spotting or a period?

[lyssa027.livejournal.com]

Hey y'all,

I got a tonsillectomy on Wednesday and had to stop taking my BC pill because my mouth is too swollen to swallow anything. My last period was the week of March 5th. I stopped taking the pill on the day of my surgery the 13th, and I haven't been able to swallow anything since. So now I've noticed some bleeding when I go to the bathroom, and I can't figure out if I'm spotting or if my period is restarting itself, I've always been regular, so this confuses me.

And would it be effective to try to take my bc now? I know I'm behind, and I still can't swallow, but I could possibly try to break it in applesauce or something and try to get that down.

Thank you

MMMMonday! Rape culture and Steubenville.

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

It's MMMMonday! Each Monday, we bring you special, maintainer-curated content intended to enrich your VP experience. Please note that you can find past MMMMonday posts using the "mmmmonday" tag.

Also, a quick reminder about the other places you can find VP: vp_bulletins for local announcements; contact_vp for questions and feedback on the way VP is run; the Vulvapedia for basic questions; and don't forget about our sibling community over on Dreamwidth!

Feministing: "Steubenville Teens Are Found Guilty, But Rape Culture Remains Alive and Well" (US-centric, trigger warning for discussion of rape and rape culture.)

In light of the Steubenville trial, I'm thinking a lot about rape culture today. Since rape culture is made up of a million little and big things all tangled together, it's incredibly hard to take on. Where you do think we need to start? What can we do, on individual and cultural levels? Anything you just want to vent or share? I'm seeing a lot of anger and sadness on the internet today, and I thought maybe just a space to talk about that would be a good use of the MMMMonday today. So, you're invited, if you want to, to talk about rape culture and Steubenville and whatever else you want to in the comments. We're listening.

Blood blister...or something...under my boob.

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

Hey again VP, it's me, the girl with the junk growing under her assorted skin folds.  Ugh.

So I've had a spot under my left breast, right where the wire of my bra rests, for a couple of years.  Initially, I would get a small blood blister there periodically that would clear up on its own.  Now, I have a permanent lump that varies in size from about half as big as a pencil eraser to up to twice the size of a pencil eraser.  Sometimes it just looks like a light-brown skin tag (in its small iteration) but in its bigger versions it looks like a blister very full of dark blood. When it gets this big, I slap a gauze pad between it and any bra I wear and it shrinks again.  I have accidentally drained it by scratching in my sleep (it kind of itches) and that's just a mess. It doesn't seem to be infected in that the surrounding skin looks fine, it's not hot to the touch, there's no pus. It's just like a blood blister that forms over and over again.

I - think - this is a skin tag that's just in a really unfortunate spot on my body and which I should probably get removed by a dermatologist. I have them on my neck, too, and those I just cut off with a scalpel before they get too big. But, i don't have insurance right now and if this is something I can solve without burdening our town's totally awesome free clinic? That would be great. If anybody has any ideas, I'm all ears.

My apologies for not posting a photo, but because of the location it's been tough to get a good one!! 

Yogurt/Garlic and the third trimester?

[hellgamatic.livejournal.com]

I have been on antibiotics for the past five days and have developed some pretty painful yeasties. Normally I would have started probiotic pills at the same time, but I had a lot going on this weekend and totally forgot :/ I have been using yogurt and/or garlic for the past few years when I do occasionally get a YI, but now that I'm pregnant I'm not sure what's safe. My cervix is verrrrrry soft (like an overripe, peeled tomato) and I am unsure if something from one of these things could worm its way in there and have a negative effect. Are they safe? Is one safe and the other not? Help!

Anal/Vaginal Yeast Infection

[llama-friendly.livejournal.com]

I began taking amoxicillin for a nasty case of strep throat last week. A few days ago I began to feel particularly itchy in the anal region. I figured I had not properly wiped and tried to do better. Now I'm wiping very well. Way past the point I need to and the itchiness is not stopping. The entrance to my vagina has also begun to itch a bit. I don't really have any curd-like discharge but I never have with a yeast infection. I just feel itchy and dry, which is typical when I've had YI's. I guess maybe the amoxicillin is the culprit.

My question is: Could I really have an anal yeast infection? If so, how do I treat it? I have a 3-day yeast infection treatment that is like a cream-filled syringe that is inserted into the vagina. Do I just smear some on my anus after I get it into my vagina? I don't want to cause any damage to my insides! I've never felt this kind of itch for so long in that region. It's getting to be a nuisance. Should I wait until my round of antibiotics is over to treat this? Thanks!