odd bumps/possible yeast?

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

alright, so i am in desperate need of help from someone who is not a doctor, considering i have no insurance and can't afford to go to mine right now.

so here's my pitiful little story.

last sunday, i decided it would be a good idea to have drunken three hour sex with my boyfriend. (and i was right!) then we had sex again on tuesday, because, i don't know, we're rabbits and need to have sex every time we see each other.
come wednesday..and the start of my problem. i woke up in the morning and went to pee as usual and was astonished to find that OMFGSHIT THAT HURTS. i paid it little mind because i figured i was just really irritated from all the sex i'd been having, since i get dry pretty easily and, especially in my drunken stupor, most likely wouldn't have even noticed if i started to get sore. i was a little bit itchy as well, but that usually happens when i haven't shaved for awhile (i have very sensitive skin). so, again, i just sort of brushed it off.
now it's tuesday...and my little problem has become very, very large. i inspected myself a few days ago after feeling a small bump right inside my entrance and, lo and behold, i actually have several small bumps all over my vagina. they hurt when i press on them so i don't press on them. also, at my entrance (if this has a medical name, i apologize for sounding like a bad porn), the skin is bright red. it looked as if it's been completely ripped off right inside, which would explain the excruciating pain when i try to fucking pee. also, it's ITCHY. it hurts a lot more than it itches, though. 
i examined myself a couple of days ago, and had no idea wtf was going on, so i was putting bacitracin around the irritated areas to see if that would do anything -- or at the very least, form some sort of barrier so i wouldn't have to cover my screams when i'm using the facilities. needless to say, this hasn't done anything. i even got desperate enough to use a&d...nada. 
THEN i went to the bathroom an hour or so ago and found about a gallon of digustingly thick, whitish yellow discharge. well, i only noticed that it was a bit yellow after i scooped it out with toilet paper; otherwise, it looked white.
this made me feel a bit silly, because now i'm thinking that it's just a yeastie beastie come to stay for awhile. problem is, i've never had any infection whatsoever down there...so i'm completely clueless.
this is where you guys come in! what should i do? does it sound like a yeast infection, or something else? is there anything over-the-counter that i could do?  i'm not opposed to odd solutions, but i absolutely refuse to stick a clove of garlic up my vag because i cannot handle the smell.
i haven't noticed any new smell emanating from my nether regions other than a tiiiiny bit of yeast scent, but nothing especially pungent or out-of-the-ordinary. i've had tonsillitis and some sort of lovely viral thing since friday so i can't really smell that well. actually, could that have anything to do with it? i know, i'm reaching.
please help. i tried to cover myself with saran wrap today just so i could pee. this is getting ridiculous.

Comments

Location/Possible Clinics,

[sororbabylon.livejournal.com]

Is there a Planned Parenthood near where you are located? They can seriously subsidize healthcare for you. I am not sure if you have an STI based on the symptoms that you describe - I can make some guesses, but they would be just that, guesses. I've been in serious pain from "rough sex" before, but I have never developed bumps, just yeast infections and redness/irritation.

What kind of bumps are they? Can you describe them in greater detail? It may help narrow possibilities if you could describe them in more detail. Also, you say they are on your vagina - do you mean in your vagina or outside of it and all over your vulva?

My *guess* is just that you are irritated from the PIV sex, but I'm not sure about the bumps.

Re: Location/Possible Clinics,

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

they look like ingrown hairs, honestly, but it seems like far too much of a coincidence for them to appear all of a sudden and right when all these other symptoms are occuring, and they're bigger.
they're inside my vagina as well as on my vulva. there are about..five or six of them, i think.
and no, there isn't a planned parenthood anywhere around here, or i would have my ass over there in five seconds flat! : )

Re: Location/Possible Clinics,

[sororbabylon.livejournal.com]

I think you really need to find a clinic. You're not going to know what to do with this for treatment until you know what it is. It could be any number of things, and no one but a doctor can tell you for sure.

Agreed with Clinic advice

[soith.livejournal.com]

I too would go to Planned Parenthood.

If that is completely impossible, I would get a yeast infection treatment, OTC and use it as directed.

It is possible that all the symptoms are stemming from a combo inner yeast/skin yeast infection.

However, I would go to planned parenthood or some sort of a clinic where a someone who has access to a visual interpretation can help you.

Re: Agreed with Clinic advice

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

skin yeast infection? i've never even heard of that.
thank you for the advice, though!

Re: Agreed with Clinic advice

[poppleshatesyou.livejournal.com]

For more information looking up "external yeast infection" might help you find more info then "skin yeast infection", google gets a little finicky sometimes without the best lingo possible. I'm not too sure about bumps and a YI though...you could have bumps from scratching though. That's happened to me before.

Unfortunately none of us or doctors, and can't actually see what's going on with you or even come close diagnosing you. so the best advice any of us can give you is to get to a doc asap.

Like the others had said, the best thing you could do for yourself at this point is find a clinic or PPH or health department near you and see what they can offer you as far as subsidized health care goes, usually they can help you out for minimal cost if you're broke. The sooner you get into to see someone the better you'll feel physically and emotionally. good luck! i hope you get some relief soon.

p.s. frozen bags of vegatables pressed against your vulva may give you some minor relief and avoid scratching!! that will just make it worse.

[mightyj.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it but it sounds just like my first herpes outbreak. Find a low cost clinic, get a proper diagnosis, and get some meds to alleviate the outbreak. In the meantime, peeing in the bathtub is less painful than using the toilet.

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

really, it hurts like that? oh fuck. i really hope that's not it.
in the bathtub..would this be while taking a bath, squatting over the bathtub..?

[mightyj.livejournal.com]

Yep. Hurts, itches, acts like a bad allergic reaction. When I went into the doctor, she wasn't sure that I had herpes because I didn't react to the pain of having my sores swabbed for the test ('bounce of the ceiling' was actual words that she used); turns out she was wrong.

The pain with urinating is because your getting urine in an open sore - squatting in the bathtub makes it less likely that you'll get urine on the sores plus you can splash cool water on yourself when you're done.

You really do need to be tested. The testing is best done while you have an open sore. If you have herpes, you need to know so that you don't unknowingly pass it to someone else.

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

right after i read your comment, i checked out yahoo health. and freaked out, because actually it seems pretty bloody likely. thankfully i've been in a monogamous relationship since the last time i was tested for STIs (negative for everything). my boyfriend has had oral herpes since he was little, but he hasn't had an outbreak in over a year..god, that was fucking stupid.
i mean, everything fits..i've had a fever since friday, flulike symptoms, everything..
so my next question is, what did you do when you found out? i do need to be tested and i'll be making an appointment as soon as i get paid because, frankly, i'll have to find the money to go to the dr somewhere. i understand that just because i have similar symptoms doesn't mean i have herpes, but the possibility that i do is rapidly becoming more and more real. i mean, can i still have sex with people? i don't want to expose anyone..and how do you tell people? like, hey, i'm real hot for your bod but i've had oozing sores down there.. how am i going to tell my MOTHER? i don't even turn eighteen until fucking december..high school grad or not, she's still going to have to know if i fill a prescription, right? can i try a round of YI meds and then get tested if they don't work, or what?

[mightyj.livejournal.com]

I got my herpes from my boyfriend when he hadn't had a sore in over a year. Unfortunately standard STI testing does not test for herpes; it can be found in a blood test.

You can still have sex with people you just need to take precautions. Always use a condom, never have sex when you have an outbreak or feel one coming on, make sure you inform potential partners up front. Frankly, I'm still with the guy I caught it from so I haven't had to deal with explaining it to someone new. Fortunately, herpes is not life ending; you just need to be careful.

No idea how to tell your mother. Heck, I'm old enough to be your mother so telling my mother wasn't a concern. Does she know that you're having sex? Could you tell her that you suspect you have a non-yeast vaginal infection and need to see a doctor? Maybe someone else here has an idea?

I wouldn't try the YI meds; they may do more harm than good at this point and probably won't help.

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

a blood test..okay.
my mother..well, we haven't discussed the fact that i'm having sex, but i've been with my boyfriend on and off for over two years and i'm on the pill (although that wasn't originally for baby reasons) and she's hinted that she knows. i mean, she's not completely oblivious, much as i would like to think so.
what i can do is pretend to use the meds, but just return the unopened package or something, and just tell her it didn't work and that i want to see my gyno..hmm. can i get a blood test without going through insurance, though? do they do that right at planned parenthood, or would i have to go to a clinic? it probably depends, i'll have to find one and call since that seems like pretty much my only option right now. guess i'm in for a bit of a drive.

[x-hypatia-x.livejournal.com]

About telling your mother--you shouldn't have any reason that that has to happen. Do you maybe have some sort of low-cost county health clinic? I know we have one here but no one seems to know about it, so you might want to check into that. Anyway, you could always pay outright for the visit and the prescription so it wouldn't go on your insurance, but you should express your concern to your doctor and see what they can do to help. I'm sure they're familiar with people not wanting parents to see what comes up.

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

well, i don't think there's one around where i live, but i can find one and get there.
the only thing i'm really worried about is the test for it. it's a blood test apparently..can i do that without going through insurance?

[x-hypatia-x.livejournal.com]

That's really up to you--I'm not sure how affordable any of this will be. I usually pay outright at my PP because my insurance always wants to know *why* I wanted to get tested, and the blood test for HSV-1 and 2 was around $160 last time. But anyone competent should be able to give you a pretty good guess on whether it's herpes or something else just by looking.

[mightyj.livejournal.com]

Actually the most accurate test is done by swabbing the sore and growing a culture. They don't need to do a blood test as long as you have an open sore. If you do indeed have herpes, the drugs will help get the outbreak under control and clear it up faster.

You can do anything without going through insurance -- it's the cost that's the issue. I have insurance and have never been to PP so I can't give you any advice there.

[revolte-avecmoi.livejournal.com]

actually, you have no idea how relieving that is. my friend is an angel and got me diflucan under her insurance -- i only had to pay 2.48! so i'm hoping that'll do something, at least. and i found a planned parenthood about an hour away from me, so i'll be going there after school.
thank you so much, i've been freaking out about this all day..good to know that there may be a happy ending. well..happier, anyway.

[in-a-safety-net.livejournal.com]

You should go in for some testing and an examination. The combination of the symptoms sounds a lot like an STI.

Update??

[soith.livejournal.com]

Let us know how things went??