NEVER ending redness....................
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| Wed, 09-10-2003 - 2:01pm |
I was diagnosed with VVS (vulvadynia) in January and I am managing to get that somewhat under control but now the yeast infections are back...I know I have a lot going on im my life right now (FT worker, PT grad school, I just engaged, extracurricular activites, etc.) and I am already an anxious person but are my persistent yeast infections OR over growth of yeast really the result of stress and anxiety??? The weird thing is...I have no "true" itching and I have had YI's in the past that drove me insane b/c of the itch....so I know what it can feel like. This is different though....doctors exam the swab under a scope and see that it is yeast and thus treat me for yeast...but a week later....redness and discharge all over again. the redness is never ending though....that almost scars me more than the infection itself. I am so confused and angry...I have tested in the past for everything EXCEPT for hormone levels and I don't have any trouble with over grown yeast during the week of my period???
A year ago I put a 2 month regime of Diflucan but did not follow the regime b/c my doctor was "looney"....he never even did a culture test on me and just put me on 2 months of Diflucan??? When the pharmacists was concerned that is when I ditched the regime....and sought the help of another doctor....I can admit though...the yeast infections got better for the short time I spent taking Paxil, but what is the point of being on Paxil when it makes sex very undesirable?
Sometime I just dont even want to treat it....I am spending soooo much $$$ on visits and meds it is rediculous....maybe it needs to run a course????
what to do, what to do???
thanks ladies,
christa

It's so nice to hear that you received good advise from this board. So many women never come back to let us know!
You sure do have a lot going on right now. Congrats on the engagement, by the way!
I'm a little confused on what the problem is exactly. Do you have any symptoms of yeast? You said the itching was minimal. What about discharge? Is it bad enough to treat? An overgrowth of yeast won't hurt you. It's not like a bacterial infection, which can cause other problems if left untreated. Yeast won't and many times will clear up on its own. I would be weary overmedicating especially with your history of Vulvodynia. That could be the cause of your redness.
When I was going through this, my doctor was reluctant to put me on an extended use of Diflucan. He said it was hard on your liver. He also said if I can control it through diet, then do it that way. I'm not against medication if it helps. But, I'm not for doctors throwing medication at us when they haven't even tested for it first!
Have you done any herbal remedies yet? Acidophilus or garlic supplements are a good place to start. You can find both in any drug store. I don't recommend taking them together as they can offset each other. Start with one or the other and see how it goes. A note on garlic. It is a natural blood thinner and shouldn't be taken with certain medication or before surgery. Check with your dcotor and make sure it's okay first.
Also, sitz bathes are helpful if you do have itching. Fill your tub up just enough to cover your bottom half with warm water and add some baking soda to it.
One last thing, you can do a search here to find previous messages posted about yeast. In case I forgot something. :)
Ask any more questions you have!
Kristin
HTH
Well, thanks for listening.
Christa
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bhvulvodynia
I'm not an expert on vulvodynia but you might want to run the pills by the women on that board. I'm sure they would have plenty of suggestions for you.
Best wishes!
Kristin