Yeast or vulvodyna?

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  • mavey2
    Junior Member
    • Feb 2004
    • 5

    Yeast or vulvodyna?

    I'm having such problems. For years I have been plagued with yeast problems which has led to vulvodyna and IC. I have tried everything under the sun to get rid of the yeast with no success. The last thing I tried was boric acid suppositories which seemed to help a lot. I used them for two weeks(twice a day) right through 4 days of my period. They gave me a lot of relief. But it seemed that towards the end of using them I was getting some vulvodyna and or urethra discomfort. Then I ovulated and the discomfort came back. I thought that maybe the yeast was coming back so I started up again with the boric acid but this time only once a day. I am having now what feels like the beginning of a flare (I have been great on that front for months but everything seems shaky now. I think it might partly have to do with hormones. I know you can get flares during ovulation & just before periods. Any ideas or thought for me out there. I was doing pretty well with the IC for months now and the thought of going into more pain is making me anxious, but the burning/vulvodyna from yeast makes me have to treat it with something (by the way I know that its yeast had it tested).
    Thanks for the help!
  • ICNDonna
    ICN Staff
    • Mar 2000
    • 44535

    #2
    There are some very effective prescription medications for fighting yeast --- have you tried those? Also, some people find that cutting sugar from their diets helps with yeast.

    Sending healing thoughts,
    Donna
    Stay safe


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    • Teri
      Registered User
      • Mar 2000
      • 1016

      #3
      Have you seen your dr to make sure it's yeast? I went thru a period like that and he did a culture and I had a bacterial infection....all the yeast medication in the world wasn't going to help it
      Donna is right about the sugar....I can tell how much I've eaten just by the way my crotch feels (sorry to be so grafic) and right now, with all the stress in my life, it's feelin' pretty bad cuz I use sweets for comfort food banghead banghead
      teri
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".

      Comment

      • mavey2
        Junior Member
        • Feb 2004
        • 5

        #4
        Well that's just the trouble. I went for a period of 3mons. this fall with no yeast and then felt like I had one and went and got it cultured. Sure enough I had one. I have tried every medication under the sun and nothing has ever been able to keep it away for very long. I thought after this last time doing the boric acid suppositories it was gone, then I started feeling sortof burning, etc. again. But in thinking about the whole thing it could be partly vulvodyna cause I was feeling so much better with my IC that I was starting to push the envelope by eating yogurt which I love but I really think was responsible for pushing me over the edge last year into full blown flare that's when I was finally diagnosed with IC. Right now I am being very careful to keep everything calm. Have any of you ever tried using Stevia supplement instead of sugar?

        Comment

        • ICNJess
          Support Volunteers
          • Mar 2003
          • 3538

          #5
          I use boric acid capsules for chronic yeast which has also led me to V.V. During the end of a period, your body expels some stuff (sorry not very technical but I can't remember how the doctor explained it) and that can cause to discomfort and itchiness. Maybe that is the problem? Diflucan and all those OTC's didn't help, but the boric acid capsules do.

          Good luck,
          Jess
          Mommy to 2 crazy, wonderful kids and wife to the most amazing man in the world!

          Comment

          • mavey2
            Junior Member
            • Feb 2004
            • 5

            #6
            Jess,
            When you say chronic yeast how often do you mean?
            I believe my VV&IC came on the same way, through constant yeast or using yeast creams that never helped & irritated me.
            1. How do you use your boric acid? Only when you need it or with a specific regime?
            2. How long/how often do you use it when you need to? I'm wondering if its like the way I use it?
            3. What do you do for the V pain? How long does a V flair last?

            Thanks for the help!
            Lisa

            Comment

            • ICNJess
              Support Volunteers
              • Mar 2003
              • 3538

              #7
              How often? Hmm...well I'd use Monistat or something and it would clear up for like a day but come back. My gyn said I'm prone to it because of all this autoimmune crap.

              1.) I use the boric acid now only twice a week, after having used it once nightly for a week.

              2.) It's not really a need to basis, I use it twice a week, as directed by the doctor. It really helps. I went in last week or the week before to get a yeast test and it came back negative!

              3.) For V.V. pain I sometimes use a cool pack, or a cool rag, and that really helps take the burn out. I want to talk to the gyn about vaginal creams, I know some gals use estrogen creams for their V.V.

              Hugs and love,
              Jess
              Mommy to 2 crazy, wonderful kids and wife to the most amazing man in the world!

              Comment

              • mavey2
                Junior Member
                • Feb 2004
                • 5

                #8
                Jess,
                It sounds like you haven't been using the boric acid very long? I just used it for the first time this past month. I was using it twice a day everyday for two weeks. Four days of which were during my period one of the times when things are apt to flare anyway. I was doing better then towards the end of my period (and the end of using the BA) I started feeling like I might be flareing a little. But then I had some burning and was worrying that my yeast was coming back. So I went back to using the BA once a day for 4 more days till the flare was starting to get a little more strong so I stoped the BA. Now its been a few days and the burning doesn't seem to be as much and because I got right on the flare, that seems better too. I'm just crossing my fingers. But I am not content to just live with the VV I have heard of a woman DR in the Boston area that specializes in VV problems. In the meantime I'm crossing fingers on BA. Had any VV reactions from it yourself?

                Thanks for the help! Lisa kissing

                Comment

                • ICNJess
                  Support Volunteers
                  • Mar 2003
                  • 3538

                  #9
                  Hi Lisa

                  I've been using boric acid for a month or two now. As for my V.V., it only flares before my period, and after sex.

                  Hugs and love,
                  Jess
                  Mommy to 2 crazy, wonderful kids and wife to the most amazing man in the world!

                  Comment

                  • icnmgrjill
                    ICN Founder
                    • Mar 2000
                    • 4090

                    #10
                    What type of yeast was it??? I have a resistent Candida Glabrata infection that gets out of control as soon as I eat too much sugar. Ice cream two days in a row is guaranteed to get those yeastie beasties feeding and active again.

                    Also... my VV flares with laundry detergent. If I put on a pair of underwear washed in Tide or Cheer, within minutes I'll feel like I'm having a yeast issue... when it's actually a chemical sensitivity to the detergent.

                    Interestingly, some research is now discussing that VV may actually be referred pain from the bladder... due to the proximity of both sets of nerves at the spinal chord.

                    It is HARD to figure it out... when they all feel identical, eh?

                    Jill
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                    Comment

                    • ICNJess
                      Support Volunteers
                      • Mar 2003
                      • 3538

                      #11
                      Jill,

                      I had the regular Candida, that can be treated. Have you tried boric acid? Worth a shot, huh? As for V.V. I am with you on the laundry detergent. We use White All, the anti-allergenic stuff. Works okay, but if I use scented toilet paper or a certain kind of soap I am in pain.

                      Hugs and love,
                      Jess
                      Mommy to 2 crazy, wonderful kids and wife to the most amazing man in the world!

                      Comment

                      • grace 2
                        ICN Member
                        • Feb 2004
                        • 400

                        #12
                        Hi, It's nice to hear you guys talk about this as I'm battling the is it yeast or vv??? I guess misery loves company I go in for a cysto/hydro on Fri.(my first one), My dr. believes the burning & yeast symptoms are all part of the IC, he thinks it could be helped by the hydro. We'll see. I am on Diflucan right now for a yeast infection, but have had the symptoms without yeast too. My first IC symptoms started after using an oc med. for yeast in Oct. I had used a few of them in a short time though. I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago for endo. and 2 drs. I went to in the past 6 mo. believe I have vaginal atrophy too. When I tried adding back estrogen vaginally it really made all my symptoms flare. So what to do ?? I am afraid to use anything vaginally & cause a flare. This gets so confusing. As I read these posts I pray for you guys! That is where I find peace Grace
                        When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3

                        Comment

                        • mavey2
                          Junior Member
                          • Feb 2004
                          • 5

                          #13
                          Grace,
                          From what I understand its not necessarily the estrogen that bothers but the stuff that's in with it to make it into a cream. I believe I've heard of compounding druggests that use something other than propolene glycol as the 'cream' ingredient. Am I right about this guys? I have toyed with the idea of topical estrogen but chickened out! SOOOOOOOO afraid of screwing up. How about the boric acid for a try? It seems to be working for a lot of us. Hey, anybody had any flare reactions from boric acid suppositories? Lisa

                          Comment

                          • antoinette
                            Registered User
                            • Jan 2002
                            • 9

                            #14
                            Hello there!!

                            I too have recurrent yeast infections and it is driving me crazy and I notice it when I have eaten alot sugar. I heard somewhere that taking garlic pills will prevent the yeast infection coming back. Can anyone give me some info on that??? Thanks


                            Antoinete

                            Comment

                            • Teres
                              Registered User
                              • Dec 2004
                              • 4

                              #15
                              Yeast? Vulvodynia?

                              Reassuring to learn I'm not the only one who never knows if my unreal burning is my Vulvodynia or my chronic yeast. I love sugar...how do you get away from that easily?!! I'm financially supporting the whole yeast cream industry...I'm starting to wonder now if my obsessive use of yeast killing creams isn't actually adding to the burning....Can anyone share their thoughts? I can't go to the doctor every week to have them check for yeast and I can't tell you how many times they've told me they don't find any yeast when I'm sitting there on fire. Any help, ideas etc...greatly appreciated! Do you need a prescription for boric acid sup????

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