I bought the tea tree oil but keep forgetting to do it all the time. I also was taken acidopholis but not sure how many to take. I did it for awhile but stopped because I didnt' think it was doing anything. The boric acid sounds scary. It just makes me so damn crabby! I have been on the pill for over 19 years or so and they keep switching me. I have spotting almost every month before my period, then i get it, then after I get this infection. I just want to feel normal again. I don't eat too many sweets really. I do eat bread, carbs are my downfall.
My doctor said that birth control can indeed make you more susceptible to yeast because yeast thrive in estrogen rich environments. Although, I thought it was interesting because some physicians assistant recommended that I try the "nuva ring" the one that you stick inside your vagina and leave it for three weeks. She said that the drug reps are touting it as something that promotes an unfavorable environment for the yeast, although I don't know if I trust that. I'm going to try the tea tree oil and boric acid first.
I wanted to get back to you before I head to bed...
When the Dr. discovered the glabrata he put me on Nizoral, 1 tab a day. (200 mg). He wanrted me to use Terazol 7, but I refused at the time as I was in so much pain, that anything I applied down there hurt so bad. Well, I felt better in about 3 days. My pain was reduced quite a bit, but still there was pain. He had me check in 2 weeks later. Still a lot of yeast. Do you know that he had filled one of those vials/test tubes about 1/3 full? (Gross I know, but I was shocked) That surprised me, as 2 days before THIS Dr. dx'd the glabrata, I saw another GYN who told me I had no yeast! Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, when he dx'd this, all he did was a wet prep and saw it under a high powered microscope! I've read that it doesn't always culture out! Anyway, I stayed on that Nizoral (oral, 200 mg) for about 2 months. And like I said, I did feel better, I just could tell it wasn't completely gone. So after 2 months, when I felt that my skin there had healed some and I had less pain, we then did try the Terazol 7. He gave me 2 tubes, and I applied it at bedtime, and then applied it again 12 hours later, and I would insert a small tampon to keep it from coming out. I was so determined to get rid of it for once and for all that I did something I really shouldn't have done....I went back on the Nizoral as well, (against my Dr's knowledge, as he was worried about the possibility of liver damage, which at this point I didn't care anymore). So I also took Nizoral, not 1 a day, but 1 200 Mg every 12 hours. Did all of this, the cream and Nizoral for 8 days straight, never missed a single dose. And to make my chances of getting rid of it even better, I followed a strict NO-YEAST diet for the whole 8 days. So when I went back to get checked he said it was gone, and guess what I said? "Can you be certain of this?" I really didn't trust it Samicat, as I had had it for 13 months. I was in pain that long!! My skin down there was so excoriated, flat, dry..it was a mess. It just started feeling back to normal 2 months ago, as far as the way the skin down there feels.
There is an excellent book, called The V Book by Dr. Elizabeth Stewart that is great, and has a great chapter on yeast, and also covers glabrata. You can do a search on it, and you can even read pages of it concerning yeast.
I also found out after this infection was all taken care of, that I was hypothyroid, and that could have been the reason I kept getting yeast inf. repeatedly in '01, thus treating myself over and over with OTC creams, which led to the Glabrata.
My Dr. that treated it was on the young side, and I think that helped as far as him recognizing the resistant yeast. He told me that when he was doing his fellowship, that he would see glabrata maybe 1 time a month, but today he sees it in our clinic everyday, probably due to these creams now being available OTC, and we women are over treating yeast, and sometimes treating what we think is yeast, and it's actually something else.
I will love this Dr. forever!
Good luck samicat, and all others with yeast problems...my heart and prayers go out to you.
DEDA
I wanted to get back to you before I head to bed...
When the Dr. discovered the glabrata he put me on Nizoral, 1 tab a day. (200 mg). He wanrted me to use Terazol 7, but I refused at the time as I was in so much pain, that anything I applied down there hurt so bad. Well, I felt better in about 3 days. My pain was reduced quite a bit, but still there was pain. He had me check in 2 weeks later. Still a lot of yeast. Do you know that he had filled one of those vials/test tubes about 1/3 full? (Gross I know, but I was shocked) That surprised me, as 2 days before THIS Dr. dx'd the glabrata, I saw another GYN who told me I had no yeast! Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, when he dx'd this, all he did was a wet prep and saw it under a high powered microscope! I've read that it doesn't always culture out! Anyway, I stayed on that Nizoral (oral, 200 mg) for about 2 months. And like I said, I did feel better, I just could tell it wasn't completely gone. So after 2 months, when I felt that my skin there had healed some and I had less pain, we then did try the Terazol 7. He gave me 2 tubes, and I applied it at bedtime, and then applied it again 12 hours later, and I would insert a small tampon to keep it from coming out. I was so determined to get rid of it for once and for all that I did something I really shouldn't have done....I went back on the Nizoral as well, (against my Dr's knowledge, as he was worried about the possibility of liver damage, which at this point I didn't care anymore). So I also took Nizoral, not 1 a day, but 1 200 Mg every 12 hours. Did all of this, the cream and Nizoral for 8 days straight, never missed a single dose. And to make my chances of getting rid of it even better, I followed a strict NO-YEAST diet for the whole 8 days. So when I went back to get checked he said it was gone, and guess what I said? "Can you be certain of this?" I really didn't trust it Samicat, as I had had it for 13 months. I was in pain that long!! My skin down there was so excoriated, flat, dry..it was a mess. It just started feeling back to normal 2 months ago, as far as the way the skin down there feels.
There is an excellent book, called The V Book by Dr. Elizabeth Stewart that is great, and has a great chapter on yeast, and also covers glabrata. You can do a search on it, and you can even read pages of it concerning yeast.
I also found out after this infection was all taken care of, that I was hypothyroid, and that could have been the reason I kept getting yeast inf. repeatedly in '01, thus treating myself over and over with OTC creams, which led to the Glabrata.
My Dr. that treated it was on the young side, and I think that helped as far as him recognizing the resistant yeast. He told me that when he was doing his fellowship, that he would see glabrata maybe 1 time a month, but today he sees it in our clinic everyday, probably due to these creams now being available OTC, and we women are over treating yeast, and sometimes treating what we think is yeast, and it's actually something else.
I will love this Dr. forever!
Good luck samicat, and all others with yeast problems...my heart and prayers go out to you.
DEDA
That sounds so awful! I feel like I am getting close to that point as my skin down there is getting really sore. My doctor (well actually physician's assistant, I can't get into the doctor til january 20th) put me on nizoral 200 mg for ten days. I am on my sixth day and I have more discharge then I did before I started and my symptoms have not improved, if anything they are worse. I really don't know what to do. I feel like going off of it because the side effects are really getting to me and I don't want to make myself even more susceptible by continuously taking drugs. Everything else has been ruled out except that overgrowth of lactobacillus and I don't think it's that, it doesn't cycle or anything, only in response to medications. I called my doctor and said I wanted her to call in the boric acid supositories and she never called back so I guess I'll have to try it on my own....when you were diagnosed with the hypothyroid, did they detect it with just the TSH test or did they do anything else like the t3 or t4 count because I had mind tested with just the TSH and he said it was normal but I've read that the TSH isn't always accurate for diagnosis. That's a good tip about the young doctor. Maybe I will try to find a younger one. I have never met the new one I scheduled with although his name is Walter so I doubt he is young. The thing is, most doctors have no clue about the glabrata! What is their problem?
p.s. I feel like the terazol makes me itch more!
I have been treating myself for candida and vulvodynia. I am improving, although slowly. I hope my story can help everyone here.
1993-I was given antibiotics via I.V. for an entire month when a doctor mis-diagnosed my endometriosis for P.I.D.
1994. Had a laproscopy for endo, put on birth control pills to supress it.
Also was a vegetarian, lots of carbs and sugar.
Fast forward to 1997. Intercourse became painful. My vulva felt very tight, and I would tear open (like a paper cut) at the 6 o'clock area of my vulva.
I should note that I NEVER had a typical "yeast infection". No discharge, itching, or smell. Doctors were stumped or apathetic, kept telling me to use more lube, use steroid creams, just relax, etc. etc. for years while the problem kept getting worse and worse. All testing, bloodwork, etc. came up negative. Intercourse became so very painful I cried afterwards and threatened the stability of my marriage. I finally found a gyne who suggested yeast overgrowth. She said it would be useless to test me, but I should try treatment and see if I improve. Starve the yeast, kill the yeast, improve your immune system. IT IS WORKING!
Here is what I have been doing....
Diet: Eat nothing that feeds yeast. I eat meat (no breading), low carb veggies, eggs, some plain SF fruit free yogurt, small amounts of ricotta cheese, cashews, almonds. I gave up coffee, as caffiene kills acidophilus, etc and have switched to green tea. I drink a lot of water. NO sugar or starches!! This is probably the most important part of healing.
Anti-fungals: I do not want to rely on prescription meds. I rotate taking caprylic acid, grapefruit seed extract, Kyolic garlic, oil of oregano, Pau D'arco, and goldenseal to kill the yeast. I also rotate in Candistat and other anti-candida storebought stuff.Take probiotics: Threelac is the best probiotic I've found so far to replace the good stuff. Do a google search.
Vaginal care: I douche every other day with apple cider vinegar and a
SMALL amount of tea tree oil. DO NOT take TTO orally, it is toxic in large amounts! I put vit. E on my vulva before bed. Sometimes I also douche with Kyolic garlic and acidophilus. The boric acid works great, but I don't think it is something you are supposed to do for more than 2 weeks at a time...
Enemas: I flush out my large intestine with a Kyolic garlic/acidophilus enema, holding it as long as I can.
You might go through a period of "die-off", where you feel weak, tired, and maybe ill. This is normal. It is the yeast dying and releasing toxins into your bloodstream. You will feel better after this detoxifying period.
If you are at your wits end, give this a try and give it some time to work. Also, don't go back to eating garbage after you start to feel better, the yeast problem will come back with a quickness. I accept the fact that fighting candida will require a lifestyle change for me. Yes the diet is hard, but this is my last chance for health. I'm not selling anything, just hoping this info helps someone else who has been struggling like me.
Hi Samicat--
I'm off to bed in a min. and just was checking my list/messages.
About my hypo thyroid...you know, when I first went to the dr with the yeast issues, (she was a NP), the 1st thing she checked for was glucose and TSH only. My TSH came back at 3.6, out of a range of .5-5.5. So, I was considered in so called "normal range", altho I was starting to get other symptoms as well. About 10 months later, they tested again--TSH only, came out 3.5. And I was continuing to have some bizarre symptoms, that I had NO idea were related to hypo. I was thinking I had MS at times. So finally this summer, I started really researching thyroid, especially on these boards, and when I was reading other ppl's stories on here, I KNEW it was what was wrong with me. I went to the dr. (GP) and told her, "I know what's wrong with me, I'm hypo, just like my mom was and brother, etc) Sure enough, my TSH was 8.6. I was going to insist they treat me no matter if I was in normal range, even if I had to pay out of my pocket to see a natuopath doc or whatever. I think if they had done a full thyroid panel w/ TSH, Ft4, Ft3 AND thyroid antibodies, it would have shown up a hell of a lot earlier, and I wouldn't have suffered for so long. Now I'm having a heck of a time recovering, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get back to feeling normal again. I guess the longer you go w/o getting DX'd for thyroid probs, the more damge is done, and it's going to take longer to fix you. Stupid Dr's...or should I just say stupid health care system! I think they just try to avoid all of these more thorough tests just to save money, and it's a shame.
Oh, about the Terazol...yes, it did seem to make me itch more, even burn more. But S-cat, I was in SO much pain already, I was willing to put up with a bit more, ANYTHING in order to get rid of that yeast! Yes, it did make things worse. As far as the Nizoral, I guess I was lucky with that one as I didn't have any side effects that I noticed. I've heard it can really upset your stomach, have you been bothered with that?
Funny you mention your doc's name was Walter...that was my doc's last name! I just can't understand why so few dr's know what these resistent yeasts look like, let alone even have heard of them!! If you have the freedom of selecting any Dr. you want, you might want to try calling around to different Gyns, and ask if they are experienced in treating resistent/non-albicans vaginal yeast problems.
Talk to ya later...please let me know if i can answer any more questions for you. And I sure hope you get this resolved soon Samicat. I'm sure eventually you will.
Hi Samicat--
I'm off to bed in a min. and just was checking my list/messages.
About my hypo thyroid...you know, when I first went to the dr with the yeast issues, (she was a NP), the 1st thing she checked for was glucose and TSH only. My TSH came back at 3.6, out of a range of .5-5.5. So, I was considered in so called "normal range", altho I was starting to get other symptoms as well. About 10 months later, they tested again--TSH only, came out 3.5. And I was continuing to have some bizarre symptoms, that I had NO idea were related to hypo. I was thinking I had MS at times. So finally this summer, I started really researching thyroid, especially on these boards, and when I was reading other ppl's stories on here, I KNEW it was what was wrong with me. I went to the dr. (GP) and told her, "I know what's wrong with me, I'm hypo, just like my mom was and brother, etc) Sure enough, my TSH was 8.6. I was going to insist they treat me no matter if I was in normal range, even if I had to pay out of my pocket to see a natuopath doc or whatever. I think if they had done a full thyroid panel w/ TSH, Ft4, Ft3 AND thyroid antibodies, it would have shown up a hell of a lot earlier, and I wouldn't have suffered for so long. Now I'm having a heck of a time recovering, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get back to feeling normal again. I guess the longer you go w/o getting DX'd for thyroid probs, the more damge is done, and it's going to take longer to fix you. Stupid Dr's...or should I just say stupid health care system! I think they just try to avoid all of these more thorough tests just to save money, and it's a shame.
Oh, about the Terazol...yes, it did seem to make me itch more, even burn more. But S-cat, I was in SO much pain already, I was willing to put up with a bit more, ANYTHING in order to get rid of that yeast! Yes, it did make things worse. As far as the Nizoral, I guess I was lucky with that one as I didn't have any side effects that I noticed. I've heard it can really upset your stomach, have you been bothered with that?
Funny you mention your doc's name was Walter...that was my doc's last name! I just can't understand why so few dr's know what these resistent yeasts look like, let alone even have heard of them!! If you have the freedom of selecting any Dr. you want, you might want to try calling around to different Gyns, and ask if they are experienced in treating resistent/non-albicans vaginal yeast problems.
Talk to ya later...please let me know if i can answer any more questions for you. And I sure hope you get this resolved soon Samicat. I'm sure eventually you will.
DEDA
I know what you mean about the doctor's! Our health care system really has gone down the drain. They won't perform certain tests yet they insist on performing others repeatedly...i.e. they tested me for diabetes twice in a two year period and std's probably at least three times in a four month period even though I told them that previous tests were negative, I was in a mongamous relationship for four years and had not had sex in four months due to the nonexistent yeast infection that I have! I am going to go for a full thyroid workup as soon as I change insurance companies. I'm trying the boric acid in a week or so. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for all the helpful info!
Good luck Samicat with the boric acid suppositories. I tried that before, and made them up myself. But I only used them for a few days, just didn't stick with it long enough to see if they worked. I read that in studies that have been done using boric acid to treat yeast, (resistant yeast) it works in 80% of women. Not bad, considering not a whole lot works w/ resistant yeast. Terazol is supposed to kill resistant yeast, if used for 2 weeks straight. Guess it worked for me, as I was using it 2 X a day and with the heavy duty (400 mg) Nizoral, and yeast free diet. Geez, what a nightmare to go through all that just for a yeast infection. It's about time they come out with something new THAT WORKS!!
Good idea getting thyroid tests done, especially if it runs in your family, or if you are having other symptoms.
Apparently, you could have yeast under the skin layers. If you have this, then none of the topical antifungals or boric acid will work alone. You would need to take something orally as well. BUT, if it is just resistant yeast and not under the skin layers, then the boric acid should work. Good Luck.
I have severe vaginal pain that started as a result of Candida (a yeast infection) and my doctor prescribed numerous treatments, but I STILL have the pain, especially during sex! Its driving me up the wall...how are all of you doing? Did any of you have any luck or were diagnosed with something?
To everyone on this thread:
See my post 'for those with pain during sex' on this board...I went to a vulval specialist, and she FINALLY gave me answers to what seems to be the condition many of you describe here.
Here's an answer that will surprise you. Learn how to make love differently! I had chronic yeast and chronic urinary tract infections until I began to experiment with sacred sexuality. Apparently it shifts the whole energy of your body, improving your health from within. Have a look at [deleted] Worked for me....
Last edited by Mod-S4; 08-02-2004 at 03:30 PM.
Reason: Do not post websites. Read the posting rules.
To everyone on this thread:
See my post 'for those with pain during sex' on this board...I went to a vulval specialist, and she FINALLY gave me answers to what seems to be the condition many of you describe here.
Best of luck,
Tyger.
Hi Tyger--
I'm still doing okay, as long as my thyroid levels are in the optimal range. (my yeast and vulvodynia was caused by my underactive thyroid[autoimmune disease]) When my levels are off, I have had another vag. infection, and have had some bouts of pains, but not lasting long.
I hope you get your pain resolved soon, my heart goes out to you, it's awful, isn't it? I'll go read your other thread now...
DEDA
I agree tyger. I have vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis as a result of yeast and BV. I have found some useful treatments online but still struggle. How is she treating you?
Hi Samicat.
Its good to hear I'm not alone with this condition. How long have you had it, and how long had you had it before you were diagnosed? Do you go to a specialist? Have you tried going on an anti-depressent (like Amitriptyline) in low-dose to get rid of the pain? My doc seems to think I have a high chance of eliminating it altogether with this anti-depressant because I haven't had it that long (3 months) and its not too serious (only thing that hurts is sex; penetration).
Sorry for all the qu's, but I'm so confused about this condition, is it permanent? Do some women live with this condition their whole lives? I'm only 20!
Tyger.
p.s. you mentioned some helpful treatments? What were they?
