sheerpoetry.livejournal.comHello, wise people of VP! Help, please?
I am miserable and I am SO TIRED of it. I have researched this here on VP and on forums elsewhere. I have checked with my gynecologist and my GP. I have told them both that this is a continual, persistent problem. Yet I get the same treatment and it just comes back.
I get yeast infections EVERY MONTH with my period. They range in symptoms and severity--sometimes they're not too bad and go away easily and sometimes I have burning/itching/clots of yeast and discharge.
This morning, after two days on my period (withdrawal bleed, technically), I woke up with burning and that feeling of having a UTI/bladder infection, but have had no trouble going to the bathroom. Most recently, this has been the first symptom of a super fun (not), super severe yeast/other type of infection. (Of the type where the yeast/discharge is so severe that I have to actually clean it out.)
Most often, I call my gyn and get a prescription for flucanozole. But they don't always want to call it in and I know you can become resistant to it. (I have been swabbed on several visits to be sure that is indeed what it is.)
I've taken Monistat and store-brand Monistat a few times, but the one day is too strong and by the second or third day of a multi-pack, I experience such itching and burning immediately on insertion that I have to go wash it off/get it out.
I don't use tampons or really insert anything up there (I'm a prude, I guess, but I tend to ignore that area most of the time), so I'm not really into shoving yogurt or garlic (obviously, I've used insertables on occasion and the cleaning involves investigating down there, but no produce, please) up there. I tried acidophilus (orally), but it was no help. The most recent time I mentioned it to my gyn, she suggested the oral RePHresh capsules, but the cost was prohibitive, so I found a product called Yeast Guard that's helped quite a bit. I'm also on Kariva 28-day HBC, generic Prozac, and thyroid medication.
I don't drink a lot of sodas or juices or sugary drinks and don't eat a lot of candy or food that contains sugar, which I've been told are the leading food causes. Other than that, my diet ranges quite a bit.
I recently got some of the unscented Summer's Eve pH-balanced wipes and gel soap and have been using both regularly (but not daily), in hopes I could keep the pH in check and that would solve the problem, guess not. (I also have super sensitive skin, so I always use unscented and sensitive everything else, too. I also wear cotton everything, especially underthings.)
Any suggestions? I've seen a hydrogen peroxide and vinegar rinse or douche, then people saying never to use anything like that, or even soap. There's so much back and forth and conflicting information and my doctors are NO HELP. I'm completely at a loss and tired of dealing with this all the time.