Brown discharge, UTI, what is going on??

[swampmermaid.livejournal.com]

Hey Superstars,
After about a year of abstinence, I started seeing a new guy in July and moved in with him in the UK in August. We have sex regularly, usually twice a day (with condoms). Last month I got a yeast infection after about a week of being here (total bummer) and I kicked it in about a week with coconut/tea tree oil. All was well until I got a really bad UTI about a week later. I had to order medication online to get rid of it (I have insurance that's valid in the UK but it'd still be bookoo expensive to go to a doctor here), and I took a 7-day course of Nitrofurantoin, which got rid of it. I also drank some organic cranberry juice and d-mannose supplements to help keep it at bay. It's been 25 days since my last cycle, and last night I noticed some brown spotting in my underwear. It wasn't very much, and it was kind of pasty in consistency (sorry if that's TMI, I'm just trying to get answers here). For the past few days I have also noticed that I've been getting the whole UTI burning sensation and increased urination frequency, although it's been relatively mild (not particularly painful yet, just annoying and a little bit troublesome). I have a 4-day course of amoxicillin leftover (I ordered the wrong meds the first time for my UTI) which I have been taking for the past day, and it seems to have helped relieve me of my symptoms. It wasn't a full-blown infection, I just figured I'd finish up the course of antibiotics to ensure that it doesn't develop into one, and get rid of the annoying symptoms I've been having. I've also been taking d-mannose with the amox, and upped my vitamin C intake, so hoping I'll finally get rid of it. I think maybe going through a long period of having no sex to having sex frequently has thrown my body off-kilter. So here are my questions:

1) Does d-mannose actually do anything to cure/prevent UTIs, or does it just suppress the symptoms? I don't want to keep taking it and end up with a kidney infection because I didn't notice the symptoms.

2) Is brown discharge normal between periods like that? I had it last month too, but didn't give it much thought as it was only for a day or two until my period started, and I didn't have any other symptoms. This time I have some cramping, but I think that might be attributed to the fact that my period's about to start.

3) Will 4 days of amoxicillin be enough to kick the (mild) UTI I had, provided I keep taking the d-mannose and vitamin C supplements in tandem with it? I would think so since I caught it early enough, but should I order more just in case?

Any and all input would be greatly, greatly appreciated, as I've been kind of stressed out about this junk and can't get in to see a doctor without it costing an arm and a leg (oh, the joys of being sick overseas!). Thanks!!

What does ovary pain feel like?

[lightningxsnow.livejournal.com]

Background: I had stage 1 endometriosis treated by surgery a little over a year ago and am on continuous HBC.

For the past few months, I've had issues with a mild-moderate, sometimes sharp pain on the lower left side of my abdomen, approximately where I guess my ovary would be. I kept assuming that it was either gas or referred back pain (I've had issues with low back pain and sciatica on my left side), however it keeps coming up in pretty much the exact same spot even on days I don't have back pain.

My question is: could this be ovary-related pain, how do I tell, and if so, what could that be? My ex-girlfriend had a cyst that hemorrhaged once and was in the hospital for a few days for that, so I have a tiny bit of paranoia surrounding that. I don't see my gyno for another couple of months but can move up my appointment if need be.

Treatment of burning anus, vaginal infection from diarrhea?

[brigittefires.livejournal.com]

So I have a colonoscopy tomorrow to determine a whole lot of things. As a result I'm taking what feels like ALL THE LAXATIVES, and as of 15 minutes ago I'm on a liquid diet until tomorrow afternoon. I was warned that it would be two days of constant diarrhea, and given that's one of the things that's causing issues and needing diagnosis/treatment I thought I was prepared. I finally made the switch to toilet cloth instead of paper, because I was sick of spending $40 a month on Charmin which still wasn't cleaning well and leaving me raw during my intestinal attacks. These wipes are SO SOFT and clean much better than toilet paper, and I put a few in an old toilet wipe tub with homemade baby wipe solution to clean even better. They're working really well!

Problem is the actual liquid fire coming out BURNS on contact. I thought it was just the wiping but then it splashed elsewhere on my butt and now I have a welt from it. This is even after I haven't had anything spicy in over a week, knowing this was coming. And twice now I've wiped (front to back!) and found fecal matter had splashed up into my vaginal area, so that combined with the ridiculously high carb/sugar diet I ended up on for this colon prep I feel like my vag is fighting between a yeast infection and BV. I've been drinking and eating a lot of probiotics the last few days as well, and I think that's the only thing saving me right now.

I feel like the vaginal potential infection can be taken care of with acidophilus pills inserted, and I have my douche recipes at the ready if it gets out of control. But if there are any recommendations for that, I'd appreciate them. I'm most concerned about the burning around my anus. It's unbearable. I spent most of the night crying between bowel movements. I have lidocaine gel from vaginismus, but I'm afraid that dulling the sensation will only result in me accidentally hurting myself. Any ideas what I can do, since I still have at least 36 hours of diarrhea ahead of me? I don't know that I have vaseline in the house, but the store's only a mile away and I can send my partner on his bike if I have to. I definitely don't have any diaper cream. And for the record if I ruin some toilet wipes I'm not going to be heartbroken, but I also know how to strip them so anything that can make me feel better I'm willing to try.

You're all superstars for even reading this. Thanks for any help you can provide.

ETA: Thanks for all the help, everyone. The A&D ointment/diaper rash cream + peri bottle solution is working out the best (the vaseline just got slimy and gross). Protection from the liquid fire, and no wiping/re-applying said protection. Just thought I'd update that in case anyone comes across this later looking for help out of an uncomfortable situation. I'm definitely employing this tactic next time I'm having a bowel attack.

Ovarian Cancer

[xevochic.livejournal.com]

Hello.

I have been searching all over offline and online for people who can help my sister's friend find more information. She just revealed to her friends and family that she is in stage 2 of Ovarian cancer and she made this plea on Facebook today:

( I am putting the plea behind a cut just in case anyone has dealt with this disease before )

Thank you in advance for any help you can contribute, or even any well wishes. <3