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Avatar universal

Vaginal Strep in a Non Pregnant Woman

Hi,  I had been having lots of itching, burning and a brownish discharge for two weeks after a fun sex filled weekend with a boyfriend whom I only see every two months or so.  This happens often and I have always treated it as a possible yeast infeciton.  This time it didn't go away and so I saw my ob/gyn.  She took a culture and found strep B, which has nothing to do with Strep A that creates strep throat.  She said she could give me antibiotics to make it go away but then I would get a yeast infeciton from the antibiotics and then we'd have to use another cream etc.  She said just to let it ride it's course.  Now it's been three and ahalf weeks and it's better but not all healed.  Does anyone have any ideas about treating this or preventing this?  Every article on the internet has to do with Strep B in prenatal women (when it is very dangerous for the baby) and nothing about Strep B for regular women in their 40's like me :)  Thanks, I'd love to hear from anyone who has ever been treated for this disease or any doctors out there.
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Avatar universal
I just wanted to say that check back in and mention that Organic Coconut Oil can also be used externally as an antibacterial/antiviral. It also can be used as a personal lubricant or just overall skin softener.

My husband once had a really weird rash on his arm, and the Coconut Oil cleared it up in about four days.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just to let you know how I am feeling and what i have changed. I am slowly changing my diet and have added probiotics, vitamin b12, vitamin c, vitamin d and have started a little bit of exercise and I believe the burning and itching are still present but not as intense. The vitamin b12 has given me more energy and i dont feel as down I actually have some drive back. Of course I have prayed to God to help me to heal as well and I believe it will open doors for all of us who have this issue and I will keep you all posted.
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Avatar universal
Hello,

I just wanted to share with you ladies what has helped me.  First and foremost, I prayed for the Lord to show me what is going on with my body and to heal me and reveal to me what changes I need to do to be a healthier person.

I'm a 46 year old fit female who has always been slim and athletic, and I thought that gave me a license to eat all the cookies, muffins, et cetera, that I wanted to eat.  So I would go kind of overboard on the junk.  That was problem number one. Problem number two was that I was also somewhat anemic from a sort of heavy monthly cycle.  Both of these things (I later figured out) have somewhat weakened my immune system.  So when I got a UTI (E coli) and received antibiotics to treat it, after the E coli was gone, Group B Strep became rampant and eventually colonized my urinary tract.

The symptoms I experienced were fatigue and this weird prickly sensation in my back.  I went back to the doctor, was given amoxicillin, took that (but still had not changed anything else in my crazy diet), and later still showed signs of severe Group B Strep in my urine.

At that point I began to really pray and do research, and I realized that I needed to make some DRASTIC changes to strengthen my immune system to fight this stupid infection, because the antibiotics did not seem to be the answer for my situation.

My research lead me to discover the benefits of Organic Coconut Oil, Garlic, Vitamin C (1000 mg), Bee Propolis, Kefir, Dandelion Root Tea, FemDophilus Probiotics, and eliminating sugar as much as possible.  

I am strengthening my immune system with the Vitamin C and an Iron supplement (for my anemia), the Bee propolis, and the Dandelion Root Tea.
And also strengthening my immune system be eating cleaner.

I am killing the bad bacteria with the Coconut oil and fresh garlic (not taken together).

And I am replacing the bad bacteria with good bacteria with the Probiotics and Kefir.

Well, it's been a few months, and I must say I really believe that I am much healthier now than I was before.  My period is lighter, my fatigue is gone, and my back twinges have left.  My at-home AZO strips no longer show leukocytes in my urine, but I still need to have a lab culture my urine to see if anything is going on.  But I really believe that I have this stupid thing under control.

Ladies, I believe that you just have to figure out how to be the healthiest person YOU can be and that you can kick this thing's butt.  The changes I had to make were not easy, and a lot of the stuff that I incorporate into my diet now took some getting used to (ingesting large amounts of garlic, coconut oil, kefir), but I will continue to do it to be healthy and not have to keep relying on poisonous ineffective antibiotics.

I will update again after I go and get my lab results.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Wonderful!!!!
Avatar universal
I feel for all you women, this infection is awful and so intense it interferes with daily life activities.  This is my second bout of it (the last was 2 months ago) back to the PCP who did a culture, revealed Strep B and prescribed cephalexin again.  This is day 6 on antibiotics and still have little to no relief.  I have resorted to self medicating by drinking a cup of hot water with 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar twice a day (morning and night) also doing hydrogen peroxide rinse with warm water (3 parts water 1 part hp) it stings because I am so raw from scratching like crazy for a week, but it seems to lessen the intense itching I feel.  I am desperate that I am trying anything and everything and hope to update this post with effective or ineffective methods of calming this terrible infection.  Good luck and God Bless.
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Avatar universal
I too am with the rest of you, no one explains to you what happens with Strep B. They give you antibiotics and send you on your way......I had been having this burning sensation and thought oh i have yeast infection which i get not very often. I then  treated it with the normal stuff and it came back this time i had burning itching and i had noticed some yellow discharge i went to the doctor and told her to test me for the works.....well i was so certain i had something STD but she called and said i had Strep B.......What what is that? I have had 5 children all natural and never heard of that with all the years i spent in the GYN office...........so i took the abx and then the yeast meds because i then got a yeast infection. She explained to me that if it came back to see her again and she would treat my husband and me. I have had them again and decided to do more research and i came upon this site..what a huge help. I am not alone.........So now i believe that normal flora in the body starts in the digestive tract so i will be making some changes in my diet and will continue to keep everyone posted on my progress and what i have found out. God Bless you Woman out there......
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have read through all of these comments and don't know if I should cry or rejoice that I'm not alone.  I have suffered off and on since I was 24 with urinary tract infections and yeast infections, but both have been minor instances treated with one round of medicine.  I am now 35 years old and of the last 4 years, I have had at least 1 yeast infection every year that left me in pain and swollen in areas that I didn't think could swell!  I am single mom, haven't had sex in long time, and have weight issues.....

Today is March 30, 2012 and I have been dealing with a yeast infection for 4 weeks, so March 2nd.  The first couple days, I tried some over the counter remedies that helped but didn't give me the cure all.  By the 4th and 5th day, I wanted to invent a wire brush the size of a tampon so that I could scratch my vagina from the inside out!!  I called the doctor to just have my normal diflucan and nystatin cream prescribed, and I was on my merry way.  I went through 5 days of the diflucan, which didn't work, but I had an appointment with the doctor that previously made so I told her my symptoms at the appointment.

I was being seen for a checkup on a new medication I was taking for weight loss.  I have thyroid issues (hypothyroidism) that I was diagnosed with in March 2008 and I have been on continuous birth control since early 2002 (roughly), because my periods were so bad, but not severe enough for hysterectomy.  My doctor knows all of this and was concerned that I had Strep B.  She did a culture and said she would call with results.  In the mean time, I was told to use Monistat 7, external cream, and another 10 days of diflucan.  She called two days later to tell me that I indeed had Strep B, but since I was not pregnant, just to follow the directions she gave me at the visit and we would go from there.

Today, I called the doctor again to let her know that I am still having issues and there has got to be something else to do.  The doctor's office called back and told me that in a week, my culture grew into a more serious Strep B infection, and I would have to start 2 different antibiotics and another 20 days of diflucan.  Seriously?!?!  Not to mention the fact that I haven't been able to go to the gym because sweat makes it worse!

I haven't been able to pick up the new medication yet, but after reading through all of these posts, I'm not sure if I want to take them.  I did start taking acidolphilis a year ago and my taste for yogurt has improved (which helps but doesn't cure).  My current symptom include redness, irritation, swelling, a watery discharge, and sores from scratching when the feeling is just unbearable!  I just can't wrap my head around the fact that it has been 4 weeks...and some of you have been dealing with symptoms for years!  Please God, send us help!
Helpful - 0

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