ok so back in april i was diagnosed with vaginitis since i was not itchy, but irritated. took flagyl. didn't feel better and took two diflucan, had period. still felt funny so went back. said i had a uti, put me on cipro. went back a week later, told me i had a lot of yeast. took two diflucan two days apart. passed out that weekend becasue of dehydration. finally felt like myself again about a week later. had period. after period, felt funny again, so did monistat this time. we had sex saturday (a week after the first dose of 3 day monistat) and now i feel kinda raw and itchy again. question is, is there anything specific i should be asking my doctor? i have to go back, this has just taken way too long to clear itself up. i'm doing everything else right- peeing after sex, using fragrance free det. and dryer sheets, only wearing cotton underwear and clothing. i've tried the whole avoiding bread and sugars and taking acidopholis thing also. seems like nothing is working, and i'm at my wits end. i've been very stressed too over everything. is there any other tips anyone can share with me if you've been thru this? thanks in advance!
so i can't get into my doc til tomarrow...its burning and irritated and a swollen today too, not to mention my whole body just aches. does this sound like it could be anything else?
went to the er monday- they pumped me full of antibiotics. went to my gyno today, told me to keep taking the bactrim for the uti i have, but all other cultures came back fine. so i was pumped full of antibiotics for other stuff that i didn't have. talked to my sister, she told me this happened to her years ago (who knew she had uti's for 6 months straight?) and she told me all about the acidopholis, garlic, cranberry and vitamin c pills she takes when things feel funny. so i'm gonna try at least the acidopholis and vitamin c for now along with taking my bactrim and hopefully i won't get a yeast infection, though my doc told me that if i did, to just go with the 7 day monistat rather than pills. with so much pumped into me though, i got really sick yesterday so i'm just trying to feel better from that first.
have your husband treated. hes giving it back to you. that happened to me
It can go back and forth, between you AND your Husband.
Your Husband has to get treated too, for yeast infection.
You both have to get treated at the SAME time.
Or it will keep recurring.
YOu need to start taking a probiotic. This helps with yeast overgrowth. Take it everyday for the rest of your life. Culturelle is a brand that you can get at Walgreen's and most other drug stores. I have been taken this over 10 years and it has made q big difference along with dietary changes. No refined sugars, no pop, minimize bread and starches.
Have you been tested for Bacterial Vaginitis? Are you on birth control? I would have a pap smear done again by the doctor. Also, stress can cause vaginal irritation/itching..Also, make sure to pee before and after sex, as well as washing very well down there. Also, if you have a yeast infection, go for the 7 day monistat , you could have had irritation from the 3 day( it's slightly stronger, and will irritate your vagina) . Also, taking the Cipro( since it's an antibiotic), it could have caused the yeast infection. It could be that you are irritating your vagina using several different medicines.
Years ago I had an abdominal infection that put me in the hospital for 3 1/2 weeks. They had me on an intravenous cocktail of antibiotics that knocked out my natural defenses to things like yeast. I was constantly taking meds/treating it, but it wouldn't go away (I understand your frustration and pain!). A friend told me that acidophilus had helped her, so I tried it. It cleared it up and I have not had another infection since then (2003)! Jessica suggested probiotics, which I have heard do wonders as well, just make sure you get a good one. A dietician friend of mine said they are not all equal. All of those antibiotics can actually make things worse, so be careful about inundating your body with them. And I agree with the others that your husband needs to be treated. Men have no symptoms, but can reinfect women over and over. Good luck!
Did your doctor do a quick look and see or did he actually do diagnostic testing through a laboratory to see what can be causing this?? This is super important as well as the genotyping for the HPV that came up positive a year and a half ago 70% of all cervical cancer is attributed to two genotypes of HPV. I would demand specific testing or head out to a different doc. Good luck.
get yourself on a good probiotic daily. That should help.
Avoid corn products too. No corn on the cob, corn meal, corn starch. Acidophilus is good, but you should also eat yogurt with probiotics. Ask your doctor for a Rx for probiotics to help balance out the good bacterian in your gut again. You need to also increase your diet with things that have been, um... what's the word... ah, naturally FERMENTED. Foods that have been fermented can help your gut flora readjust. That's why yogurt with live active cultures is so good for you... it's a milk that's been fermented naturally.
Other good foods to have with a yeast infection:
soy sauce
Miso
tempeh
fermented soymilk or fermented tofu (not the mass produced commercial stuff)
saurkraut & pickles & salsa made with salt rather than vinegar
unpasteurized wines, beers, and cheeses
real sourdough bread, like from Trader Joe's
ketchup
sour cream
mayonnaise
Foods that have been naturally fermented are good for our digestion, good for those of us with lactose intolerance, and balancing out gut bacteria especially with issues caused by antibiotics. So I'd do some label reading to try to get your gut back to feeling good.
I agree, your husband should be treated, as he is re-infecting you.
You poor thing! I would go back to your doctor and ask if there is anything else they can give you to clear this up. Also, check out acupuncture---it can be so helpful in curing these infections! Hope you feel better soon~
M
You might also want to have bloodwork to test your thyroid. Recurrent yeat infections are common with hypothyroidism.
Good Luck,
LisaD
You might also ladd yogurt to your diet. Organic is best. I know a couple of women who do this and are completely infection free now.
I used to be really prone to them. Now, maybe once every few years as long as :
1) Hubby needs treatment concurrent with yours
2) Switching FEMININE CARE PRODUCTS (aka try a different brand)
3) Going 'commando' whenever possible (aka while wearing pants)
4) Trimming (or waxing/shaving) if you don't already
5) Switching toilet paper (most kinds of toilet paper 'give' me yeast infections if I use them more than once or twice, because of all the stupid lint. I'm not going to sit and clean out fiber by stupid fiber...argh...huzzah for Scott. For some reason, even after 10 years I can't seem to make my husband understand that saving ONE dollar on the purchase price does NOT equal $20 in monostat & 2 days of cracked burning kitty. How 'bout I use some sandpaper to get YOU all nice and raw and miserable buckwheat? Is that worth saving $2 a month??? Charmin is the absolute WORST as far as lint goes, in my experience, but most of them are pretty awful. Yes, you have to use about 5 times the amount of Scott to keep your hand dry, but it equals the same VOLUME in the toilet -aka doesn't clog since it's the same 'space-, has apx 5x the number of squares, and it doesn't leave lint)
