horrible yeast infection

[need to get this out of my head]

I have had about 4 yeast infections in the past year and a half. This one seems the most brutal. My entire vagina is swollen and red. It itches and burns to the  point that i cant sleep. I just took diflucan two days ago so im waiting for some relief. I  use the topical but it doesnt seem to do anyhting, maybe just irritate me more. Can anyone suggest anything else.
also bare with me because i have posted about this before but i am always freaked out about herpes. My doctor has reassured me a million times i dont have it...and has taken a culture of a cut i got during one of my previous yeast infections, which came back negative. I just always freak out any time anything weird happens down there. i have no cuts or blisters or sores just an extremely red and swollen labia. Does this sound pretty normal for a yeast infection. and what can i do to help it. Thanks ladies!!

[sensitiveme755]

I have had chronic yeast infections over the past 9 months.  Usually right after my fiance drinks quite a few beers and after using KY or other Approved Lubricants.  It appears that either I am having some kind of reaction to his yeast consumption (beer) and lubricants during sex.  Either one of these or both combined is causing my internal environment to be extremely upset.  

We experimented for 1 month where he did not consume beer as well as stopped using lubricant and amazingly, I was perfectly fine.

Experiment ladies.  See what's causing your issues.  Please post.

[Morey59]

I just read an article about vitamin B-complex. In it they discuss about Biotin and that foods that have Biotin are: Avocado, eggs, liver, pork salmon and yeast. I have had gut infested yeast for the past several years and my doctor has been wondering on how I came down with this condition. This caused another problem known as the "Leaky Gut." As I read the article, I began to wonder if my taking Biotin for preventive maintenance for hair loss. For possibly a few years I was consuming 1,000 mcg twice per day. I did not think that it would cause any problems since Biotin is water soluble. Recently my holistic MD put me on FLUCONAZOLE for 32 days. It reduced the symptoms which included severe itching and skin peeling below my finger nails which included discharges (I still have a bit in that area), foggy head, anxieties, irritability, sleeping disorder and fatigue. Humans have yeast in their GI system and the good flora keeps it in check. But stress makes our bodies acidic which diminishes the good guys (flora) in our gut and prepares the environment for yeast overgrowth. Now I am wondering if I was feeding the yeast by consuming too much Biotin. And I have a strong feeling that I may be right on the money. So I am going to stop taking Biotin for a while and see if I can get rid of this. By the way ladies, I am a man.

[catchtheislands15]

get a removable showerhead and rinse out three times in the beginning of your shower and again at the end with coolish not hot water.
works everytime.
Yogurt doesnt work everytime but this goes. its natural and removes the bacteria right away so your body has a chance to catch up.
plus a removable shower head is nice for other reasons too
LOL
instant soothing when you are rinsed and fresh.

[Quinine]

I had a truly horrid YI about three years ago, because I left it untreated (I didn't realise what it was). It was my first sexual experience in a very long time and I assumed that (as sad as it sounds) I had just done it wrong. I never had visible yeast or much in the way of itching ... it was all about how swollen and painful it was. Those are the symptoms I get from it. By the time I finally went to emerg, they initially thought it was herpes, but later confirmed that no, it was just a ragingly awful yeast infection.

I tend to get one or two a year, sometimes the over the counter stuff helps, but I always need to get Fluconazole lately because with the lack of 'normal' symptoms I don't notice it right away.

Luckily I've got a doctor who is willing to help me figure out what works and what doesn't (and it won't necessarily work for everyone -- different people, different yeast infections). The one thing he's always stressed to me is to not wear tampons during a YI because it can annoy the area even more, and like many have mentioned, nothing perfumed at all. I just wish I'd found a way to make the pain and the ugh feeling go away ... I've tried the acidopholous (sp?), yoghurt, heck, even the garlic treatments ... pretty much everything I've seen here ... so far nothing has worked, which is why I'm still awake in pain rather than sleeping. :(

[CuriousGeorge61]

Hey ladies I have suffered with reoccurring yeast infections for about 6 years and unfortunately doctors don't really know enough about this stuff, if you get more than one a year its systematic. Your infection could be from taking a lot of antibiotics killing off all the good bacteria or you may have food sensitivities you don't even know about, yeast infections start in your gut, there is an imbalance, you prob dont have enough good bacteria to keep the yeasts away and unhealthy diets of processed foods and even natural sugars feeds the yeast, the yeasts crowd the get and poor out into the vagina this is why the creams only help short term. You need to find a creditable doctor at a natural place, I went to Born Clinic, I found out I have food sensitivities  to yeast, wheat, all dairy, crab, so I have to eliminate these food for 4 months and go on a very strick diet, NO SUGARS at all of any kind, you also need to take some really high quality probiotics and Nystatin should be prescribed, I had literalIy no good bacteria in my gut, I also had a stool sample that showed may yeasts and a Candida test done that came up positive, they check your iga and igg levels (immune system) this shows if it has been going on a while. The biggest thing is to find out what is causing it. Also I switched to unsented everything!! You could have an issue with hormones too and high perfumed toiletries, laundry soap, sopa etc. This is the best website for what I have learned www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com, this guy knows his stuff!

[isfour]

Hi all,

Read the Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook. I've been following the dietary recommendations and rotating natural anti-fungals: oil of oregano, probiotics including acidophilius and s. boullardi, garlic, caprylic acid, grapefruit seed extract, and I take flax oil every day. I've just started taking Candizyme every night. I also take cranberry pills every day because bladder infections and yeast infections are connected.

Apparently, yeast can become resistant to antifungals of any kind--this happened to me. Repeatedly taking Monistat, etc will hurt you in the long run.

According to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (breakingtheviciouscycle.com) you should make your own yogurt rather than use commercial yogurts.

The ayurvedic herb Triphala is helpful when taken internally and when boiled with water and used as a douche.

I have started soaking every day which has been tremendously helpful. I rotate apple cider vinegar, the contents of 2 acidophilus pills, and grapfruit seed extract. I'm going to try garlic pills as well.

Prescription for Nutritional Healing has helpful recommendations for urinary, candida, and fungal infections. Read all of these articles and keep trying the recommendations until something works for you.

Don't give up! This condition can be healed, as long as you are exceptionally persistent.