anxiety27
04-19-2006, 07:29 PM
This is ridiculous! Nothing seems to work. Is there anyone out there who beat this thing? Did we "catch" it from somewhere? Why do we get this? I know about the PH balence and such.. but this is just too darn much now!
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RiAnne
04-19-2006, 07:39 PM
i want to find someone out there who is 'cured' from this also. it seems as though once you get it, it's here for life. crazy. it's almost like having an incurable nonlifethreating disease.
mae14
04-19-2006, 11:14 PM
i would like answers also! my first experience with BV came 2 years ago, and i have been stuck with it (on and off) since then. I thought i was the only one! And I am convinced I must be doing something wrong, but i dont know what??
Cindy_S74
04-20-2006, 11:34 AM
I'm right there with y'all. I have had it for about 2.5 years now. Took everything the doctor has told me to take. It ALWAYS comes back!!!!!
punkybear
04-21-2006, 10:40 PM
Omogid I have lived the nightmare of BV! I will tell you how I finally overcame it! The things I did may seem kind of drastic but I was willing to try anything. I don't wear a thong anymore because I think that was a part of the problem. I stopped using those shower poof things because I think they just grow bacteria on them that drip down to your vagina when you are in the shower. I don't use any perfumey shower gel, only unscented dove because I think it's hard to avoid getting soap on the outside of the vagina. I stopped wearing tampons for my period for six months and used pads only. (change them often). For about one week while I was home (bear with me on this one) I took an OB tampon and dipped it in plain yogurt and inserted it into my vagina and changed "yogurt tampons" every three hours. I also took a bath for a few nights with about a cup of cider vinegar in the water. I also forced myself to eat yogurt at least once a day and cut down on my sugar intake. This has made a HUGE difference I swear! I haven't had BV for over a year *knock on wood*!!!!
owl73
04-21-2006, 11:31 PM
It was not too long ago that I felt as overwhelmed & helpless as all of you. And I really hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, but I have been BV-free for over 2 years now. I had chronic BV infections for years and it was causing me to be severly depressed almost to the point of suicide. I just wanted my life back! I was finally sent to a GYN who specialized in chronic infections. He prescribed the worst therapy ever---two weeks of super size tampons soaked in boric acid worn overnight and twice daily boric acid suppositories. (both purchased from a compounding pharmacy) That did the trick!
I am still more sensitive than anyone I know, but I will take uncomfortability every now & then to what I used to have.
I just wanted to spread the hope to all of those who still suffer. And I never take it for granted that I am healthy again! :)
I am still more sensitive than anyone I know, but I will take uncomfortability every now & then to what I used to have.
I just wanted to spread the hope to all of those who still suffer. And I never take it for granted that I am healthy again! :)
RiAnne
04-22-2006, 09:27 AM
punkybear -
i thought that those poofs grew bacteria. i think you're right about that. i'd stopped using them for awhile but now i used one again. i'm going to stop using them. i'm going to try the rest of the things that you did cause the doctors are blowing me off. one even told me that it was 'normal'. how is a horrible odor coming from my vagina when i don't have an std, 'normal'???
i thought that those poofs grew bacteria. i think you're right about that. i'd stopped using them for awhile but now i used one again. i'm going to stop using them. i'm going to try the rest of the things that you did cause the doctors are blowing me off. one even told me that it was 'normal'. how is a horrible odor coming from my vagina when i don't have an std, 'normal'???
RiAnne
04-22-2006, 09:38 AM
owl73 -
if i have to, i'd do what you had to do too. i'd heard about using boric acid but i haven't ever tried it.
if i have to, i'd do what you had to do too. i'd heard about using boric acid but i haven't ever tried it.
punkybear
04-22-2006, 12:32 PM
I've never heard of the boric acid thing! What is it and where do you get it? I don't think there is even any point in taking the antibiotics the doctors give you for bv, it doesn't do any good. What the yogurt does is put more "good" bacteria in your vagina and I think that overcomes the bad. Anyway, I know how you all feel. I was just starting to get used to the fact that I will always itch and burn and hurt and have a smell down there which is pretty depressing.
jahidas1
04-23-2006, 12:26 AM
What do you guys do to mask the odor? I almost never eat sugar. I even eat fruit sparingly and take acidophillus pills. This has seemed to help. But does anyone know of any other methods to reduce odor? Thank you!
RiAnne
04-24-2006, 12:51 PM
jahidas1 -
i've quit the acidophillus pills, they don't seem to work for me. i put yogurt in a applicator and douche with it. i've been doing that lately. BV for me seems almost like it's 'going away' i guess you could say. i have my period now and i can't smell anything. when i 1st started getting symptoms it smelled the absolute WORST during my period. i couldn't even wear pads the smell was so bad. but now i can't smell anything during my period but i get the symptoms after my period and the smell isn't very bad and it doesn't come through my clothes anymore. maybe the yogurt thing is working. the gel that the doctor gave me took away the BV and gave me a HORRIBLE yeast infection, the worst one i'd ever had. the pills the doctor gave me tasted so horrible i had to take them with dark soda just so i wouldn't taste the pills. i barely drink soda. so after all this rambling, douching with yogurt is the only thing that has seemed to help the smell so far.
i've quit the acidophillus pills, they don't seem to work for me. i put yogurt in a applicator and douche with it. i've been doing that lately. BV for me seems almost like it's 'going away' i guess you could say. i have my period now and i can't smell anything. when i 1st started getting symptoms it smelled the absolute WORST during my period. i couldn't even wear pads the smell was so bad. but now i can't smell anything during my period but i get the symptoms after my period and the smell isn't very bad and it doesn't come through my clothes anymore. maybe the yogurt thing is working. the gel that the doctor gave me took away the BV and gave me a HORRIBLE yeast infection, the worst one i'd ever had. the pills the doctor gave me tasted so horrible i had to take them with dark soda just so i wouldn't taste the pills. i barely drink soda. so after all this rambling, douching with yogurt is the only thing that has seemed to help the smell so far.
Colleen04
04-24-2006, 11:00 PM
Well I don't know if this will help anyone. But I just got another infection after being BV free for a year and a half! Sorry...I'm still bitter. ANYWAY....the last time I had my b/f treated. WELL...I talked to my family doctor and my Gyno today and they BOTH said for him to get tested b/c he can get it. And they are able to do a test for it on men too. I was planning on it anyway, but once they said this it makes so much sense now on why I used to get them all the time. I think this time it might of had to do with a couple things that are thankfully avoidable. Anyway...I just thought I'd let everyone know who hasn't tried that option yet. Don't let the Drs fool you if they say men can't get it, b/c they can. So push for your partner to be treated, it's worth a shot. Anything is worth a shot when it comes to these damn things!
drv
04-25-2006, 11:57 AM
i've had this problem for years myself and just recently it is going away. i eat a very healthy diet(low sugar/no dairy/red meat 1x week), don't use soaps down there,or loofas, i take accidophilus and a greens products,fish oil and msm and 2 tbps of water and apple cider vinegar/day. i use chemical free laundry detergent and try to wear cotton underwear as much as possible. i think what helped me the most was taking a mini spray bottle and mixing 10-15 drops of tea tree oil and shaking it up and spraying it around and inside as much a s i could almost every night before bed. it smells bad so when my boyfriend is over i don;t do it;) he says i smell great now so i guess i'm doing something right. he doesn't ejaculate inside me anymore or near that area if possible and it has helped.
i've tried boric acid and yogurt,baking soda baths and every otc drug from doctors etc didn't work....
hope this helps..
=D
i've tried boric acid and yogurt,baking soda baths and every otc drug from doctors etc didn't work....
hope this helps..
=D
RiAnne
04-26-2006, 07:49 AM
i'm going to have to try the tea tree oil thing
drv
04-26-2006, 09:19 AM
ya i thought i'd share with you guys cause i understand how this has bothered me and affected my self esteem.
i haven't been on these boards in awhile(busy at work;) but i read a while ago from someone on this board that she used the tea tree oil/water so i said why not and gave it a shot. not sure if it was the tea tree oil or all of the years of doing the above i mentioned. hope it works for you. :wave:
=D
i haven't been on these boards in awhile(busy at work;) but i read a while ago from someone on this board that she used the tea tree oil/water so i said why not and gave it a shot. not sure if it was the tea tree oil or all of the years of doing the above i mentioned. hope it works for you. :wave:
=D
crimsonrose
04-26-2006, 10:41 AM
Yep, everyone has really good suggestions. Mine are mostly the same. Use a very mild soap with little to no fragrances to wash that area. Make sure you are rinsing the soap off good. I use Dove, and it works pretty well. No bubble baths, in fact I wouldn't recommend baths at all because all that soapy water can very easily enter the vagina and irritate you further. Wear cotton underwear so you can breathe during the day. Do not wear underwear at night. This is very important. It helps your vaginal area get aired out. I started doing this and it helped a lot!!! Don't use douches, they do more harm than good. Especially fragranced ones, you are just asking for an infection. I only use pads on my period and change them often and it seems to help as well. I also agree with the no ejaculating inside you rule because when my bf did that it created a horrible smell. The ejaculate raises your PH and causes the vagina to become more acidic which isn't real good.. especially in this situation...
Good luck! Do not give up, because I had BV for a while and after I took the medicine my doc gave me and did what is listed above.. it DID go away and never came back!! *knock on wood* lol
Good luck! Do not give up, because I had BV for a while and after I took the medicine my doc gave me and did what is listed above.. it DID go away and never came back!! *knock on wood* lol
Sharon76
04-26-2006, 11:57 AM
Caffine can aggravate it really bad.
The yogurt is very good and also probiotics........... these are usually for digestive issues but it has been shown that they can help this as it lowers the acid and promotes good bacteria in the vagina
The yogurt is very good and also probiotics........... these are usually for digestive issues but it has been shown that they can help this as it lowers the acid and promotes good bacteria in the vagina
Colleen04
04-26-2006, 11:39 PM
Crimsonrose...I did EVERYTHING you did and mine went away too. Plus my partner treated. Well minus the fact it came back after a year and a half. But it was a good year and a half! And I have faith that after this one I'll be fine again too. From reading everyone's posts there is something that will work for everyone. I firmly believe that there is a certain cause that we get them. It's different for everyone, but I refuse to believe that they just reappear for NO reason what so ever.
crimsonrose
04-27-2006, 04:58 PM
Colleen, has yours went away yet?
Colleen04
04-27-2006, 11:56 PM
Well...it went away for almost 2 years! It was AMAZING. But I just got one back a week ago. Talk about disapointing! But it was 1 of two things...I went into my b/fs hottub (I had been in MANY times) except this time, it smelled like a dirty dish rag. His brother forgot to put chlorine in it the night before and the water was FILTHY. Or two...I had sex with my b/f without taking a shower after my last bowel movement (which I NEVER do) and he fell out and hit my anus area, and then went back in. The next morning I wake up and I have one. The drs don't think it's that b/c it was less than 24hrs and they say that it really doesn't happen that fast. But I have a reason to disagree to that one. So either way, they are both avoidable. But now, once again I have to be paranoid all over again and worry if it will come back. THATS the disspointing factor. I was FINALLY to the point where I hardly ever worried about it. I had sex and didn't get paranoid, I went swimming with no paranoia, it was so nice lol. Oh well! So crimsonrose...how long has yours been gone?
summer885
05-01-2006, 01:47 AM
Help, I have dermatomyositis which affects my skin everywhere on my body. I have rashed all the time that never go away. Now I have the rash in my vaginal area, it's been like this for about one month now. I have put neosporin on it and A & D ointment helps to relieve the pain, but the rash never goes away. Can anyone help me out here. Thnx
bellsudev
05-02-2006, 06:32 AM
Summer885
I don't know if this will help but when my daughter was younger she had dermatitis very bad. None of the medicine helped, I found an articale on linoleic oil, I went to the local health food store and bought a bottle of walnut oil, which had a good amount of linoleic in it, I put it on bread, like you would butter, and did that at each meal, when she got use to the taste she would take a couple of teaspoons a day for about a week, each day you could see it getting better and better, until it was gone.
I started giving it to them all periodically, after that, and she never had a reoccurance. It can't hurt to try it, it's cheap,and if you just can't tolerate taking the oil by mouth, I have used flaxseed capsules, when my grandaughter started having problems, but if you use them you have to make sure you put it on the areas of the body that can absorb the oil, like the underside of the arms, or the inner thighs. :)
I don't know if this will help but when my daughter was younger she had dermatitis very bad. None of the medicine helped, I found an articale on linoleic oil, I went to the local health food store and bought a bottle of walnut oil, which had a good amount of linoleic in it, I put it on bread, like you would butter, and did that at each meal, when she got use to the taste she would take a couple of teaspoons a day for about a week, each day you could see it getting better and better, until it was gone.
I started giving it to them all periodically, after that, and she never had a reoccurance. It can't hurt to try it, it's cheap,and if you just can't tolerate taking the oil by mouth, I have used flaxseed capsules, when my grandaughter started having problems, but if you use them you have to make sure you put it on the areas of the body that can absorb the oil, like the underside of the arms, or the inner thighs. :)
lala-whatsnext
05-02-2006, 09:37 AM
see this is what confuses me about your cure.........isn't yogurt supposed to cure the yeast infections but not bacterial infections?