Yeast or vulvodyna?

[mavey2]

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]

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

[Teri]

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 :mad:
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

[mavey2]

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?

[ICNJess]

I use boric acid capsules for chronic yeast which has also led me to V.V. :mad: 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

[mavey2]

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

[ICNJess]

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. :mad:

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

[mavey2]

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

[ICNJess]

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

[icnmgrjill]

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 :)

[ICNJess]

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

[grace 2]

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 :mad: ?? 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

[mavey2]

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

[antoinette]

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

[Teres]

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! :bow: Do you need a prescription for boric acid sup????

[MissDanielle]

My first suggestion is to try changing your diet. Remember that sugar just isn't in sweets but in processed food, starchy foods...you name it. You may be more intolerant than you think. (check out my non-profit website for more info if you want).

Another suggestion is getting other tests done. Take a look at http://www.ashastd.org/stdfaqs/vaginitis.html. They go through the three different types of vaginitis and describe what the tests entail. It's a pretty good site and the next time you see you gyn., you can be specific about what you want to be tested for.

I've heard a lot about boric acid but have never used it. Someone recenltly suggested taking a bath with 10 drops of tea tree oil in it. Also, epsom salt baths might help.

[Marlana]

I would like to know where to buy boric acid.? I tried CVS, Walgreens, Meijers and Kmart and no luck. I also tried GNC and a vitamin store. If anyone has any ideas in the Michigan area, please let me know. Thank you much!!!

[MissDanielle]

Try to do a search for health food or whole food stores in Michigan. They should have it.

[tcsharon]

"The V Book", really has a lot of info, it's by Elizabeth Stewart,MD. It helped me to sort out what was going on with IC, yeast, vag estrogen, VVD. I was so miserable I was almost ready to do myself in. I ended up going to an infectious disease doctor. He put me on Diflucian for almost 1 year. It all started with a UTI, then I was put on the wrong antibiotic 3 times then I developed c diff (antibiotic associated colitis), then I got a yeast infection and vulvodynia, plus I needed vag estrogen but I couldn't use it with a yeast infection. Anyhow, I've done so many things I can hardly remember them. One of the most important things I did was to listen to tapes by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. they helped me to calm down and not be so afraid. I had accupuncture....12 treatments. I started taking cranberry pills so I wouldn't have another infection....Nature's Herbs, they are dried fruit so the acid doesn't bother you. I take 3 in am, 2 in afternoon, and 3 in evening. I've had pelvic floor PT, she did trigger point release. I did it at home at first, but I haven't followed though like I should. I've had IC since 1991, but this whole UTI, VVD problem started in Jan 2003. I've been symptom free over a year now. I've been able to decrease my Norpramin from 30mg (for years) down to 10mg one night, then 15 the other night. I'm not sure why I'm doing so well. Could be the Diflucan, could be the cranberry pills, just don't know. But, I wanted to come back and give hope to others, plus people helped me when I just didn't know what to do about my yeast problem....sharon

[Teres]

Thanks for all of the wealth of information. Sometimes more than anything it's just nice to know you aren't alone in the world!!!!!!!! Helps you keep your sanity. I feel a huge amount of compassion for everyone who suffers.

[Writerholic]

I was wondering if anyone feels that a bacterial infection can also inflame the IC. I blamed my flares on a bacterial infection that just won't go away. I did three treatments in a row and nothing worked. I just gave up and now I have constant pain and urgency. My gyn told me that neither yeast nor bacterial infection would bother my bladder. I think she's wrong. I take acidophelus, but that's for yeast. I just wanted to see if anyone knew about the bacterial infection situation.
Thanks,
Stephanie

[ICNDonna]

Stephanie,

Your gyn is incorrect. A bacterial or yeast infection in the bladder can create severe pain for an ICer.

Donna

[glenda]

WOW! Stephanie! She is sooooo wrong! Both yeast AND bacterial infections can, AND DO, affect the severity of IC (bladder) symptoms.. (((in a huge way)))! I always know when I have a vaginal infection by the way my bladder feels! I can't emphisize it enough! I would suggest you find a doctor who knows more about this relation than she does. It's so important to have a knowledgeable doctor if you want to have any hope of feeling better. Good Luck to ya!

[sami4]

I would urge you to spend the money as see the vulvar expert that is near your home. I finally did just that and she has helped me so much bring all this together.
Yeast when chronic can lead to VV because the yeast infests the cells and causes a constant irritation to the nerves.
Most docs do not treat chronic yeast effectively. To treat it effectively if one has three yeast infections in one year the protocol is to treat for chronic yeast. This involves not only wet preps by someone who can identify the different species of Candida, but also a month long yeast test that is cultured. Then the treatment drug is chosen. If its Diflucan then its given 200 mg twice a week for one month, then a switch to Nystatin for another month. Nystatin kills yeast throughout the intestinal tract which Diflucan does not. These are just examples and the doc may use another drug.
During all this you are encouraged to take a high quality probiotic to replace the good bacteria such as THREELAC.
After the yeast is cleared from the system, then you have to address the nerve pain which may or may not be resolved. This is done with pelvic floor therapy and medications.
Estrogen can make a yeast infestation overgrow, it does not cause a yeast infection. Once the yeast is gone the estrogen will help to maintain the PH of the vagina which also prevents yeast from overgrowing. Sometimes products that maintain the PH also help such as RePhresh, or some of the other vaginal moisturizers and PH regulators that are over the counter.
It takes persistance, is crazy making but can be done.
Sammie