The Purple Monster!

No, I am not talking about the "Flying Purple People Eater" in that song we all know so well or the big, furry monster with two heads on Sesame Street.

This monster is a tiny little thing that is stubborn and does not want to leave! He comes in a small 1 0z bottle and his name is "Gentian Violet"!

Gentian wha...??? Well, let me tell you about this horrible monster...

First, we begin with some nasty, wicked stuff called Thrush! Yes, Cash and I have been battling thrush for almost two months now. He has gone through two bottles of Nystatin and I have been treated with the ointment...but to no avail! (apparently that stuff is only 55% effective and of course, being so lucky, we happen to fall into the other 45%) I was referred to Gentian Violet by La Leche League (for breastfeeding mothers) as well as read about it as an alternative in a nursing pamphlet I got from the hospital. I Googled it and being desperate at this point, decided to try it...but it's not easy to find. After a search on the Internet and a trip to three different pharmacies I finally found it.

I read how horribly it stains things, including the baby's mouth when he nurses,(the mouth staining goes away after a day or more) so I was so careful not to get it on anything when applying it. I was feeling quite proud of myself for pulling it off so well. That was short lived because apparantly I was not careful enough! When I grabbed it off of the changing table to put it away I shook the bottle out of habit. Well, the lid was not screwed on tight and off came the lid and this purple monster was unleashed and attacked EVERYWHERE! On the carpet, walls, hands, clothes....lovely sight! So, now it was back to the Internet searching for ways to get RID of it! Not easy! He likes to make sure you never forget that he was there.

Ugh, so if you see me and your wondering if I decided to get a purple polka dot tattoo, be rest assured that I have not gone wild...they are just battle wounds from that horrible beast!

(On a positive note, I am a tad bit grateful for this little monster b/c it looks like Cash's thrush is finally clearing up after only a day and a half!)