow chunks at the first whiff of my feet! I'd scratch my toes so badly that I'd remove skin...same thing with this...to scratch it feels so damn good but my toes never hurt like this area did! As soon as I experienced that issue I contacted the VA....still waiting for them to do something about it though.

 

[Deleted member 69192]

If you’ve recently been on a strong medication like cancer drugs or antibiotics, they can disrupt the microbial population of your skin. The microbes usually keep each other in check, but if it gets disrupted, one of the organisms can take advantage of the situation.

 

[CptKirk]

I've been on/off antibiotics for months now....having dental implants on top of minor surgeries and a bug or two here and there. What I wouldn't give for a STABLE period without ANY damn Dr appts, procedures etc. ...

My teeth all disintegrated thanks to being on Prednisone for most of a decade and then spent just shy of 5 years tapering off of that stuff before my adrenal glands "woke up" again. Wound up with Thyroid issues on top of everything else I have going on so yeah.... Last week alone I had 5 Dr appts, 1 procedure. Was supposed to be having more dental work done today but the VA got the payment to the oral surgeon all messed up so me and every other veteran he's doing work on right now are in full limbo until they straighten this out.

I've never seen anything like the VA, and it's not the people. Outside of a *large* disagreement with the ER staff all of the people have been professional and seem to be pretty damn good at their jobs. The issue is that no one has ANY IDEA what anyone else is doing! I had blood/lab work last Tuesday, had to do it again on Friday!!! I mean, HOW HARD IS THIS?!?!?!