Please help, any ideas what's wrong?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-08-2006
Please help, any ideas what's wrong?
5
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 5:05pm

If anyone has ever heard of anything like this or know anyone who might know please let me know, I am starting to give up and don't know what else to do. I'll try to keep this as short as possible.

In January I got a yeast infection for the first time in my life. I have had chronic urinary tract infections for about 4 years now, the doctors don't know what it is, but that's a whole other story... Or maybe it's related.
Anyway, all this started a few weeks after having sex with my new (at the time) boyfriend. The thing is both of us got checked for every known STD and we are both clean.

Anyway, it started with what I thought was a UTI, and a couple weeks after the antibiotics I got the yeast infection. The Gyn told me it is common to get a yeast infection after antibiotics, but I have been taking antibiotics for the past three years for the chronic UTI's and never had any problems. Anyway, for the yeast infection I took some Monistat and a month after the yeast infection was "cured" it came back. This time the Gyn told my I have both a yeast infection and a bacterial one, and prescribed both some cream for the yeast infection and some antibiotics.

When I was done taking the stuff, the vulvar area still burned and itched. The Gyn said I have nothing, so I just waited to see if it will go away. Well, it still hasn’t, after 5 months, it still burns. A few weeks ago it itched like crazy, but I already went to two other Gyn's and they say everything looks normal and I have no infections. But it's not normal. It is more red than usual, feels dry, and I can't have sex any more because it hurts A LOT.

I tried to have sex a few days ago after not having any for 3 months, and the pain was just unbearable. The whole area swelled up about 3 times the normal size, and burned for an entire day. Also, every time I tried to have sex, no matter what, I keep getting this cut in the skin of the opening, which heals up after about 3 days and always reopens. The gyn checked me for herpes, but I don't have it.

One time after sex it looked like the skin was actually peeling above the urethra. Most of the time the pain doesn't bother me too much. I feel it all the time though. It hurts when I urinate most of the time, and about 3 months ago, I started having a burning feeling and sometimes little cuts when I have bowel movement.

It is really depressing me that the gyn's have no idea what's wrong and how to fix it. I'm just 21. The gyn thought maybe I have vaginal dryness because I was taking a low dose birth control and prescribed a higher dose, but it didn't help. She thought maybe it's from the different creams I used to cure the yeast infection and gave me another cream to cure that, but it did nothing. Actually, ever since this problem started, every cream I use starts out ok but after about 3 days it just burns like crazy when I put it on. The burning from the cream and from sex and urination is almost always the same; it feels like either a really really hot burn that is so hot it feels cold. I know that sounds crazy but that's the best way to describe it. Like when you put your hand under really hot water it feels like it's cold.

I think that's all the symptoms. Twice during this time I thought I have a UTI because I had the pain of a UTI (not the same as the pain described above) but the cultures came back negative. The doctors thought it might be Interstitial Cystitis, if anyone ever heard of that, but that wouldn’t explain why my vulva skin and anus burn all the time, just the pain during urination.
I also have really sharp pain in my lower abdomen every now and then, which lasts for a few minutes but I'm not sure it's related.

I don't have any known allergies, don't use any soaps or perfumes in that area, or use scented pads.

Sorry this message is so long, I just wanted to make sure I add all the details. I really appreciate it if you took the time to read this or if you can help.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 9:52pm

Hi shikicat, welcome!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-08-2006
Sun, 07-09-2006 - 1:19pm

Dear Jill,

Thank you for replying.

We have a university hospital right next to campus (I'm a college student) But we don't have a medical school anywhere around here. I will try to search for one in the area though, thanks for that advice.

We don't use condoms, but I have used them with previous partners and never had any problems. I already tried all of the things you mentioned about preventing yeast infections and UTI's.

I didn't get tested for IC exactly... But my urologist who specializes in it says he doesn't think I have it because most of the times I had UTI symptoms the culture was positive. I don't know how much you know about IC so I'm saying this, but one of the main symptoms is that it feels like a UTI but there is no bacteria present. Now the last two times I had UTI pain the culture did come back negative, and both these times were when I started having the vulvar pain.

See it's actually two stages. I have had chronic UTI's (mostly positive cultures) for a little over 4 years, but then this February started having the vulvar (and anal) irritation and pain every time I go to the bathroom or have sex or sometimes just in the middle of the day. It feels like two completly different pains. It worries me that when I have sex I keep getting these little cuts always at the same places, and all this started in Feb when I started having sex with my bf. as I mentioned before, I have had other sexual partners, and NEVER had any of these problems with them, other than the UTI's that is, but those didn't really seem related to sex.

I have tried the food log thing before, when I had my chronic UTI's and "random" UTI pain between actual UTI's. My urethra used to burn all the time just randomly, for weeks at a time. All that seemed to stop for a few months to be replaced by these new problems. It's really frustrating...

I don't think the birth control has anything to do with it. At first I did but I have taken birth control a couple years ago and didn't have any problems. Plus that wouldn't explain why my anus is also hurting since that has nothing to do with hormones.

I'm really worried my bf might have given me something, because he's had unprotected sex with other girls before me and the vulvar pain and cuts started about 2 weeks after we had unprotected sex, and we had anal sex one time and two weeks after that I started having the same problems in that area (pain and sometimes even small cuts after bowel movements). This is really embarrasing to talk about, I had to mention it in another message board, sorry if I am grossing anyone out. I just thought I should mention it. But the thing is both of us got checked for every STD known, and I got a pap smear to check for HPV, and everything came back negative.

Well sorry for the really long message again. I apreciate you trying to help.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Sun, 07-09-2006 - 4:58pm

Hi

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-08-2006
Mon, 07-10-2006 - 1:18am

Dear jill,

The pill I was on initially is called Aviane, and then the gyn perscribed Apri, because it was a higher dosage. Both are made by the same company though. Barr I think is the name.

I really doubt it's an STD because his last sexual partner was over 7 months before he got checked, but I will ask the gyn again if we should recheck for STD's. Both gyn's I went to said it's not symptoms of any STD's.

I'll also ask about the allergy to semen but it seems unlikely since we went over 3 months without sex and nothing got better.

Neither one of the gyn's ever mentioned vulvodynia. I read the site you sent and it might be it. The only thing is it wouldn't explain why I get small cuts (that bleed) both when I have sex or sometimes when I have bowel movements. Still, every other symptom listed there (other than spasms) seems to match. I will ask my gyn about it, but it doesn't really seem to be a well defined disorder. I mean the cause isn't known or what exactly happens there. But that's alright, as long as I'll know what I have. That's the most frustrating thing of all. Not knowning. and ofcourse the fact that it won't go away.

Thank you so much for helping, I will definatly look more into it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 07-10-2006 - 9:48am

I hope you can find a vulvar pain specialist who can provide a different perspective and hopefully a solution to your problem. Problem conditions can interact and one can lead to others so I wouldn't dismiss any possibility just yet since none of your doctors

      Jill