Persistent Bacterial Vaginosis

[sandy1972]

Diagnosed with a case of mastitus during breastfeeding, I was given an antibiotic.  (Mastitus ended the breastfeeding.) No sooner than I finished the medication...the itching began.  After several rounds of OTC yeast med, I saw my ob and he confirmed BV.  Here is the course of actions I have taken to no avail:

 Visit obgyn – Bacterial Vaginosis (Sept 2007)
o Tindamax 3x/day for 10 days + Cleocin suppositories
o 7 day Terazole (after the antibiotic regimen)

 Visit obgyn  - No change (October 2007)
o Culture taken to rule out E coli bacteria - negative
o Metrodinazole 3x/day for 10 days + Metro gel for 7 days + Diflucan – 5 pills

 Visit obgyn- No change (Nov 2007)
o Acid jelly ordered from Jewel to possibly restore PH
o Obgyn does not seem to have anymore recommendations

 December 19th began using Acid Jelly
o December 21 began taking Oil of Oregano supplements
o December 23rd began taking Nature’s Way Primodophilus Reuteri Pearls 2x day
o December 23rd began mixing 2 acidophilus tablets with Acid Jelly and inserting vaginally.

Nothing has changed.  Antiobiotics did not help so I found the probiotic info on some blogs and out of desperation have been trying this method.  I also found information about Yin Care which is an herbal wash that I ordered but have not yet tried.  Go out there and take a peek at the forums where hundreds of women can not get relief!

My husband and I have been together and monogamous for 5 years!  We have never had STDs and live very healthy lifestyles...no smoking, no drinking, eating healthy and exercising.  I am open to ANY suggestions at this point because the last 3 months of my life revolve only around the UNBELIEVABLE itching that has ruined any possibility of intimacy or sanity.  Imagine being at work, at home, running errands, caring for your new baby, etc all while wanting to jump out of your own body.

Please help.
sandy1972
  

[Keith Downing, MD]

Hello Sandy,

I'm sorry you have been having such a difficult time.  Vaginitis, although seemingly straightforward, can be a very challenging issue to resolve, especially once the usual suspects (yeast, BV, and STD's) have been excluded from the differential.  You might want to find out if there is someone who specializes in vaginitis in your area, a physician that deals with more complex cases.  

Another option is to be evaluated by a dermatologist.  Sometimes the vulvar and vaginal skin is affected by a skin ailment that may be common, but uncommon to that part of the body.  

Best regards and Happy New Year.

Dr. Downing

[Leigh153]

Hello. Have you been screened for Diabetes? Recurrent vaginal infections can be a sign sometimes. Alao, stress is known to cause/worsen these. That being said, I suffered too for a long, long time until I started taking probiotics and they've saved my life! it normally takes about a month or so for them to kick in though, maybe longer for you since yours has been going on so long. Best of luck!

[msnycsis64]

did the yin care work

[arakknya]

To make a long story short, in November 2006, I started suffering from BV and it didn't go away until March 2007.  I thought I was out of the woods until November 2007, when almost to the day, the BV showed up again.  I went through a plethora of medications, saw a specialist, started taking vitamins and acidophilus pills and eating yogurt ... No luck.

My fiance and I sat down and talked about what could possibly be causing it - it seemed to be seasonal.  The only thing that I could come up with is that I suffer from seasonal allergies and asthma, which start in the spring and end in the late fall.  Which means, I start taking medication in March and stop in about November.  Hmmm.

I decided last week to go back on my seasonal allergy medicine and within one day, the BV symptoms lessened.  They're on their way out the door.

I have yet to see my doctor about this, but it's very curious to me.  I was actually doing a search to find if there's any correlation between allergies and BV - I have no other allergic/asthmatic symptoms at the moment.  Or perhaps one of the medications fills in or blocks some component in my body that has to do with the BV.

Like I said, I don't know what it is, but I suspect mine has something to do with allergies.  I know how completely miserable it is to suffer from it for so long, so I wanted to give you another idea to ponder.  Talk to your doctor about it?

[FeelurPain06]

I suffered with the same issue about a year ago and thought I would never get over it.


Have they ever suggested your husband being treated too.  Sometimes even though it isnt considered an STD it can sometime be passed to your partner (kind of like a yeast infection) The male might not even have symptoms and just pass it back to you.  Thats what worked for me.  and I haven't have a problem since.  Just a suggestion.


Good luck to you!!!

[mamaneeka]

I had that problem and found out that I was allergic to latex ..that meant condoms..gyn exam gloves that weren't latex free. After I discovered this I don't get them often at all.