Tinea VersiWHAT?

About three months after Critter arrived, I noticed small discolorations on my stomach and lower back. I assumed it's due to hormonal changes and really didn't think about it, assuming it'll go away in a few months. Weeeeeell, it got worse. The small dime sized discolorations grew into reddish patches all over my back. Some were3" by 3". As the months flew by, I started to get concerned. It wasn't going away. Surely, the hormonal changes of having a baby don't last a year? Do they?

Google became my friend....and my enemy. I tried to google the symptoms, which for me was just the patches of redness. I didn't feel itching, burning, nothing. In my endless pounding of the keyboard, typing key words, hitting search, I didn't come up with anything. Well, I came up with lots of things. But, hey, it's the internet and everything I read seemed like what I had. The skin "C" word kept coming up in my searches. OMG! What if I have Cancer? I just had a baby, I can't die....not yet. I want to see my child grow up. I got pissed, I got angry, I got scared. I cried. And finally, I stopped looking for an answer on the internet and made an appointment with my doctor.

One look at my back and stomach and he said it's Tinea Versicolor. Huh? What? Tinea What? Tinea Versicolor (Read here about it). It's a fungal infection of the skin. To be certain, he recommended I see a dermatologist. In the meantime, he suggested I rub Selsun Blue (Yep, dandruff shampoo!) on the infected area, leave it on over night.I didn't do it, cause I wanted to be sure.

I went home, relived. I'll live to see Critter grow through the terrible twos, defy me as a teenager and hopefully marry a woman as great as his mom. But I couldn't help going to google (my friend turned enemy) and typing in Tinea Versicolor. That's IT! I read and read and read.

I went to the dermatologist and she confirmed it, Tiena Versicolor! I guess that's why they have the medical degrees hanging on their walls and all I have is an internet connection. She gave me a prescription for Ketoconazole (oral) and sent me on my merry way. I filled the prescription and was happily going to pop the pills BUT decided I should read the "prescription information". It specifically states in bold "This medicine is excreted in breast milk. Do not breast feed while taking this medicine."

HUH?!?!?!?! I told dermatologist I was nursing (Yep, still shoving the boob in Critter's face). She looked it up, on her iphone. She said it was safe and approved for lactating women. But, but, but....the prescription information sheet states otherwise.

It was too late to call the Doctor.
Come to mama, google.
Yep, I went back on the "Information Superhighway".
The manufacturer doesn't recommend using it if  breastfeeding.
The cream is safer and may be used.
Stupid doctor! Did she look up the cream instead of the oral (what she prescribed).
After playing phone tag for a few days with the doctor and getting more and more irritated by her grave oversight, I finally spoke to her. Boy, did I want to chew her up! I wanted to tell her that she's a stupid idiot, blah, blah, blah.
I questioned her as to why she prescribed that knowing I'm nursing and why would the prescription information state NOT to breastfeed, but she had no answer. UGH!! She insisted that she looked it up and it stated it's safe for lactating women. She didn't believe me. Double UGH! It's right there in black and white, b*tch. I read it! I feel like sending her the prescription information I got with the medication.

After going back and forth for a bit with her and she gave me other medication options, I decided that I'm not going to take anything and I'll live with the patches on my back until I'm done breastfeeding. My kid's health is more important than my vanity.

In my endless googling for info about Tinea Versicolor, I did find a couple of great sites:
www.kellymom.com - Here's the page about AAP approved medications while breastfeeding.
www.mothering.com - Here's a forum post from a woman with Tinea Versi, asking  for advice.Check out some of the home remedies.
Apple Cider Vinegar! That's right, rubbing it on my back, going to bed smelling like a tossed salad, washing it off in the morning shower and the patches are getting smaller and disappearing.

Thank you modern science for nothing, good ole home remedy is working!

After reading all this, you need a cheesy music video.